Altium

2016-02-23T12:07:08Z

182.180.117.205: /* References */

{{Infobox company
| name = Altium Limited
| logo = [[File:Altium Limited logo.svg]]
| logo_caption =
| image =
| image_caption =
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| foundation = 1985
| founder = Nick Martin<ref>[http://www.fpgajournal.com/articles_2005/20050201_martin.htm Nick Martin Executive Focus], February 1, 2005 , Kevin Morris, FPGA and Programmable Logic Journal</ref>
| location = [[Sydney]] [[Australia]], <br>[[San Diego]] [[United States]], <br>[[Shanghai]] [[China]], <br>[[Karlsruhe]] [[Germany]], <br>[[Amersfoort]] [[Netherlands]]
| industry = [[Electronic design automation|EDA]], [[Printed circuit board]], [[FPGA]], [[Embedded Systems]]
| products = Altium Designer, the Vault, AltiumLive, TASKING VX, NanoBoard NB2, NanoBoard 3000
| revenue = [[United States dollar|US$]]70 M (FY 2014)
| homepage = [http://www.altium.com www.altium.com]
}}

'''Altium Limited''' is an Australian owned public software company that provides PC-based [[electronics design]] software for engineers. Founded in Tasmania, Australia 1985, Altium now has regional headquarters in Australia, China, United States, Europe, and Japan, with [[resellers]] in all other major markets. The company was known as "Protel" until 2001.

== History ==
Nicholas Martin, an electronics designer working at the [[University of Tasmania]] in the 1980s, recognized that the tools then available limited the ability to design [[printed circuit boards]], either through a difficult manual process, or by requiring high-priced software that required expensive mainframe computers. With the development of the [[personal computer]], Martin saw an opportunity to make the design of electronics product affordable, by marrying the techniques of [[electronics design]] to the [[PC platform]]. In 1985 he founded Protel, launching the company's first product later that same year — a [[DOS]]-based [[printed circuit board]] (PCB) layout and design tool.

In August 1999, Altium was listed as a public company (ASX:ALU) to assist in funding of strategic technology development and acquisition. The company continued to develop and release new versions of this design tool, following Protel for Windows, the world's first [[Microsoft Windows]]-based PCB design system.<ref>{{cite book |title = Tomorrow's world: the Australian initiative | publisher = Associated Publishing Corporation (APC) | year = 1995 | location = North Sydney | url = http://apc-online.com/twa/manufacturing2.html#Innovation018 | isbn = 0-646-25348-4}}
</ref>

Protel's headquarters resided in Hobart, TAS, Australia until 1990 when Nick Martin decided to move the company to [[California]]'s [[Silicon Valley]], which was proving to be a hot spot for technology companies. In 1994, he moved operations back to Sydney, followed by the successful IPO in August 1999. After a number of strategic technology and company acquisitions (see below), the company changed its name to Altium in 2001. Through various acquisitions Altium has maintained a significant presence in the United States, Europe and Asia. In 2011, Altium announced they would be expanding their presence in Shanghai, China in the second half of 2011; again, to be in a hot spot for technology companies. The company will remain an Australian headquartered company and will continue to be listed on the Australian stock exchange, with a major administration presence in Sydney. Development continues to be a global effort, with product development staff in United States, Ukraine, Australia and the Netherlands.<ref>[http://altium.com/files/corp/investor/pdfs/Altium_to_relocate_its_global_HQ_to_China.pdf Altium to Relocate its Global Headquarters to Shanghai, China]</ref>

On October 15, 2012, the Altium board removed Nick Martin as CEO and named executive vice chairman Kayvan Oboudiyat to replace him.<ref>[http://pcdandf.com/cms/designnews/9443-end-of-an-era-martin-out-at-altium End of an era - Martin out of Altium]</ref> On October 23, 2012, Martin called for a general Board meeting and disclosed he planned an attempt to oust four directors, including Oboudiyat.<ref>[http://pcdandf.com/cms/designnews/9463-ousted-martin-to-altium-board-not-so-fast Martin's response to Altium Board]</ref> Briefly afterwards Martin called off the meeting and conceded that the company should continue on without belligerence.

