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Lattice Semiconductor

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American semiconductor company specializing in low-power field-programmable gate arrays and related programmable logic technologies.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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Overview

Lattice Semiconductor is an American fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, in the technology region commonly known as the Silicon Forest. Founded in 1983, the company designs and markets low-power field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex and simple programmable logic devices, programmable mixed-signal and interconnect products, development software, intellectual property, and application-specific solution stacks. Its products are intended for communications, computing, industrial automation, automotive, consumer electronics, edge computing, and selected infrastructure applications. The company was established by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece and experienced financial difficulty early in its history, entering Chapter 11 reorganization in 1987. It emerged after a short restructuring period with a smaller workforce and relocated to a more modest facility in the Hillsboro area. Cyrus Tsui became chief executive in 1988, and Lattice completed its initial public offering on Nasdaq in November 1989 under the symbol LSCC. Lattice expanded its technology portfolio through intellectual-property and product acquisitions. Its purchase of Integrated Intellectual Property in 2001 strengthened its semiconductor IP capabilities, while the acquisition of Agere's FPGA business in 2002 broadened its programmable-logic activities. SiliconBlue, acquired in 2011, added technology and products associated with low-power FPGA applications. In 2015, Lattice acquired Silicon Image, a provider of connectivity and multimedia technologies, for approximately $606 million, although the company later narrowed its strategic emphasis. The company endured several difficult operating periods, including an extended run of annual losses in the early 2000s and repeated quarterly losses around 2008 and 2009. It returned to annual profitability in 2006 and again established a stronger profit position in 2013. Leadership changed several times, including the appointments of Steve Skaggs, Bruno Guilmart, Darin Billerbeck, Jim Anderson, Esam Elashmawi on an interim basis, and Ford Tamer. Under Jim Anderson and subsequent leadership, Lattice increasingly concentrated on low-power FPGA products rather than maintaining a broad collection of semiconductor businesses. Lattice's current technology portfolio is organized around FPGA platforms including Lattice Nexus for small, power-efficient devices and Lattice Avant for mid-range applications. Its software ecosystem includes Lattice Diamond, Lattice Radiant, and Lattice Propel. The company also offers solution families such as mVision for machine vision, sensAI for embedded machine learning, Automate for industrial systems, Sentry for hardware security, and Drive for automotive designs. These offerings are intended to reduce development complexity and support rapid deployment of programmable logic in resource-constrained systems. Lattice operates internationally, with activities and offices historically reported in locations including San Jose, Shanghai, Manila, Penang, Singapore, and Pune. It has more than 1,000 employees according to the cited reference material. Its principal FPGA competitors include AMD, following AMD's acquisition of Xilinx, and Intel's Altera business. Lattice is notable as a major independent FPGA supplier focused particularly on small and mid-range, low-power devices. In 2017, a proposed acquisition by Canyon Bridge was blocked by the United States government on national-security grounds, leaving Lattice as an independent publicly traded company. In 2021, it acquired computer-vision software company Mirametrix. In 2026, it announced a proposed acquisition of American Megatrends, subject to the terms and conditions of that transaction.

