UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. ___)

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Xilinx, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

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June 22, 2010

Dear Xilinx Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, at the headquarters of Xilinx, Inc. (“Xilinx” or the “Company”) located at 2050 Logic Drive, San Jose, California 95124. We look forward to your attendance either in person or by proxy. At this meeting, the agenda includes:

	•		the annual election of directors;
	•		a proposal to approve an amendment to the Company’s 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 2,000,000 shares;
	•		a proposal to approve an amendment to the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 4,500,000 shares; and
	•		a proposal to ratify the appointment of the Company’s external auditors, Ernst & Young LLP.

The foregoing matters are more fully described in the attached proxy statement. The agenda will also include any other business that may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the election of each of the director nominees nominated by the Board of Directors, FOR the increase in the number of shares in the Company’s 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan, FOR the increase in the number of shares in the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, and FOR the ratification of appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as external auditors of the Company for the fiscal year ending April 2, 2011. Please refer to the proxy statement for detailed information on each of the proposals.

You may choose to vote your shares in one of the following ways: (1) via the Internet at Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions’ voting website (www.proxyvote.com); (2) telephonically by calling the telephone number shown in the proxy card; (3) by voting in person at the annual meeting; or (4) by requesting, completing and mailing in a paper proxy card, as outlined in the Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

The Xilinx 2010 Annual Meeting will be held solely to tabulate the votes cast and report the results of voting on the matters described in the attached proxy statement and any other business that may properly come before the meeting. Certain senior executives of Xilinx will be in attendance to answer questions following the Annual Meeting. However, no formal presentation concerning the business of Xilinx will be made at the Annual Meeting.

Whether or not you plan to attend, please take a few minutes now to vote online or via telephone or, alternatively, request a paper proxy card and mark, sign and date your proxy and return it by mail so that your shares will be represented.

Thank you for your continuing interest in Xilinx.

		Very truly yours,
		/s/ Moshe N. Gavrielov
		Moshe N. Gavrielov
		President and Chief Executive Officer

IMPORTANT: WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO VOTE YOUR PROXY ONLINE OR BY TELEPHONE, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, REQUEST, COMPLETE AND MAIL IN A PAPER PROXY CARD. PLEASE REFERENCE THE “PROXY VOTING; VOTING VIA THE INTERNET AND TELEPHONE” SECTION ON PAGE 2 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

XILINX, INC.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

TO OUR STOCKHOLDERS:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Xilinx, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Xilinx” or the “Company”), will be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time, at the Company’s headquarters located at 2050 Logic Drive, San Jose, California 95124 for the following purposes:

1. To elect the following nine nominees for director to serve on the Board of Directors for the ensuing year or until their successors are duly elected and qualified: Philip T. Gianos, Moshe N. Gavrielov, John L. Doyle, Jerald G. Fishman, William G. Howard, Jr., J. Michael Patterson, Albert A. Pimentel, Marshall C. Turner and Elizabeth W. Vanderslice;

2. To approve an amendment to our 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 2,000,000 shares;

3. To approve an amendment to our 2007 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 4,500,000 shares;

4. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as external auditors of Xilinx, for the fiscal year ending April 2, 2011; and

5. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this notice.

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on June 14, 2010 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting.

All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the meeting in person. Certain senior executives of Xilinx will be in attendance to answer questions following the Annual Meeting; however, there will be no formal presentation concerning the business of Xilinx. In order to ensure your representation at the meeting, you are urged to vote as soon as possible.

You may vote your shares in one of the following ways: (1) via the Internet at Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions’ voting website (www.proxyvote.com); (2) telephonically by calling the telephone number shown in the proxy card; (3) by voting in person at the annual meeting; or (4) by requesting, completing and mailing in a paper proxy card, as outlined in the Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Internet Notice”). If you have Internet access, we encourage you to record your vote on the Internet.

		FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
		/s/ Scott R. Hover-Smoot
		Scott R. Hover-Smoot
		Secretary

San Jose, California
June 22, 2010

THIS PROXY STATEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY ARE BEING PROVIDED ON OR ABOUT JUNE 22, 2010 IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF XILINX, INC. IMPORTANT: WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO VOTE YOUR PROXY ONLINE OR BY TELEPHONE, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, REQUEST, COMPLETE AND MAIL IN A PAPER PROXY CARD. PLEASE REFERENCE THE “PROXY VOTING; VOTING VIA THE INTERNET AND TELEPHONE” SECTION ON PAGE 2 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

XILINX, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

This proxy statement, the enclosed proxy card and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2010 (the “Form 10-K”) are being provided to stockholders of Xilinx, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Xilinx” or the “Company”), on or about June 22, 2010 in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of proxies to be used at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company (“Annual Meeting”) to be held on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 11:00 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time, at the Company’s headquarters, located at 2050 Logic Drive, San Jose, California 95124, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The cost of preparing, assembling and delivery of the notice of Annual Meeting, proxy statement and form of proxy and the solicitation of proxies will be paid by Xilinx. We have retained the services of The Altman Group to assist in obtaining proxies from brokers and nominees of stockholders for the Annual Meeting. The estimated cost of such services is approximately $7,000 plus out-of-pocket expenses. Proxies may also be solicited in person, by telephone or electronically by Xilinx personnel who will not receive any additional compensation for such solicitation. We will pay brokers or other persons holding stock in their names or the names of their nominees for the expenses of forwarding soliciting material to their principals.

