Actel
{{Short description|Defunct American technology company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Actel Corporation
| logo = Actel logo.svg
| type = Public
| traded_as = {{NASDAQ was|ACTL}}
| homepage = {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/20060331192710/http://www.actel.com/|www.actel.com}}
{{url|http://www.microsemi.com/|www.microsemi.com}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|1985}}
| key_people =
| location_city = San Jose, California
| location_country = United States
| industry = Integrated Circuits
| products = FPGAs, Embedded Processors
| successor = Microsemi
| revenue = {{profit}} US$191 Million (FY 2009)[https://web.archive.org/web/20110316100722/http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Actel_(ACTL)/Data/Income_Statement Actel (ACTL) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest]
| operating_income = {{loss}} US$-21.3 Million (FY 2009)
| net_income = {{loss}} US$-46.2 Million (FY 2009)
| assets = {{loss}} US$307 Million (FY 2009)[https://web.archive.org/web/20110316100657/http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Actel_(ACTL)/Data/Balance_Sheet Actel (ACTL) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest]
| equity = {{decrease}} US$233 Million (FY 2009)
}}
Actel Corporation was an American manufacturer of nonvolatile, low-power field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),Dylan McGrath, EETimes. "[http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800431775_1800001_NP_494f6750.HTM Actel FPGAs cut power drain to target mobile market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510175738/http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800431775_1800001_NP_494f6750.HTM |date=2015-05-10 }}." Aug 30, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2012. mixed-signal FPGAs,Paul Buckley, EETimes. "[http://www.analog-eetimes.com/en/micrium-supports-actel-smartfusion-fpgas.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222900516 Micrium supports Actel SmartFusion FPGAs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703215810/http://www.analog-eetimes.com/en/micrium-supports-actel-smartfusion-fpgas.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222900516 |date=2013-07-03 }}." March 8, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2012. and programmable logic solutions.EETimes India. "[http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800411544_1800000_NP_a6b71dcb.HTM Actel designs IP core for nonvalatile FPGAs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510142424/http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800411544_1800000_NP_a6b71dcb.HTM |date=2015-05-10 }}." Mar 23, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2012.EETimes Asia. "[http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800555824_499486_NT_0c1d0de2.HTM Seiko Epson goes with Actel FPGAs for multimedia viewers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528013845/http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800555824_499486_NT_0c1d0de2.HTM |date=2013-05-28 }}." Dec 10, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2012.EETimes Asia. "[http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800452409_499485_NP_209609f1.HTM Free controller cores roll for Actel FPGAs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528013653/http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800452409_499485_NP_209609f1.HTM |date=2013-05-28 }}." Feb 8, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2012. It had its headquarters in Mountain View, California, with offices worldwide. In November 2010, Microsemi acquired Actel for $430 million.Microsemi press release "[http://investor.microsemi.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=525805 Microsemi Completes Tender Offer for Actel Corporation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305153221/http://investor.microsemi.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=525805 |date=March 5, 2011 }}"Mark Lapedus, EE Times. "[http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4209259/Microsemi-buys-Actel-for--430-million-Semiconductor Microsemi buys Actel for $430 million]." Oct 4, 2010. Retrieved Jan 10, 2013.MELISSA KORN, Wall Street Journal. "[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704631504575531922167169384 Microsemi to Buy Rival Actel for $430 Million]." Oct 4, 2010. Retrieved Jan 10, 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eetimes.com/microsemi-buys-actel-for-430-million/#|title=Microsemi buys Actel for $430 million|website=eetimes.com}}
History and competition
Actel was founded in 1985 and became known for its high-reliability and anti-fuse-based FPGAs, used in the military and aerospace markets.Andrew Hamm, SJ Business Journal. "[http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2003/08/04/smallb3.html The sky's the limit for Actel chips in planned European satellites]." August 1, 2003. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
