Arrow Electronics and Altera Place Soft-Core Processors at the Fingertips of Embedded Designers with BeMicro Evaluation Board

Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:ARW) today announced its BeMicro evaluation board, a new low-cost and convenient way to demonstrate the use of soft-core processors in embedded, FPGA-based designs. The evaluation board was jointly developed by Arrow Electronics and Altera Corporation as a way to show hardware engineers not familiar with soft-core processors, a simple and cost-effective way to evaluate the benefits of using embedded processors in FPGAs.

Arrow Electronics and Altera will demonstrate the BeMicro evaluation board in Altera's booth #418 at the Embedded Systems Conference Expo in Boston, Sept. 22-23.

The BeMicro evaluation board features an Altera Cyclone(R) III FPGA and Nios(R) II embedded processor and comes in a simple USB stick form factor. Embedded and nonembedded hardware engineers can use the BeMicro board to evaluate Altera's Nios II soft-core embedded processor and SOPC (system-on-a-programmable chip) design methodology with training and a simple guided tutorial.

Hands-on Workshops

To support the launch of the BeMicro evaluation board, Arrow Electronics is conducting a multicity workshop that provides attendees with hands-on demonstrations of the board and the use of soft-core processors in FPGA-based embedded systems. Attendees receive an overview of the BeMicro evaluation board and can participate in a hands-on lab that walks them through Altera's methodology of using Nios II embedded processors in a Cyclone III FPGA. Over 50 workshops are planned in a number of locations throughout North America, Asia and Europe starting in October 2009. For a list of locations or to register for the workshop, visit: www.arrow.com/bemicro.

"BeMicro is a highly effective way to evaluate the benefits of an FPGA/soft-core processors solution," said Chris Balough, senior director of software, embedded and DSP marketing at Altera. "Using this proof-of-concept board, hardware engineers can see first hand, in a quick and cost-effective manner, how FPGAs along with soft-core processors can be a viable alternative to fixed-function ASSPs."

"Hardware engineers using the low-cost BeMicro board have at their fingertips a simple and effective method to gain experience with soft-core processors in FPGAs," said David West, vice president of marketing and asset management for Arrow.

About Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Arrow Electronics (www.arrow.com) is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for approximately 800 suppliers and 130,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 340 locations in 53 countries and territories.

SOURCE: Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Arrow Electronics, Inc. 
Chris Maio, 631-847-5454 
cmaio@arrow.com

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