Hong Kong, July 30, 2013 — Altera (NASDAQ: ALTR) announced that it is providing fully validated EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) protocol IP (intellectual property) for use in its FPGA products. This new IP, provided through a collaboration between Altera, EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG), and Softing Industrial Automation, simplifies the integration of FPGA-based industrial Ethernet designs by offering a licensing structure that allows developers to conveniently use advanced industrial Ethernet protocols without requiring upfront licensing fees, per-unit royalty reports, or tedious negotiations.



Brian Jentz, Director of Altera’s Industrial Business Unit, said, “Customers have long wanted to be able to use EtherCAT protocol IP on FPGAs, but licensing costs have been a stumbling block. By removing this barrier, Altera customers can now conveniently utilize this technology and confidently integrate EtherCAT designs into existing FPGAs with minimal effort.”

Altera’s industrial Ethernet solutions implement protocol IP and software stacks using programmable logic and soft-embedded processors on FPGAs. Therefore, various protocols can be supported using a single board based on the same Altera FPGA without requiring hardware changes. In addition, using the same FPGA, various industrial automation functions such as communication functions, sensor interfaces, accelerators, and custom control logic can be implemented.

Martin Rostan, Managing Director of ETG, said, “We are pleased that Altera is providing the EtherCAT protocol, a rapidly emerging technology, to customers designing systems using FPGAs through a new and unique licensing strategy. Adoption of EtherCAT technology is growing rapidly, and now customers can access our technology efficiently and conveniently.”
Altera also collaborates with numerous industrial automation partners to support various design options. Altera’s Industrial Networking Partner Program provides a robust ecosystem of networking specialists that enables customers to evaluate industrial Ethernet and fieldbus solutions on a common FPGA-based platform. These partners provide IP, reference designs, and design services to meet network communication and FPGA development requirements.

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Altera provides an “out-of-the-box” industrial Ethernet solution that eliminates upfront licensing fees, per-unit royalty reporting, and tedious negotiations. Customers simply need to download the complete EtherCAT protocol IP, including the software stack, from Softing. This protocol IP and reference design have been hardware-tested using Altera’s Industrial Networking Kit (INK) and Softing’s FPGA RTEM Cyclone III kit.