Actel acquired GateField in 2000, which expanded Actel's anti-fuse FPGA offering to include flash-based FPGAs. Actel announced in 2004 that it had shipped the one-millionth unit of its flash-based ProASICPLUS FPGA.Company Release. "[http://www.actel.com/company/press/2004/3/29/ Actel Achieves Key Milestone with its Cost-Effective, Flash-Based FPGAs; Company Ships More Than 1 Million Units] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829235012/http://www.actel.com/company/press/2004/3/29/ |date=August 29, 2008 }}." March 29, 2004. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
In 2005, Actel introduced a new technology known as Fusion to bring FPGA programmability to mixed-signal solutions. Fusion was the first technology to integrate mixed-signal analogue capabilities with flash memory and FPGA fabric in a monolithic device.EETimes. "[http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=166400480 Actel Claims To Usher In Era Of 'Programmable System Chip']." July 18, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
In 2006, to address the tight power budgets of the portable market, Actel introduced the IGLOO FPGA. The IGLOO family of FPGAs was based on Actel's nonvolatile flash technology and the ProASIC 3 FPGA architecture.Company Release. "[http://www.actel.com/company/press/2006/8/28/ Actel Brings Portable Market In from the Cold With Industry's Lowest Power FPGA Family] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707081714/http://www.actel.com/company/press/2006/8/28/ |date=July 7, 2011 }}." August 28, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2010. Two new IGLOO derivatives were added in 2008: IGLOO PLUS FPGAs with enhanced I/O capabilities, and IGLOO nano FPGAs, a low power solution at 2 μW. A nano version of ProASIC3 also became available in 2008.
In 2010, Actel introduced the SmartFusion line of FPGAs. SmartFusion includes both analogue components and a programmable flash-based logic fabric within the same chip. SmartFusion was the first FPGA product to additionally include a hard ARM processor core.EETimes. "[http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223101108 Actel rolls mixed-signal FPGA with hard ARM core]." March 2, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
Altera and Xilinx are the other key players in the market, however, their main focus is on SRAM FPGAs. Lattice Semiconductor is another competitor.Electronics Weekly. "[http://www.electronicsweekly.com/products/clist.aspx?sID=127&NavigationID=65&SlotPageID=42 FPGA / PLD]." Retrieved June 13, 2012.John Edwards, EDN. "[http://www.edn.com/electronics-news/4320763/No-room-for-Second-Place No room for Second Place]." Jun 1, 2006. Retrieved Jan 10, 2013.
Technologies
Actel's portfolio of FPGAs is based on two types of technologies: anti-fuse-based FPGAs (Axcelerator, SX-A, eX, and MX families) and flash-based FPGAs (Fusion, PolarFire, IGLOO, and ProASIC3 families).
Actel's anti-fuse FPGAs have been known for their nonvolatility, live-at power-up operation,{{Cite web |title=Introduction To Actel FPGA Architecture PDF {{!}} PDF {{!}} Logic Gate {{!}} Field Programmable Gate Array |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/370703365/Introduction-to-Actel-FPGA-Architecture-pdf |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Scribd |language=en}} single-chip form factor{{Clarify|date=March 2011}}{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}, and security{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}. Actel's flash-based FPGA families include these same characteristics{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} and are also reprogrammable and low power.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
Actel also develops system-critical FPGAs (RTAX and ProASIC3 families), including extended temperature automotive, military, and aerospace FPGAs, plus a wide variety of space-class radiation-tolerant devices. These flash and anti-fuse FPGAs have high levels of reliability{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} and firm-error immunity.{{Clarify|date=March 2011}}{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
Controversy
In March 2012, researchers from the University of Cambridge discovered a backdoor in the JTAG interface of the ProASIC3 family of low-powered FPGAs.Sergei Skorobogatov. "[http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sps32/Silicon_scan_draft.pdf Breakthrough silicon scanning discovers backdoor in military chip]" They defended their theory at a cryptography workshop held in Belgium in September 2012.CHES 2012 "[https://www.cosic.esat.kuleuven.be/ches2012/papers.shtml Workshop on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems]"
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
{{Portal|Companies}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060331192710/http://www.actel.com/ Corporate website]
{{Programmable Logic}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States
Category:Electronic design automation companies
Category:Fabless semiconductor companies
Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:Companies based in Mountain View, California
Category:American companies established in 1985
Category:Electronics companies established in 1985
Category:Electronics companies disestablished in 2010
Category:1985 establishments in California
Category:2010 disestablishments in California
Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:2010 mergers and acquisitions