On January 16, 2014, Altium announced Kayvan Oboudiyat's retirement and succession by Aram Mirkazemi as CEO.<ref>[http://www.altium.com/resources/investor_announcement/asx_releases/ASX%20Announcement%20Aram%20Mirkazemi%20to%20succeed%20Kayvan%20Oboudiyat.pdf Kayvan Oboudiyat announces retirement]</ref> In May of the same year, Altium announced that the core R&D operations for its flagship PCB CAD tools would again relocate in a "cost neutral" move to San Diego, California.<ref>[http://www.altium.com/en/altium/press-center/press-releases/altium-relocates-core-rd-and-pcb-cad-division-san-diego-usa Altium to relocate HQ to USA]</ref> This move is proposed in order for the development and senior management to be closer to the North American user base in an effort to maintain customer centricity for PCB CAD tools. Key hardware design services and Internet of Things (IoT) development teams remain in Shanghai, to better service customers and business partners in China; again reflecting a commitment to what the customers in each region need most.

==Acquisitions==
In 1998, while still doing business as Protel, the company acquired Accolade Design Automation, founded by Dr. David Pellerin, co-author of ''VHDL Made Easy!''<ref>{{cite book|last=Pellerin|first=David|title=VHDL Made Easy!|year=1996|publisher=Prentice Hall|location=Duvall, WA|isbn=0136507638|pages=432|url=http://www.amazon.com/VHDL-Made-Easy-David-Pellerin/dp/0136507638}}</ref>

In 2000, while still doing business as Protel, the company acquired Accel, a San Diego-based EDA software developer.

Altium acquired Tasking in 2001 for A$73.4 million,<ref>{{cite web | last = Altium| first = Pty Ltd | title = Altium Annual report 2001 | publisher = Altium| date = 2001-06-30 | url = http://www.altium.com/files/investor/pdfs/annualreport2001_p2.pdf | accessdate = 2012-02-14 }}</ref> a supplier of embedded software design technology that was integrated into Altium's product offerings to create a complete electronics design system.

In 2002, Altium acquired Hoschar AG, the largest EDA software distributor in Europe, which formed Altium's European regional headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany.<ref>{{cite web | last = Altium | first = Ltd | title = Media Release July 17, 2002 | publisher = Altium | date = 2002-07-17 | url = http://www.altium.com/files/corp/media/pdfs/mr_corp_170702.pdf | accessdate = 2013-09-26 }}</ref>

In 2010, Altium acquired [[Morfik|Morfik Technology Pty Ltd.]], a developer of visual design tools for engineering and deploying cloud-based software applications.

In 2015, Altium acquired [[Octopart]], a search engine for electronic and industrial parts.<ref>{{cite web | last = Wurzel | first = Sam | title = Octopart is Joining Altium | publisher = Octopart| date = 2015-08-13 | url = https://blog.octopart.com/archives/2015/08/octopart-is-joining-altium-2 | accessdate = 2015-08-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Altium says to acquire octopart | publisher = Reuters | date = 2015-08-13 | url = http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/ALU.AX/key-developments/article/3261553 | accessdate = 2015-08-13 }}</ref>

In 2015, Altium acquired [https://ciiva.com Ciiva], a cloud-based electronic component management system.<ref>{{cite web | title = Altium Acquires Ciiva | publisher = Ciiva | date = 2015-08-13 | url = https://ciiva.com/blog/detail/altium-acquires-ciiva-17 | accessdate = 2015-08-13 }}</ref>

'''Other strategic acquisitions'''
Protel / Altium has acquired several technologies and related companies throughout the company's history, including:<ref>{{cite web | last = Altium| first = Pty Ltd | title = Altium Annual report 2001 | publisher = Altium| date = 2001-06-30 | url = http://www.altium.com/files/investor/pdfs/annualreport2001_p2.pdf | accessdate = 2012-02-14 }}</ref>
* NeuroCAD (hence, the NeuroRoute autorouter and its algorithms)
* IDK
* Techspert
* INCASES Engineering GmbH (Acquisition of Signal Integrity Simulation source code)
* MicroCode Inc.
* Green Mountain (VHDL simulation software source code)
* Metamor Inc.
* Innovative CAD Software Inc.

