With the rapid development of science and technology, wireless communication and automotive technology are undergoing revolutionary changes. Behind this change, Altera Corporation, as a pioneer in the field of programmable logic devices (PLDs), is leading this trend with its innovative products and technologies. The company was founded in 1983 and acquired by Intel in 2015, but re-emerged as an independent company in 2024, focusing on the development of FPGA technology and system-on-chip.
Altera's founders started the company with $500,000 in seed funding with the goal of developing chips that can be changed, or "alterable" technology.
Altra's product line mainly includes high-end Agilex FPGA, Stratix series, Arria series and lower-cost Cyclone series. These FPGAs not only have excellent performance in traditional data processing, but also provide important support in wireless communications and automotive technology. Through these highly configurable devices, engineers can develop products with greater flexibility to adapt to the diversity of market needs.
Altra's FPGA products have excellent performance, especially in the integration of system-on-chip (SoC) technology. This technology allows the integration of FPGA logic with a hard processor system (usually based on the ARM architecture) on the same chip, resulting in more efficient computing and lower power consumption. The Cyclone V SoC is a successful example, with a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor and FPGA logic, meeting the needs of wireless communications, industrial applications and automotive technology.
Systems based on the Innovative FPGA solution can realize dedicated regional functions and optimize energy consumption and costs, which allows enterprises to stand out in the fierce competition.
With the rapid increase in global demand for wireless communications and smart cars, Altera's technological advantages are becoming increasingly apparent. Major automakers and technology companies are looking to integrate smart features into their products to improve safety and performance. Altera's FPGA technology not only provides powerful computing power, but also provides these companies with flexible solutions to meet personalized market needs.
Modern cars increasingly place importance on data processing capabilities, and Altera's technology is the key to realizing smart cars.
Altra has a long history of collaboration with Intel, having licensed its programmable logic technology as early as 1984. Over time, this collaboration deepened, culminating in Intel's acquisition of the company for $16.7 billion in 2015 to form the Programmable Solutions Group. However, in 2024, Intel decided to separate this part of the business and restore the Altra brand name again, which shows its technological potential and future international market positioning.
All Altera devices are supported by a unified design environment - Quartus Prime design software. This multi-platform development environment includes all the tools needed to design FPGAs, SoC FPGAs, and CPLDs, and the OpenCL SDK launched in 2013 enables software programmers to better exploit the high performance of programmable logic devices. This move not only improves the design efficiency of engineers, but also responds to the rapid changes in business needs.
As technology continues to advance, Altera remains at the forefront of change, driving the advancement of wireless communications and automotive technology. As the market eagerly awaits the next generation of innovation, how will Altra’s future impact our daily lives?