Actel
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Fate | Acquired by Microsemi |
| Successor | Microsemi |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Low-power, nonvolatile FPGAs; mixed-signal FPGAs; programmable logic products |
Number of employees | Over 500 (2009) |
Actel Corporation was a U.S.-based producer specializing in low-power, nonvolatile field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), mixed-signal FPGAs, and other programmable logic products. The company, with its headquarters located in Mountain View, California, maintained a worldwide presence through multiple offices.
In November 2010, Microsemi acquired Actel for $430 million, representing a major consolidation within the semiconductor sector. This acquisition broadened Microsemi’s FPGA technology offerings and strengthened its market position.
Actel concentrated on energy-efficient programmable logic devices tailored to industries demanding minimal power usage and high dependability, such as aerospace and defense. Its business strategy prioritized advancing nonvolatile FPGA technologies to maintain a competitive edge in its specialized market segment.
During fiscal year 2009, Actel generated revenues near US$191 million but experienced operating losses of US$21.3 million and net losses of US$46.2 million, indicating profitability challenges despite consistent sales. The company held assets totaling US$307 million and equity of US$233 million at that time, supporting operations staffed by over 500 employees.
With strategic leadership focused on niche FPGA solutions, Actel established itself as a significant contributor to the integrated circuits industry until its absorption into Microsemi’s organizational framework.
History and competition
Established in 1985, Actel earned a reputation for producing reliable anti-fuse FPGAs aimed at military and aerospace applications. The acquisition of GateField in 2000 expanded Actel’s product range to include flash-based FPGAs. By 2004, the company had shipped more than one million units of its flash-based ProASICPLUS FPGA, marking an important achievement in its growth trajectory.
In 2005, Actel introduced Fusion technology, which combined mixed-signal analog functions with flash memory and FPGA fabric on a single chip—an innovation that strengthened its position in programmable system-on-chip solutions. To address the portable market's demand for low power consumption, Actel launched the IGLOO FPGA family in 2006, built on nonvolatile flash technology and the ProASIC 3 platform. This lineup was further enhanced in 2008 by IGLOO PLUS FPGAs featuring improved I/O capabilities and IGLOO nano devices offering ultra-low power use at just 2 μW, alongside a nano variant of ProASIC3.
The 2010 debut of SmartFusion FPGAs combined analog components, programmable flash logic fabric, and an embedded ARM processor core into one device—positioning Actel as a pioneer in mixed-signal FPGA solutions with integrated processing.
Primary competitors included Altera and Xilinx—both focused mainly on SRAM-based FPGAs—as well as Lattice Semiconductor, all operating within the same competitive landscape.
Technologies
Actel’s FPGA offerings are categorized into two principal technologies: anti-fuse-based devices (families such as Axcelerator, SX-A, eX, MX) and flash-based devices (including Fusion, PolarFire, IGLOO, ProASIC3 families).
Anti-fuse FPGAs are prized for their nonvolatile nature, immediate operation upon power-up, compact single-chip design, and robust security features. Flash-based FPGAs share these advantages while also providing reprogrammability combined with low power consumption.
Additionally, Actel manufactures system-critical FPGAs (RTAX and ProASIC3 families) engineered for wide temperature ranges suitable for automotive, military, and aerospace applications. Both flash and anti-fuse products deliver high reliability and strong resistance to soft errors, meeting stringent requirements for global mission-critical deployments.
Controversy
In March 2012, researchers from the University of Cambridge uncovered a hidden vulnerability within the JTAG interface of the ProASIC3 series of low-power FPGAs. This discovery was subsequently shared at a cryptography conference held in Belgium later that year.
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