SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 2026--
Altera, the industry’s largest pure-play FPGA solutions provider, today announced it is working with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to advance the development of a highly reconfigurable coherent Free Space Optics (FSO) modem prototype for the Resilient Adaptive Zero-latency Optical Relay for Broadband All-domain Communications (RAZORBAC) program. The effort builds upon prior Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) initiatives and represents an important step toward advancing next-generation secure communications infrastructure for space and multi-domain operations.
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The RAZORBAC program is focused on enabling resilient, high-bandwidth optical networks that can dynamically adapt to evolving mission requirements across space, air, and ground environments. As part of the initiative, Altera will contribute Agilex® FPGA-based technologies and advanced packaging expertise to support development of a reconfigurable Multi-Chip Package (MCP) prototype capable of performing coherent FSO modem functions.
The MCP prototype will be designed to support interoperable optical links across satellite constellations and orbital layers, helping advance secure, high-speed data transport for both defense and commercial applications, including high-throughput interconnects and backbone links for broadband service providers. By leveraging programmable hardware architectures, the system can evolve alongside rapidly changing waveform, protocol, and mission requirements without requiring complete hardware redesigns.
“In today’s rapidly evolving, highly dynamic, and complex communications environment, flexibility is mission critical for operational readiness,” said Gopi Jandhyala, Head of Platform, Architecture and Chip Engineering at Altera. “Programmable solutions enable systems to evolve in real time while reducing development risk and accelerating deployment. We believe reconfigurable architectures will play a foundational role in the future of resilient optical networking.”
The RAZORBAC effort supports broader initiatives led by the U.S. Space Force and DIU to accelerate adoption of laser communications technologies capable of delivering high-data-rate, low-probability-of-intercept connectivity in contested operational environments. The initiative also highlights the growing importance of open, modular system architectures in accelerating interoperability and deployment of advanced capabilities across commercial and government Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs). The goal is to create an “internet” of satellites, enabling seamless communication between constellations and ground terminals. This vision aligns with growing commercial demand for protocol-agnostic optical mesh constellations that can serve both government and commercial customers.
Altera’s work with DIU on the RAZORBAC program builds upon a strong foundation of government-sponsored innovation, including CHIPS, Space-BACN, and KANAGAWA, while further advancing the company’s leadership in programmable technologies and heterogeneous integration. This effort positions Altera's programmable optical networking solutions for broader adoption across commercial satellite, government, and telecommunications markets.
About Altera
Altera is the industry’s largest pure-play FPGA solutions provider, with an exclusive focus on delivering FPGA innovations to the broad market. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of programmable hardware, software, and development tools that empower designers of electronic systems to innovate, differentiate, and execute with greater speed and efficiency. With industry-leading FPGAs, SoCs, and design solutions, Altera enables customers to achieve faster time-to-market, greater flexibility, and optimized performance across a wide range of applications, spanning physical AI, industrial automation, audio/video, robotics, aerospace, defense, data centers, telecommunications, and more. For more information, visit www.altera.com.
The DIU's RAZORBAC program represents an important step toward advancing next-generation secure communications infrastructure for space and multi-domain operations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina.
The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. It was Trump's fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term, and it comes as he tries to project strength ahead of midterm elections that will test his sway with voters.
In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his “6 month physical” and that “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.”
The White House did not immediately release a written report from Trump's doctors.
For decades, administrations have released selected results from presidential physicals, offering the public a glimpse at the commander-in-chief’s health. But the results are filtered through the White House and must be approved by the president, raising questions about what the public does and doesn't get to see.
Trump, a Republican, turns 80 next month and was the oldest person elected U.S. president. His immediate predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was 82 when he left office, dropping out of the 2024 presidential race because of widespread concerns he was too old for the job.
A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.
“I think concern for the president’s physical health is probably at an all-time high, and I think advanced physical age is the No. 1 concern,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician for more than a decade under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
For a president of Trump’s age, a complete physical would be expected to include advanced heart testing, screening for common cancers and a cognitive assessment, along with basics like height, weight and blood pressure, Kuhlman said.
The White House has not disclosed what the visit entailed but expressed confidence in what it will show.
“President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.
In the weeks leading up to his visit, Trump has been saying he feels as good as he did five decades ago — even as he jokes about his fondness for fast food and his minimal exercise regimen. Yet he’s also sensitive to perceptions about his age, noting that he takes extra caution descending the steps from Air Force One to avoid headlines about a stumble.
There is no law requiring presidents to publicize their health records, and the degree of transparency has varied by administration. Trump’s past reports have been criticized for offering scant detail and for providing statistics that some medical experts have viewed with skepticism.
At public appearances, Trump is often seen wearing makeup to conceal bruising on his hands, which the White House attributes to handshaking and regular aspirin use. He has sometimes appeared drowsy during meetings and closed his eyes for long stretches, though he denies having fallen asleep.
Trump often boasts of having “aced” cognitive tests while frequently deriding Biden, who faced questions about his mental acuity. Biden and his aides pushed back aggressively against doubts raised about his fitness for office.
Some of Trump’s previous physicals have included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, used to screen for dementia and cognitive impairment. Trump's physicians reported a score of 30 out of 30 for him at his 2018 and 2025 checkups.
Yet critics have pointed to Trump’s meandering speeches and sometimes bellicose rhetoric as evidence of cognitive decline.
Last month, a statement from more than 30 neurologists, psychiatrists and other medical experts — who acknowledged they’ve never examined him — said Trump was mentally unfit to serve and warned of an “increasingly dangerous decline” in his behavior based on what they called “objectively observable signs of serious medical concern.″
“Any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” Ingle said.
Just like any other patient, presidents get to choose what’s disclosed about their health, said Sara Rosenthal, a bioethicist at the University of Kentucky who studies presidential health. Questions about transparency have become more acute as America elects aging presidents like Trump and Biden, she said.
“I think we can expect very little disclosure about the true health status of any president unless they’re in perfect health,” said Rosenthal, who has suggested an independent medical organization to review and report on the health of the president and those in the line of succession.
Trump's first medical report in his second term was released last April. In July, he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins. Photographs have shown the president with swollen feet, ankles and calves, described by the White House as a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency leading to “mild swelling” in his lower legs.
Following his last publicly disclosed exam, described as a routine follow-up last October, Trump’s physician issued a one-page summary saying the president was in “exceptional health” without divulging many specific results.
The frequency of Trump's medical checkups is not uncommon for someone his age, according to S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois-Chicago, who has studied the health of past presidents. It's part of a strategy to catch problems while they’re still treatable, Olshansky said.
Olshansky says the public deserves to see more than White House medical summaries that “may be subject to editorial discretion.” Full, unredacted medical records should be made public, he said: “Nothing should be hidden.”
President Donald Trump departs Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - The left foot and swollen ankle of President Donald Trump are pictured as he sits with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump's right hand is seen as he speaks to the press after returning and stepping off Air Force One, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Nov. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
CORRECTS DATE - President Donald Trump sits at the back of the presidential limousine as it drives outside the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from the White House, Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
