User guide

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Embedded System Design Solution
Why Use FPGAs in Embedded Designs?
Altera’s powerful development tools let you create
custom systems on a programmable chip, making
FPGAs the platform of choice. When you think
embedded, think FPGAs, think Altera. Here’s why:
• Increase productivity
Whether you are a hardware designer
or software developer, we have tools
to provide you with unprecedented
time and cost savings.
• Protect your software investment from processor obsolescence
Altera's embedded solutions protect the most expensive and time consuming part of your embedded
design — the software.
• Scale system performance
Increase your performance at any phase of the design cycle by adding processors, custom
instructions, hardware accelerators, and leverage the inherent parallelism of FPGAs.
• Reduce cost
Reduce your system costs through system-level integration, design productivity, and a migration path
to high-volume HardCopy® ASICs.
• Establish a competitive advantage with flexible hardware
Choose the exact processor and peripherals for your application. Deploy your products quickly, and
feature-fill over time to accelerate your time-to-market and establish a competitive advantage.
What Do I Need to Know to Get Started?
Evaluate our tools and develop software for free.
When you are ready to ship your product, you
must purchase a Nios
®
II intellectual property
(IP) core license. This royalty-free license never
expires and allows you to target your processor
design to any Altera
®
FPGA, so your software
investment is preserved even if the underlying
hardware changes. Follow the steps below to get
started today:
1. Get the Design Software
2. Evaluate the Software and Develop the
Application
3. Purchase Licensing