Altera's New Cyclone IV FPGA Expands Reach of Cyclone FPGA Series

FPGAs Address High-Volume, Low-Cost Serial Protocol Solution Needs
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Expanding on the success of the Cyclone FPGA series and extending its
transceiver leadership, Altera Corporation (NASDAQ:ALTR) today announced the new
Cyclone IV FPGA family. Responding to increased low-cost bandwidth needs driven
by the demand for mobile video, voice, and data access, and the hunger for
high-quality 3D images, the new Cyclone IV FPGA family adds support for
mainstream serial protocols while offering an optimal balance of low cost, low
power and a rich supply of logic, memory and DSP capabilities.

The Cyclone IV FPGA family offers two variants. Cyclone IV GX devices have up to
150K logic elements (LEs), up to 6.5-Mbits of RAM, up to 360 multipliers, and up
to eight integrated 3.125-Gbps transceivers supporting mainstream protocols
including Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), SDI, CPRI, V-by-One and Cyclone IV GX has hard
IP for PCI Express (PCIe). With low power consumption and packages as small as
11x11 mm, these devices address cost-sensitive, small form-factor applications
in the wireless, wireline, broadcast, industrial and consumer markets. Cyclone
IV E devices deliver an unprecedented combination of low cost and high
functionality, and lower power by up to 25 percent compared to previous
generation Cyclone products for power-sensitive applications such as handheld
software-defined radio.

"Cyclone IV FPGAs will expand the reach of FPGAs like never before," said Vince
Hu, vice president of product and corporate marketing at Altera. "By rivaling
the cost of ASSPs and offering unmatched flexibility, Cyclone IV FPGAs are the
obvious choice for next-generation designs. The innovative features of the
Cyclone IV family make it easy for designers to support multiple protocols,
simplify board design and create obsolescence-proof solutions that will outlast
ASSPs."

For the Cyclone IV GX devices, Altera focused on reducing the total system cost.
By integrating transceivers, Cyclone IV GX FPGAs eliminate external component
costs and reduce power consumption up to 30 percent compared to previous
generation Cyclone products combined with external transceiver PHYs. This power
savings also reduces costs by eliminating the need for heat-dissipation
hardware. Cyclone IV GX devices require only two power supplies which
significantly simplifies PCB design and reduces board space and cost. With a
focus on low cost, Cyclone IV GX smallest device is the industry`s smallest FPGA
with transceivers.

Pricing and Availability

Production shipments of the EP4CGX15 and EP4C115E, the first Cyclone IV GX and
Cyclone IV E devices respectively, will begin in the first quarter of 2010.
Budgetary pricing for the smallest devices, the EP4CE6 and the EP4CGX15, will
start as low as $3 and $6 respectively for 250K unit quantities in 2010. The
three smallest Cyclone IV GX devices will be supported in the Quartus II design
software version 9.1 with the remaining Cyclone IV devices supported in the
Quartus II design software version 9.1 service pack 1. For additional
information regarding Altera's Cyclone IV FPGAs, visit
www.altera.com/pr/cycloneiv/20091102.

About Altera

Altera programmable solutions enable system and semiconductor companies to
rapidly and cost-effectively innovate, differentiate and win in their markets.
Find out more about Altera's FPGA, CPLD and ASIC devices at www.altera.com.
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Altera, the Altera logo, and all other words that are identified as trademarks
are, unless noted otherwise, Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and
the trademarks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. PCIe is a
trademark of the PCI-SIG Industry Organization. All other product or service
names are the property of their respective holders.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Cyclone IV
production shipments and pricing that are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors
are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty that
can cause actual results to differ from those currently anticipated, including
without limitation, dependence upon product development schedules, design
performance of software and other tools, development technology and
manufacturing capabilities of Altera and third parties as well as other risks
discussed in Altera's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, copies of
which are posted on Altera's website and are otherwise available from the
company without charge.

Altera Corporation
Jenny Gendron, 408-544-6397
newsroom@altera.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009