History

Lattice Semiconductor was founded in Oregon on April 3, 1983, by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece. Winningstad, Harry Merlo, Tom Moyer, and John Piacentini provided early investment. The company was incorporated in Oregon and later reincorporated in Delaware in 1985. Sud left the presidency in 1986, while Winningstad remained associated with the company until 1991. Lattice's first years were difficult. It entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in July 1987, then emerged after approximately two months and moved from a larger facility near Beaverton to a smaller building in Hillsboro. The workforce fell from about 140 employees to 64, but the reorganized company subsequently recorded stronger revenue performance. Cyrus Tsui became chief executive in 1988. On November 9, 1989, Lattice went public on Nasdaq, raising capital through its initial offering and a later secondary offering. During the 1990s, Lattice expanded its headquarters and became a recognized participant in the Oregon semiconductor industry. It also attempted to enforce trademark rights around the phrase “Silicon Forest,” ultimately acknowledging that it could not control the phrase as a general noun. Revenue and profitability grew substantially by 2000, but the company then experienced several years without annual profit. The company pursued technology expansion in the following decade. In 2001 it acquired Integrated Intellectual Property, a semiconductor IP company. In 2002 it purchased Agere's FPGA division. In 2004 it settled United States government allegations related to illegal exports of certain technology to China. Leadership changed in 2005 when Steve Skaggs replaced Tsui as CEO. After workforce reductions and a prolonged difficult period, Lattice returned to annual profitability in fiscal 2006. Bruno Guilmart became CEO in 2008. The company reported losses during the global semiconductor downturn and experienced ten consecutive quarters of losses through much of 2009 before returning to quarterly profitability late that year. Warehouse operations were shifted from Oregon to Singapore. Darin Billerbeck, formerly associated with Zilog, became CEO in late 2010. Lattice initiated a share-repurchase program during this period and reported improving revenue in 2011. Lattice acquired SiliconBlue in 2011 and entered a foundry agreement with United Microelectronics Corporation in 2012. It returned to annual profitability in 2013. In 2015, the company acquired Silicon Image, extending its activities into connectivity and multimedia technologies, and moved its headquarters to downtown Portland for a period. Ownership and national-security issues became prominent after Tsinghua Holdings accumulated approximately six percent of Lattice in 2016. Later that year, Canyon Bridge Capital Partners announced an agreement to acquire the company. The transaction was blocked in 2017 following a national-security review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and a presidential decision. Lattice moved its headquarters back to its Hillsboro campus in 2019. Activist investor Lion Point Capital acquired a significant stake in 2018 and supported the appointment of three independent directors. Lattice also changed several senior leaders and appointed Jim Anderson, formerly of Advanced Micro Devices, as president and CEO. Under Anderson, the company adopted a sharper strategic focus on low-power FPGAs. This emphasis supported the development and promotion of small- and mid-range FPGA platforms, design software, and application-oriented solution stacks. In 2021, Lattice acquired Mirametrix, a computer-vision software company. Anderson departed in June 2024, and Esam Elashmawi served as interim CEO until Ford Tamer was appointed chief executive in September 2024. Lattice continues to operate as an independent, publicly traded semiconductor company with international operations and a product strategy centered on efficient programmable logic. The company announced a proposed acquisition of American Megatrends in 2026, broadening its potential scope into platform firmware and infrastructure manageability.

  • 2024

    Ford Tamer becomes CEO

    [1]

    Ford Tamer was appointed chief executive after an interim leadership period.

  • 2021

    Mirametrix acquired

    [1]

    The acquisition added computer-vision software capabilities.

  • 2017

    Canyon Bridge transaction blocked

    [1]

    The proposed acquisition was blocked by the United States government on national-security grounds.

  • 2015

    Silicon Image acquired

    [1]

    Lattice expanded into semiconductor connectivity and multimedia technologies.

  • 2011

    SiliconBlue acquired

    [1]

    The transaction added low-power programmable-logic technologies.

  • 2002

    Agere FPGA division acquired

    [1]

    Lattice expanded its FPGA portfolio through the purchase of Agere's FPGA business.

  • 2001

    Integrated Intellectual Property acquired

    [1]

    The acquisition strengthened Lattice's in-house semiconductor intellectual-property capabilities.

  • 1989

    Initial public offering

    [1]

    Lattice shares began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol LSCC.

  • 1987

    Chapter 11 reorganization

    [1]

    The company entered bankruptcy reorganization and emerged after restructuring its operations and workforce.

  • 1983

    Company founded

    [1]

    Lattice Semiconductor was founded in Oregon by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece.

Products and positioning

A specialist in low-power, small- and mid-range programmable logic for embedded, industrial, communications, computing, automotive, and consumer applications.

  • Small low-power FPGA platform

    Lattice Nexus

    Lattice Nexus is a platform for compact, power-efficient FPGAs. It targets embedded designs where board space, energy consumption, thermal constraints, and flexible hardware functionality are important. Devices built on the platform support applications across industrial, communications, consumer, automotive, and computing equipment.

  • Mid-range FPGA platform

    Lattice Avant

    Lattice Avant is a mid-range FPGA platform intended to extend Lattice's low-power approach to designs requiring more logic capacity and system resources. It is positioned for applications such as industrial equipment, communications infrastructure, automotive electronics, and edge computing.

