Write Track CADE was renamed the Altera Toronto Technology Centre, which opened in Toronto on Oct. 12, with Rose in charge of research. The Altera Ottawa Technology Centre opened earlier this fall. Calif. Essentially, Rose says, his work is in developing a better chip that can be programmed depending on what the use is. His work, and Altera's, serves the back-end tech market. Altera supplies companies like Cisco Systems with the PLDs to run mass storage, navigation systems, medical imaging, graphics and wireless communications.
Cost is the only inhibitor for many companies from getting their product to market.
It's the behind the scenes battle that the customer doesn't see, but benefits from. There's a voracious demand for it. His work focuses on removing a vital and expensive step in the development of microchips. They don't have to be sent to a silicon foundry in say, Taiwan, to be programmed. The elimination of this step is akin to making cheaper parts on an automobile assembly line.