Guide to the Altera Corporation records
Finding aid prepared by Sydney Gulbronson Olson
Computer History Museum
January 2018
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA, 94043
(650) 810-1010
research@computerhistory.org
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.
Collection surveyed by Sydney Gulbronson Olson, 2018.
The collection is open for research.
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.
[Identification of Item], [Date], Altera Corporation records, Lot X7683.2016, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Altera Corporation, 2015.
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
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/ .
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