Lattice Semiconductor
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
Brand decisions
2026
Proposed acquisition of American MegatrendsM&ABackground
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&ABackground
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 FPGAsStrategyBackground
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
- 2026
Lattice announces proposed acquisition of American Megatrends[1]
M&A
Lattice announced a definitive agreement to acquire American Megatrends, a provider of platform firmware and infrastructure manageability, in a cash-and-stock transaction.
- 2024
Jim Anderson leaves and Esam Elashmawi becomes interim CEO[1]
Leadership change
Lattice announced a leadership transition following Anderson's departure, with Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Esam Elashmawi serving as interim chief executive.
- 2024
Ford Tamer appointed CEO[1]
Leadership change
Lattice named Ford Tamer as chief executive, ending the interim leadership period.
- 2021
Lattice acquires Mirametrix[1]
M&A · Product launch
The company acquired computer-vision software provider Mirametrix to strengthen its embedded vision capabilities.
- 2018
Lattice changes board composition after activist investment[1]
Leadership change
Lion Point Capital disclosed a significant stake and supported the appointment of three independent directors.
- 2017
Proposed Canyon Bridge acquisition is blocked[1]
M&A · Regulation
The proposed purchase of Lattice by Canyon Bridge Capital Partners was blocked by the United States government after national-security review.
- 2015
Lattice agrees to acquire Silicon Image[1]
M&A
The acquisition expanded Lattice's portfolio into connectivity and multimedia semiconductor technologies.
- 2011
Lattice acquires SiliconBlue[1]
M&A
Lattice agreed to acquire SiliconBlue for cash, adding technology and products relevant to low-power programmable logic.
- 1989
Lattice becomes a Nasdaq-listed company[1]
Other
Lattice completed its initial public offering and began trading on Nasdaq under the LSCC ticker.
- 1987
Lattice enters Chapter 11 reorganization[1]
Bankruptcy
The company sought bankruptcy-court protection during an early period of financial difficulty and emerged after restructuring with a smaller workforce.
Sources7 sources
- 1Lattice Semiconductoren.wikipedia.org
- 2Lattice Semiconductor official websitelatticesemi.com
- 3莱迪思推出单线聚合（SWA）IP解决方案smartcity.zol.com.cn
- 4莱迪思推出全新Certus-NX，重新定义低功耗通用FPGAfinance.sina.com.cn
- 5莱迪思推出软件解决方案Propel，加速FPGA应用开发tech.sina.com.cn
- 6莱迪思推出业界首款支持后量子密码学的平台固件弹性解决方案，以Lattice Sentry解决方案集合守护AI基础设施finance.sina.com.cn
- 7Lattice Diamond FPGA Development Tool Receives Key Industrial and Automotive Functional Safety Certificationseejournal.com
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