Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Guide to the Altera Corporation records
X7683.2016  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Processing Information
  • Access Restrictions
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • Biographical/Historical Note
  • Scope and Content of the Collection
  • Separated Material
  • Related Collections at CHM

  • Title: Altera Corporation records
    Identifier/Call Number: X7683.2016
    Contributing Institution: Computer History Museum
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 11.91 Linear feet, 6 record cartons, 1 oversize flat box, and 3 other boxes
    Date (inclusive): 1983-2011
    Abstract: The Altera Corporation records contain printed materials, software, and audiovisual material ranging in date from 1983 until 2011. The bulk of the records are made up of printed materials, including product literature, financial reports, manuals, press releases and clippings, and print advertisements. The collection also includes packaged software containing manuals and 5.25 inch floppy disks, as well as photographs of employees and products, VHS tapes, CDs, a small amount of design drawings, and mounted graphics.
    creator: Altera Corporation.

    Processing Information

    Collection surveyed by Sydney Gulbronson Olson, 2018.

    Access Restrictions

    The collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the Computer History Museum's collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer History Museum.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of Item], [Date], Altera Corporation records, Lot X7683.2016, Box [#], Computer History Museum.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition

    Gift of the Altera Corporation, 2015.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    Altera Corporation was founded in 1983 and was a leading designer and supplier in the semiconductor industry. Altera manufactured programmable logic devices (PLDs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and also created and sold associated logic development software tools. Its initial product was the EP300 chip, which was the first reprogrammable logic device. Altera, which continued to be a leader in FPGA technology, was acquired by Intel in 2015, and is now known as the Intel Programmable Solutions Group (PSG).

    Scope and Content of the Collection

    The Altera Corporation records contain printed materials, software, and audiovisual material about and by the company from its founding in 1983 until 2011. The bulk of the records are made up of printed materials, including product literature such as catalogs and guides, financial documents such as annual and financial reports, manuals, marketing materials, press releases, press clippings, and print advertisements. Most of the printed materials pertain to the business and marketing aspects of the company, rather than the technical research and design.
    The rest of the records consist of software and audiovisual materials. There are three boxes of packaged software and development kits, which contain manuals and 5.25 inch floppy disks. Also included are photographs of employees and products, 11 VHS tapes, several CDs, and oversize design drawings and mounted graphics.
    Below is a rough inventory of the collection. For a more detailed inventory, please contact the archives directly.
    Box 1: Press clippings, 1983-1995
    Box 2: Press clippings, 1996-1998; International press clippings, 1985-1989; Print ads, 1984-1996; Press releases, 1983-2002; Altera book project, 2004; 10th anniversary materials, 1993; Wescon/Leonard Nimoy, 1984; Altera corporate presentation, 1999; IPO documents, 1988; Select historical documents, 1983-2000; Misc. copies of News & Views and The Logical Look newsletters; Magazines containing Altera articles, 1985-2005; Technical article reprints, 1985-2005
    Box 3: Annual reports, 1985-2011; Early product literature, 1984-1986; BME New Product Plan binder, 1992; NASDQ binder with Market Maker Analysis, 1991
    Box 4: Financial reports, 1988-1994; Financial analyst coverage of Altera, 1985-1990; Software manuals and guides, 1984-1997
    Box 5: Printed materials (press releases, corporate values, PREP benchmark results, other misc. materials), 1985-1998; Photographs of employees, products, dies, buildings, and events, 1983-1998
    Box 6: Diagrams and blueprints for Altera devices, 1986; Oversize periodical, 1997; Mounted graphics, ca. 1990
    Box 7-9: Packaged Altera software, 1985-1991
    Box 10: VHS tapes and CDs, 1991-2003

    Separated Material

    Physical objects were separated from the main collection. To view catalog records for separated material, search the CHM catalog at http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/ .

    Related Collections at CHM

    Altera EP300 oral history panel : design and development, Lot X5498.2010, catalog number 102702147.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Field programmable gate arrays
    Programmable logic devices