quartus

Quartus is a design software package for FPGA and CPLD development by Intel (formerly Altera). It provides a complete workflow for digital design, including RTL or schematic entry, synthesis, place-and-route, timing analysis, simulation, and device programming. The tool supports Verilog, VHDL, SystemVerilog, and AHDL, and targets Intel/Altera devices such as Cyclone, Arria, and Stratix families.

Quartus Prime integrates an IP catalog and design tools such as Platform Designer (formerly Qsys) for system-level integration, Chip Planner for floorplanning, and SignalTap for in-system debugging. It offers a built-in simulator interface and compatibility with external simulators, as well as an integrated Programmer for downloading configurations to devices. TimeQuest provides static timing analysis and timing closure assistance, and the suite includes features for power estimation and timing-driven optimization.

The product is available in Starter, Standard, and Pro editions, and runs on Windows and Linux. Pro Edition supports high-end devices and advanced design flows. The software lineage extends from Altera’s early FPGA design tools through Quartus II to Quartus Prime, a branding change that followed Intel’s acquisition of Altera in 2015.

Quartus is widely used in electronics design for applications ranging from consumer and industrial products to aerospace and defense. It enables hardware developers to implement, verify, and program digital logic on Intel/Altera FPGAs and CPLDs, supporting both small-scale and complex system architectures.