== Unifying electronics design ==
In the mid-1990s, the industry was moving towards the use of newly-affordable technologies such as [[field-programmable gate arrays]] (FPGAs) instead of individual components fixed to a PCB,<ref>*{{cite news | last = Goossens | first = Paul | title = From C to Hardware: using FPGAs and compilers | publisher = Elektor | date = 2008-03-01 | url = http://www.elektor.com/Uploads/Files/UK2008030481.pdf | accessdate = 2009-03-04}}</ref> but the design tools used for PCBs and those used for programmable logic systems were markedly different and the difference was becoming an obstacle to electronics design.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Chen
| first = Wai-Kai
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Circuits and Filters Handbook, 2nd Edition
| publisher = CRC Press
| date = 2002-12-01
| location = Boca Raton
| pages = 2159–2161
| url = http://books.google.com.au/books?id=SmDImt1zHXkC&pg=RA2-PA2159&lpg=RA2-PA2159&dq=electronics+design+methodology+1990s&source=bl&ots=5-xP60XwbU&sig=JcS8YIW-itkc1nwe-O_yKXBcbJs&hl=en&ei=U22vSbewKYPQkAXX19DSBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PRA2-PA2159,M1
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0-8493-0912-3}}
</ref>

To counter the limitations imposed by separate stand-alone design tools or domain specific tool-chains, the company began developing a unified electronics design system, which uses a single data model to hold all of the design data required to create a product. FPGA, PCB and embedded software development processes were unified with a common project view and data model. A variety of editing tools could then be used to access and manipulate the design, covering areas such as board layout and design, [[schematic capture]], [[routing (EDA)]], testing, analysis and FPGA design.<ref>{{cite web | last = Morris | first = Kevin | title = Altium's Alternative: Turning System Design Inside Out | publisher = FPGA and Structured ASIC Journal | date = 2007-07-19
| url = http://www.fpgajournal.com/articles_2007/20070619_altium.htm | accessdate = 2009-03-05 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090311063044/http://fpgajournal.com/articles_2007/20070619_altium.htm| archivedate= 11 March 2009 | deadurl= no}}</ref>

In the second half of the 1990s, the company began acquisition of various companies with the technologies needed to create a unified electronics design solution. In 1999 it listed on the [[Australian Stock Exchange]] to generate the capital to conclude these acquisitions,<ref>{{cite web | title = ALTIUM LIMITED (ALU)-ASX Listed Company Information Fact Sheet | publisher = Australian Securities Exchange | year = 2009 | accessdate = 2009-03-04 | url = http://www.asx.com.au/asx/research/CompanyInfoSearchResults.jsp?searchBy=asxCode&allinfo=on&asxCode=ALU| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090219130148/http://asx.com.au/asx/research/CompanyInfoSearchResults.jsp?searchBy=asxCode&allinfo=on&asxCode=ALU| archivedate= 19 February 2009 | deadurl= no}}{{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> and in 2001, the company changed its name to Altium, to distinguish its products from the earlier Protel PCB layout solutions.

