SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) and Germany-based design and intellectual property (IP) provider MorethanIP today announced the availability of the industry’s first triple-speed Ethernet medium access control (MAC) IP core supporting the IEEE 1588 standard for precision clock synchronization.

The new IP core allows designers of networked industrial automation, measurement and control systems to immediately and confidently apply this emerging industrial standard using Altera’s Stratix® II or Cyclone™ II FPGAs. By using Altera® devices today, designers can quickly update their designs when the second revision of the IEEE 1588 standard is completed in early 2007.

This IEEE 1588-compliant Ethernet MAC protocol IP core allows rapid adoption of the standard across a range of applications that demand multiple speed options from 10/100-Mbits to Gigabit and submicrosecond accuracy. This is critical in meeting strict communications latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements in the industrial Ethernet market. Target applications for this IP core include master and slave controllers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), network interface controller (NIC) cards, and switches that implement industrial Ethernet standards like Ethernet/IP, ProfiNet and Ethernet Powerlink.

“Our IP is provided as part of a complete system solution that includes software drivers as well as development boards, enabling customers to rapidly deploy compliant Ethernet technology for low-cost to high-performance applications using Altera FPGAs,” said Francois Balay, CEO of MorethanIP. “By delivering this first IEEE 1588-compatible Ethernet MAC core for Altera FPGAs, developers can confidently start now on new designs incorporating this new protocol.”

Altera Corp. (Nasdaq: ALTR)