Lattice Semiconductor Corporation
Company History
Lattice Semiconductor History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1983 in Hillsboro, United States
When was Lattice Semiconductor founded?
Lattice Semiconductor was founded in 1983 in Hillsboro, United States by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud and Ray Capece, making it 43 years old.
- Founded
- 1983
- Founding place
- Hillsboro, United States
- Founders
- C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud and Ray Capece
- Headquarters today
- Hillsboro, Oregon, United States
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1983–2026)
- Current CEO
- Ford Tamer
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Lattice Founded |
| 1989 | Initial Public Offering |
| 2002 | Agere FPGA Business Acquired |
| 2011 | SiliconBlue Acquisition |
| 2015 | Silicon Image Acquired |
| 2017 | Canyon Bridge Deal Blocked |
| 2018 | Jim Anderson Becomes CEO |
| 2021 | Acquired Mirametrix |
| 2024 | Ford Tamer Becomes CEO |
| 2025 | FY2025 Revenue of $523.3M |
| 2026 | AMI Acquisition Completed |
| 2026 | Record Q2 Revenue of $201.1M |
- Where was Lattice Semiconductor founded?
- Lattice Semiconductor was founded in Hillsboro, United States in 1983. wikidata.org
- Who founded Lattice Semiconductor?
- Lattice Semiconductor was founded by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud and Ray Capece.
- When did Lattice Semiconductor start?
- Lattice Semiconductor was founded in 1983.
- How old is Lattice Semiconductor?
- Lattice Semiconductor is 43 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Lattice was founded in 1983 in Oregon by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece. Its early Generic Array Logic (GAL) devices could be electrically erased and reprogrammed, which let engineers fix logic errors without making new chips. The company went through a Chapter 11 reorganization in 1987 and went public in 1989.
Founders
C. Norman Winningstad
C. Norman Winningstad co-founded Lattice Semiconductor in 1983. As a highly experienced tech veteran in Oregon's 'Silicon Forest,' he provided the critical early venture funding and business legitimacy required to launch a highly risky semiconductor startup focused entirely on programmable logic devices. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Rahul Sud
Rahul Sud co-founded Lattice Semiconductor in 1983. Drawing on his massive technical experience at Intel, he drove the absolutely critical innovation of using CMOS technology to create field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), ensuring Lattice chips consumed significantly less power than rival bipolar designs. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Ray Capece
Ray Capece co-founded Lattice Semiconductor in 1983 alongside Sud and Winningstad. He played a critical role in early product marketing and business development, helping establish the company's highly unique market positioning against massive giants like Intel and Altera. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Lattice Founded
C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece found Lattice in Oregon to make programmable logic devices.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgInitial Public Offering
After a 1987 Chapter 11 reorganization, Lattice completes its initial public offering.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAgere FPGA Business Acquired
Lattice bought the FPGA business of Agere Systems in 2002.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSiliconBlue Acquisition
Lattice acquires SiliconBlue Technologies for about $62 million, adding the low-power iCE40 FPGA line.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSilicon Image Acquired
Lattice bought Silicon Image in 2015 for about $600 million.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCanyon Bridge Deal Blocked
President Trump blocked the sale of Lattice to the China-backed fund Canyon Bridge in September 2017.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJim Anderson Becomes CEO
Jim Anderson became chief executive of Lattice in September 2018.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired Mirametrix
Lattice Semiconductor acquired Mirametrix. Lattice acquired Mirametrix, a Montreal computer-vision software company, to add AI software for presence detection and attention sensing.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFord Tamer Becomes CEO
Ford Tamer becomes CEO in September 2024 after Jim Anderson left to lead Coherent.
Source: sec.govFY2025 Revenue of $523.3M
Lattice reports $523.3 million in revenue, $3.1 million in GAAP net income, and 1,800 employees as an industrial inventory correction eases.
Source: sec.govAMI Acquisition Completed
Announced on May 4 and closed on July 27, 2026, the $1.65 billion AMI deal adds server firmware and management software to Lattice's FPGA business.
Source: businesswire.comRecord Q2 Revenue of $201.1M
Q2 2026 revenue rises 62% year over year to $201.1 million on data center and AI demand.
Source: businesswire.comMajor Acquisitions
SiliconBlue Technologies
2011Lattice bought SiliconBlue Technologies, a maker of very low-power SRAM-based FPGAs aimed at mobile devices, for about $62 million in cash.
Mirametrix
2021Lattice acquired Mirametrix, a Montreal computer-vision software company, to add AI software for presence detection and attention sensing.
AMI
2026Lattice acquired AMI, a Georgia-based provider of Aptio BIOS firmware and MegaRAC server-management software previously owned by THL Partners, for $1.0 billion in cash and about $650 million in stock.
Keep researching Lattice Semiconductor
Lattice Semiconductor Company History FAQ
When and where was Lattice Semiconductor Corporation founded?
Lattice Semiconductor Corporation was founded in April 1983 in Hillsboro, Oregon, by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Raymond Capece, starting as an innovative pioneer of high-speed programmable logic.
When did Lattice invent Generic Array Logic (GAL) in 1985?
In 1985, Lattice introduced the GAL16V8, the world's first electrically erasable programmable logic device (EEPLD), allowing circuit designers to reprogram logic chips repeatedly and transforming electronics design.
When did Lattice complete its Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ?
On November 9, 1989, Lattice Semiconductor completed its Initial Public Offering on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol 'LSCC', establishing a strong public financial foundation.
When did Lattice pioneer In-System Programmability (ISP) in 1992?
In 1992, Lattice transformed circuit board manufacturing by introducing In-System Programmable (ispLSI) chips, enabling firmware to be programmed into microchips directly on assembled circuit boards.
When did Lattice launch the major Lattice Nexus FPGA platform?
In December 2019, Lattice launched Lattice Nexus, the industry's first low-power FPGA platform built on 28nm FD-SOI technology, delivering up to 75% lower power consumption and 100x lower soft-error rates than competing devices.
When did Lattice launch the breakthrough Lattice Avant mid-range FPGA platform?
In December 2022, Lattice unveiled Lattice Avant, a 16nm FinFET mid-range FPGA platform that doubled Lattice's total addressable market by bringing low-power leadership to higher-bandwidth 25G communications and edge AI.
When did Dr. Ford Tamer become CEO of Lattice Semiconductor?
In September 2024, well-known semiconductor executive Dr. Ford Tamer was appointed President and CEO of Lattice Semiconductor, launching a new era of edge AI innovation and data center expansion.
What is Lattice Semiconductor's position and industry leadership today?
Today, Lattice Semiconductor is the world leader in low-power programmable logic, delivering over 68% gross margins and securing millions of AI servers, industrial robots, and automotive systems worldwide.
How did Lattice Semiconductor start?
Lattice Semiconductor was founded in 1983 by C. Norman Winningstad, Rahul Sud, and Ray Capece in Oregon (the "Silicon Forest"). Their massive early innovation was using CMOS technology to create GAL (Generic Array Logic) devices. They recognized that trying to compete directly with giants like Intel in standard microprocessors was financial suicide, so they brilliantly specialized entirely in highly programmable, customizable logic chips.
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