Due to the limitations of existing software platforms, Altium created its own platform called Design Explorer (DXP), hosted on Microsoft's Windows operating system, which formed the foundation of the Altium Designer product. The first version was released in 2004, with major new releases in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

In September 2010, [http://pcdandf.com/cms/component/content/article/232-2010-issues/7507-talking-heads Altium announced the pending acquisition] of [[Morfik|Morfik Technology]], a provider of cloud-based software applications, in an all-stock transaction worth an estimated A$3.3 million. The move signaled the company's expectations that cloud technology will pervade future electronic and embedded systems. The deal was completed in November 2010. Morfik's founders originally worked for Altium/Protel before leaving to found the company after Altium's IPO.<ref>{{cite web | last = Martin| first = Nick | title = Morfik and Altium | publisher = Morfik | date = 2010-10-08 | url = http://blog.morfik.com/2010/10/08/morfik-and-altium/ | accessdate = 2012-02-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Yousofi| first = Siamack | title = Morfik: Past, Present and Future | publisher = Morfik | date = 2010-10-08 | url = http://blog.morfik.com/2010/09/23/morfik-past-present-and-future/ | accessdate = 2012-02-14 }}</ref>

== Products ==
* [[Altium Designer]] – unified electronics design solution.
* [http://live.altium.com AltiumLive] – the cloud-based community that connects Altium designers, collaborators, suppliers, manufacturers and customers.
* [http://www.altium.com/en/products/altium-vault/overview Altium Vaults] – Formal release, re-use and design data management server software.
* [[CircuitMaker]] – free PCB design tool targeted at students, hobbyists, hackers and makers.
* [http://nb3000.altium.com/intro.html NanoBoard] – [[reconfigurable hardware development platform]].
* [[TASKING]] – An [[embedded system]]s software development tool.
* [[P-CAD]] - Obtained through AccelEDA acquisition, retired in 2006.
* [[Autotrax]] - The original Protel PCB design software for DOS.

== See also ==
*[[List of EDA companies]]
*[[Electronics]]
*[[Electronic engineering]]
*[[FPGAs]]
*[[Embedded Systems]]
*[[Printed circuit board]] (PCB)
*[[List of companies of Australia]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{[http://www.whizzsystems.com/fpga-design.html FPGA design and development]}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite news
| last = Morris
| first = Kevin
| coauthors =
| title = Head in the Clouds. Altium Leads Another Design Tool Revolution
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Electronic Engineering Journal
| date = 2010-12-14
| url = http://www.eejournal.com/archives/articles/20101214-altium/
| accessdate = 2011-03-31}}
*{{cite news
| last = Maxfield
| first = Clive
| coauthors =
| title = Software focus drives Altium's ambition
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = EDA DesignLine
| date = 2008-07-07
| url = http://www.edadesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208802874
| accessdate = 2009-03-04}}
*{{cite news
| last = Maxfield
| first = Clive
| coauthors =
| title = Altium launch Innovation Station featuring the Desktop NanoBoard
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Programmable Logic DesignLine
| date = 2008-02-05
| url = http://www.pldesignline.com/206104574;jsessionid=GMZRO2WDNOADAQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?printableArticle=true
| accessdate = 2009-03-04}}
*{{cite news
| last = Morris
| first = Kevin
| coauthors =
| title = Altium Goes 3D - Board Design Can Be Fun
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = FPGA & Structured ASIC Journal
| date = 2007-11-27
| url = http://www.fpgajournal.com/articles_2007/20071127_3d.htm
| accessdate = 2009-03-04| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20090219212634/http://fpgajournal.com/articles_2007/20071127_3d.htm| archivedate= 19 February 2009 | deadurl= no}}
*{{cite news
| last = Miller
| first = Nick
| coauthors =
| title = Altium's altitude attitude
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Sydney Morning Herald
| date = 2007-10-30
| url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/altiums-altitude-attitude/2007/10/29/1193618795935.html
| accessdate = 2009-03-04}}
*{{cite news
| last = Goering
| first = Richard
| coauthors =
| title = Altium links pc-boards with mechanical CAD
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = EDA DeignLine
| date = 2006-11-14
| url = http://www.edadesignline.com/products/194400033
| accessdate = 2009-03-04}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Altium}}
*[http://www.altium.com Official Site]
*[http://wiki.altium.com Wiki site for Altium]

[[Category:Companies established in 1985]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange]]
[[Category:Electronic design automation software]]
[[Category:Companies based in Sydney]]
[[Category:Software companies of Australia]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Altium