The Altera USB-Blaster is a USB programming and debugging tool used for programming and testing devices such as FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) chips, CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), and other programmable logic devices manufactured by Altera, now part of Intel. This device is commonly used by engineers and developers in embedded systems and digital design to configure and debug hardware.

The USB-Blaster connects to your computer via USB and allows you to load bitstream files or perform hardware diagnostics on the target devices, typically using software like Intel Quartus Prime (formerly Altera Quartus). The USB-Blaster driver is necessary for your computer to recognize and communicate with the USB-Blaster hardware.