Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Altera Europe | Subject: Quartus II
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 09 May 2007
FPGA design software doubles
productivity
Altera claims its latest software helps designers achieve more than 2x faster compile times and half the memory footprint of the nearest high-end FPGA.
Designers can achieve more than 2x faster compile times and half the memory footprint of the nearest high-end FPGA by using Altera Corporation's Quartus II software version 7.1 This new software version continues Altera's leadership in delivering the highest levels of performance and productivity
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 27 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Software upgrade provides speed boost
Customers using the 8.0 release to design Altera's 65nm Stratix III FPGAs on Windows platforms will see compile times reduced by up to 50%.
Software speeds compiling
A Quartus II software user working with a multiprocessor computer will experience, on average, a 20% reduction in compile times over single-processor computers.
Customers can also begin designing today for the entire Arria GX FPGA family in both the Subscription Edition and Web Edition of Quartus II software.
"We have a commitment to our customers to deliver cutting-edge performance and productivity".
"As the only FPGA vendor to offer 64bit Windows and multi-processor support, in addition to faster compile times and reduced memory usage, Altera provides significant advantages when compared with competitors", said Chris Balough, Altera's Director of Software and Embedded Marketing.
Further reading
Low-cost FPGAs released
To immediately start designing with Arria GX devices, customers can use Quartus II design software version 7.1.
Design and development software for 65nm FPGAs
Quartus II software version 7.0 supports the entire 65nm Cyclone III FPGA family and is available in both subscription and free web editions.
FPGA designers gain ASIC-strength toolset
Quartus II software is shipping with TimeQuest timing analyser, the first timing analysis tool from an FPGA vendor to provide comprehensive native support for the SDC timing format.
Altera's compile time improvements address the productivity needs of customers relying on Quartus II software to design their next-generation systems.
Using advanced place-and-route algorithms, Quartus II software version 7.1 and Stratix III FPGAs deliver, on average, more than 2x faster compile times when compared with competing high-end 65nm FPGAs.
To further accelerate the design cycle, customers using multiprocessor computers see an additional 20% reduction in compile times over single-processor computers.
Altera's Quartus II software is the only software from an FPGA vendor offering multi-processor (eg the Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad and AMD Athlon 64 X2) support, taking advantage of today's dual- and quad-core computers.
This new version also includes several productivity updates to Altera's SOPC Builder automated system development tool.
An improved infrastructure and a more responsive GUI allows for faster implementation of large systems, and a new Avalon Streaming interface is optimised to send streaming data between two intellectual property (IP) blocks.
Version 7.1 also includes a new Avalon memory-mapped clock-crossing bridge, a pipeline bridge and a scatter-gather direct memory access (DMA) controller for improved system performance.
Customers can use Quartus II software version 7.1 to design for all members of Altera's recently announced product families, including Arria GX, Stratix III and Cyclone III FPGAs.
With immediate support for the new Arria GX family in both the Subscription Edition and Web Edition of Quartus II software, designers have opportunities to get their PCI Express x1 and x4, Gigabit Ethernet and Serial RapidIO designs to market quickly.
Version 7.1 of Quartus II software includes a number of features and enhancements to help customers achieve the highest productivity and performance when designing with Altera FPGAs, CPLDs and structured ASICs.
Both the Subscription Edition and free Web Edition of Quartus II software version 7.1 are now available for download.
The Subscription Edition is also available in DVD format by request.
Altera's software subscription program simplifies obtaining Altera design software by consolidating software products and maintenance charges into one annual subscription payment.
Subscribers receive Quartus II software, the ModelSim-Altera edition and a full licence to the IP Base Suite, which includes ten of Altera's most popular IP (DSP and memory) cores.
The annual software subscription is US $2000 for a node-locked PC licence.
Quartus II design software supports major operating systems, including Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64, Microsoft Windows XP and 2000, Unix (Solaris 8 and 9), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 and 4.0, and SUSE Enterprise Linux 9.
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