Altera Corporation designs, manufactures and markets programmable logic devices (PLDs), HardCopy structured application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices, pre-defined design building blocks known as intellectual
cores (IP cores) and associated development tools. The Company's PLDs, which consist of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) are semiconductor integrated circuits, or chips, that are manufactured as standard chips that its customers program to perform desired logic functions within their electronic systems. Its HardCopy enable its customers to transition from a high-density FPGA to a non-programmable implementation of their designs for volume production. The Company’s customers can license IP cores from it for implementation of standard functions in their PLD designs. Altera also supplies metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) PLDs.
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