Intel Launches Stand-alone FPGA Firm Altera

Intel has launched Altera, a standalone field gate array (FPGA) company. Intel acquired Altera, a producer of FPGAs, in 2015. The company has been operating as Intel’s Programmable Solutions Group (PSG). Intel had indicated its intent to establish a standalone company for the group in October 2023.

Altera's FPGA AI Suite and OpenVINO platforms utilize AI to generate optimized intellectual property based on standard frameworks like TensorFlow and Pytorch, while its FPGAs are designed to integrate critical AI inferencing capabilities and better intercept evolving standards like PCI Express, CXL, and 6G wireless.

Sandra Rivera, Intel’s executive vice president and CEO of the PSG, also serves as Altera’s CEO. Intel unveiled the company during a webcast, revealing a strategy to expand the company’s portfolio of AI-equipped FPGAs to secure market leadership, Intel said in a press release.

The standalone company, Intel said, will be able to better address growth in the FPGA market across cloud, network, and edge, while continuing to develop the company’s Quartus Prime software and AI capabilities.

In October 2023, Intel stated that it planned to conduct an IPO for the standalone business and may explore opportunities with private investors to accelerate the business' growth, with Intel retaining a majority stake. The companies will remain strategically aligned, with a continued relationship between the standalone business and Intel Foundry Services.