Surge in Design Wins in Greater China Leads Actel to Expect 80 Percent Revenue Growth in 2004
Commitment to flash-based FPGA technology solidifies position
in Greater China; Actel helps to solve the security/cost dilemma, driving up design
wins; New China office to support expanding customer base
HONG KONG, October 29, 2004 —
Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL),
a supplier of innovative programmable logic solutions, is solidifying
its presence and investment in Greater China, following a surge in design
wins in the region. The company has seen a 30 percent increase in design
wins in Greater China, which it believes is a direct result of its commitment
to flash-based FPGA technology. By the end of 2004, Actel expects revenue
in the region to have increased by 80 percent.
"By offering designers in the region a real solution to their security/cost
dilemma and by delivering a range of FPGAs with a competitive cost/gate
ratio, we have responded to our clients' needs in terms of speed, variety
and gate count," said John East, president and CEO of Actel. "With
a high level of expected growth, it's essential that we solidify our
presence and increase our investment to better serve our existing and
future customers. Our strategy is simple: increase local headcount and
locate them close to our key customers."
The Greater China appointments cover the key functional areas of sales,
marketing, customer support and logistics, emphasizing Actel's growth
plans in the Greater China and Asia region. New appointments include:
Dawson Guo, a field applications engineer based in Shanghai; and Midas
Peng, a sales manager, based in Taipei, who is tasked with expanding
market share and building an efficient and experienced sales team across
Greater China and South East Asia.
"We continually monitor the key geographical, technology and business
trends in Asia. Set against this, we have been able to see the areas
where we can best support our current and future customers in Greater
China and have invested accordingly," said East.
In China, Actel serves a broad range of very diverse markets. The company
has increased its presence in the consumer sector and expects that this
growth will continue in 2005 in the display, digital TV, office equipment
and POS terminal segments. As the company adds to its product portfolio,
Actel also expects to increase its presence in the high-end telecom sector,
concentrating on gaining access to China's leading telecom equipment
manufacturers.
In Taiwan, Actel is focusing more on the consumer market because of
its strong track record in the games market and notable successes in
the digital video recorders (DVRs) sector. Taiwan has more than 30 DVR
manufacturers and Actel FPGAs are the #1 choice in the 4-16 channel DVR
segment, where Actel's eX, SX-A and ProASICPLUS FPGAs dominate.
Other consumer-oriented products in which its FPGAs are being designed
in today include digital video broadcasting and wireless products.
About Actel
Actel Corporation is a supplier of innovative programmable logic solutions,
including field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based on antifuse
and flash technologies, high-performance intellectual property (IP)
cores, software development tools and design services targeted for
the high-speed communications, application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) replacement and radiation-tolerant markets. Founded in 1985,
Actel employs approximately 500 people worldwide. The Company is traded
on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ACTL. With offices in
Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, Actel operates through an extensive distributor
network across China and in other key locations in Asia.
Forward-Looking Statements
All forward-looking statements in this press release are made under the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Statements containing words such as "expects" and "plans" and
variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify
the forward-looking statements. The "Risk Factors" set forth
in Actel's most recent Form 10-Q, which can be found on Actel's web
site at www.actel.com, could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Contact: Stephanie Mrus, Actel Corporation, 650.318.4614
