Altera, TI to partner on PCI Express solution

Altera Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. have announced a partnership to develop a PCI-SIG-compliant, low-cost PCI Express solution using Altera's Cyclone II FPGAs and the latest generation TI x1 physical layer (PHY) chip.

The companies expect the partnership to address the need for a programmable, low-cost, fully compliant reference design for embedded systems bridging from legacy interfaces.

"Altera is a strong partner for PCI Express technology. Our PCI-SIG-compliant PCI Express solution, which includes Altera's low-cost Cyclone II FPGA and TI's PHY technology, will significantly reduce cost and risk to our customers," said Dusty Russell, general manager for TI's interface business unit, in a statement.

The TI and Altera solution allows designers to choose from different flexible TI PHY interfaces connecting to the Cyclone II FPGA. It also addresses emerging embedded PCI Express applications, including PC peripheral cards, video and image processing equipment and networking equipment.

The Altera and TI PCI Express solution with a Cyclone II EP2C20 device and TI x1 PHY (XIO1100) will be available from Altera, TI and distributors. Pricing will be under $15 for volume orders of 500,000.

- EE Times