In the late 1960s Allen-Bradley bought a small outfit that made programmable logic controllers--custom minicomputers.

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Some programmable logic designs have been stripped down for cost-sensitive applications such as digital set-top boxes.

ECONOMIST: SEMICONDUCTORS: Bespoke chips for the common man | The

Since programmable logic can change function endlessly, why not use it to do different things at different times?

ECONOMIST: SEMICONDUCTORS: Bespoke chips for the common man | The

Lim approached Altera, an upstart in the then-emerging field of programmable logic chips.

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On the edge, the law benefits programmable logic vendors Altera and Xilinx and programmable node makers EZchip and NetLogic.

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Programmable logic has come a long way from the days when it was a quick fix to a money-no-object problem.

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U.S. and Asian demand, he says, was broad-based, with particularly solid growth for analog chips, embedded controllers and programmable logic devices.

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Including an area of programmable logic can help a custom chip to deal gracefully with bugs or adapt to shifting standards.

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Before plunking down cold cash for shares in PLD (Programmable Logic Device) makers Xilinx Corp. or Altera Corp. (see feature), be very careful.

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As custom chips embrace programmable logic, and programmable logic takes in major blocks of components such as processors, a further intriguing possibility is emerging.

ECONOMIST: SEMICONDUCTORS: Bespoke chips for the common man | The

In one application, Siemens' Industry Automation division--a customer of ours for two years--is placing our chips into human-machine interfaces and programmable logic controls for industrial automation machines.

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Meanwhile, companies that make custom chips have seen the benefits of programmable logic particularly in reducing the risk of mistakes and are beginning to offer it to their customers.

ECONOMIST: SEMICONDUCTORS: Bespoke chips for the common man | The

Electronic Buyers News, a trade publication, estimates that Xilinx has 29% of the market for programmable logic chips, and Altera, also based in San Jose, has about 25%.

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That's where PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices) come in.

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Imagine a music player that includes programmable logic.

ECONOMIST: SEMICONDUCTORS: Bespoke chips for the common man | The