Leading Industry Analyst Firm Names Nios II Processor as FPGA Industry's Number One Soft Processor Core

San Jose, Calif. -- December 13, 2007 -- Altera Corporation today announced its Nios^® II processor core is the FPGA industry’s most widely used soft processor based on design starts, as confirmed by the market research firm Gartner in its most recent report “Market Trends: ASIC Design Starts 2007.” Altera’s Nios II processor core is a configurable, 32-bit FPGA-based soft microprocessor that is used in a wide variety of applications and end markets such as wireline, broadcast, military, wireless, automotive, and consumer.

“We are pleased that Gartner confirmed what we have been seeing in the marketplace,” said Chris Balough, Altera’s director of software and embedded marketing. “Since its introduction, Altera has shipped over 20,000 Nios II development kits, and over 5,000 customers worldwide—including the world’s largest electronics OEMs—have adopted Nios II embedded processors into their products. In as fast as a few minutes, FPGA designers can build exact-fit processor systems with custom-configured processor cores, peripherals, memory interfaces, and custom hardware peripherals to meet the unique demands of their system.”

For more information on the Altera^® Nios II processor core, visit www.altera.com/nios2.

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Altera programmable solutions enable system and semiconductor companies to rapidly and cost-effectively innovate, differentiate and win in their markets. Find out more at www.altera.com.