  • FPGA family

    Lattice ECP5

    ECP5 is a family of programmable logic devices used in communications, industrial, consumer, and embedded systems. The family combines configurable logic with system interfaces and is commonly suited to designs needing moderate programmable capacity without the power and cost profile of larger FPGAs.

  • Video and interconnect FPGA family

    Lattice CrossLink

    CrossLink products address video bridging, image handling, and connectivity functions in embedded and automotive systems. They allow designers to implement interface conversion and related logic in programmable hardware, particularly where compact size and low power are priorities.

  • FPGA development software

    Lattice Radiant

    Radiant is Lattice's FPGA design environment for developing, implementing, and verifying designs on supported device families. It provides tools for logic development, synthesis, place-and-route, timing analysis, and device programming.

  • FPGA development software

    Lattice Diamond

    Diamond is a Lattice development suite used to create and program designs for a range of Lattice programmable logic devices. It supports the design flow from project creation and synthesis through implementation and device configuration.

  • Application software and reference solutions

    Lattice solution stacks

    Lattice offers application-oriented stacks including mVision for machine vision, sensAI for embedded machine learning, Automate for industrial automation, Sentry for security, and Drive for automotive applications. These packages combine hardware support, software, reference designs, and development resources intended to shorten customer implementation cycles.

Controversies

  • 2004

    Export-control settlement

    Lattice settled United States government allegations that it had illegally exported certain technologies to China. The matter resulted in a reported fine of $560,000.

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Brand decisions

  • 2026

    Proposed acquisition of American MegatrendsM&A

    Background

    Lattice announced a plan to broaden its technology portfolio beyond programmable logic into platform firmware and infrastructure manageability.

    Action taken

    The company signed a definitive agreement to acquire American Megatrends in a combination of cash and stock.

    Aftermath

    Completion and longer-term effects of the announced transaction are not established in the supplied reference material.

  • 2021

    Acquire MirametrixM&A

    Background

    Lattice sought to expand its embedded vision and computer-vision capabilities.

    Action taken

    The company acquired Mirametrix, a computer-vision software provider.

    Aftermath

    The acquisition complemented Lattice's machine-vision products and mVision solution activities.

  • 2018

    Concentrate the business on low-power FPGAsStrategy

    Background

    Following leadership and board changes, Lattice reassessed its portfolio and competitive position in programmable logic.

    Action taken

    The company shifted its strategic focus substantially toward low-power FPGA products and associated development ecosystems.

    Aftermath

    The strategy became the basis for emphasizing small and mid-range FPGA platforms, software tools, and application-specific solution stacks.

Recent events

  • Reported

    Lattice Semiconductor launches Lattice Sentry v5.0, the industry's first PQC-enabled platform firmware resilience solution[3]

    Lattice Semiconductor announced on 2026-10-13 the launch of Lattice Sentry solution stack v5.0, which the company describes as the industry's first platform firmware resilience (PFR) and attestation solution supporting post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The solution combines Lattice's CNSA 2.0-compliant FPGA portfolio with AMI platform management software to provide NIST-standard security for AI data centers and critical infrastructure. The solution and other PQC offerings are being showcased at the 2026 OCP Global Summit in San Jose, California on October 13-15.

  • Reported

    Lattice launches single-wire aggregation IP solution[4]

    Lattice Semiconductor launched its single-wire aggregation (SWA) IP solution, which uses Lattice iCE40 UltraPlus FPGA hardware and software to aggregate multiple general-purpose I/O data streams between system components and circuit boards.

  • Reported

    Lattice launches Certus-NX FPGA series[5]

    Lattice Semiconductor announced the launch of its Certus-NX series of FPGA devices, describing them as low-power general-purpose FPGAs.

  • Reported

    Lattice launches Propel software solution[6]

    Lattice Semiconductor announced the launch of Lattice Propel, a software design environment intended to accelerate development of applications based on Lattice FPGAs. The environment is available to customers.

  • Reported

    Lattice Diamond software certified to functional safety standards[7]

    Lattice Semiconductor announced that Lattice Diamond FPGA design and verification software, version 3.10 Service Pack 3, was certified as compliant with the IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 functional safety standards.

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