We anticipate that the Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Internet Notice”) will be mailed on or about June 22, 2010 to all stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting. This proxy statement and the Form 10-K have been made available to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and who received an Internet Notice.

You may obtain paper copies of the proxy materials referenced above by following the instructions on the Internet Notice.

INFORMATION CONCERNING VOTING AND PROXY SOLICITATION

Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted rules that allow us to furnish our proxy materials to our stockholders through the Internet, rather than by mail. We believe that it is in the best interests of our stockholders to take advantage of these rules and reduce the expenses associated with printing and mailing proxy materials to all of our stockholders. In addition, as a corporate citizen, we want to reduce the use of natural resources and the environmental impact of printing and mailing the proxy materials. As a result, you will not receive hard copies of the proxy materials unless you specifically request them.

The Internet Notice provides instructions on how you can (1) access the proxy materials on the Internet, (2) access your proxy and (3) vote on the Internet. If you would like to receive hard copies of the proxy materials, please follow the instructions on the Internet Notice. If you share an address with another stockholder and received only one Internet Notice, you may write or call us to request a separate copy of the proxy materials at no cost to you.

Voting

Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of Xilinx common stock (“Common Stock”) held by such stockholder as of the Record Date (as defined below) with respect to all matters presented at the Annual Meeting. Stockholders do not have the right to cumulate their votes in the election of directors.

Record Date

Only stockholders of record at the close of business (5:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time) on June 14, 2010 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. For information regarding holders of more than 5% of the outstanding Common Stock, see “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.”

Shares Outstanding

As of the close of business on May 14, 2010 there were 273,852,743 shares of Common Stock outstanding. The closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on May 14, 2010, as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) was $24.05 per share.

Proxy Voting; Voting via the Internet and Telephone

Shares of Common Stock for which proxy cards are properly voted via the Internet, by telephone or properly executed and returned, will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions given or, in the absence of directions, will be voted “FOR” the election of each of the nominees to the Board named herein, “FOR” the approval of the amendment to the Company’s 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan, “FOR” the approval of the amendment to the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, and “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as the Company’s external auditors for fiscal 2011. It is not expected that any other matters will be brought before the Annual Meeting. If, however, other matters are properly presented, the persons named as proxies in the accompanying proxy card will vote in accordance with their discretion with respect to such matters.

To ensure that your vote is recorded promptly, please vote as soon as possible, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person. Most stockholders have three options for submitting their votes: (1) via the Internet, (2) by phone or (3) by mail. To vote by mail, you must follow the instructions on the Internet Notice to request hard copies of the proxy materials and then mail in a paper proxy card. If you have Internet access, we encourage you to record your vote on the Internet. It is convenient, reduces the use of natural resources and saves significant postage and processing costs. In addition, when you vote via the Internet or by phone prior to the meeting date, your vote is recorded immediately and there is no risk that postal delays will cause your vote to arrive late and therefore not be counted. For further instructions on voting, see the Internet Notice and your proxy card. If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may also submit your vote in person, and any previous votes that you submitted, whether by Internet, phone or mail, will be superseded by the vote that you cast at the Annual Meeting.

If at the close of business on the Record Date, your shares were not issued directly in your name, but rather were held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank or other agent, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name.” The broker, bank or other agent holding your shares in that account is considered to be the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other agent on how to vote the shares in your account. You are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting. However, since you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares in person at the meeting unless you request and obtain a valid proxy issued in your name from your broker, bank or other agent prior to the Annual Meeting.

Householding

In an effort to conserve natural resources and reduce printing costs and postage fees, the Company has adopted a practice approved by the SEC called “householding.” Under this practice, stockholders who have the same address and last name and do not participate in electronic delivery of proxy materials will receive only one copy of the Internet Notice unless one or more of these stockholders notifies the Company that they wish to continue receiving individual copies.

If you share an address with another stockholder and received only one  Internet Notice and would like to request a copy of the proxy materials, please send your request to: Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, CA 95124, Attn: Investor Relations, call Investor Relations at (408) 879-5198, or visit the Company’s website at www.investor.xilinx.com. Xilinx will deliver a separate copy of these materials promptly upon receipt of your written or oral request.

Quorum

A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. The required quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting is a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock as of the Record Date. Shares of Common Stock entitled to vote and represented at the Annual Meeting by proxy or in person will be tabulated by the inspector of elections appointed for the Annual Meeting and counted towards the quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will also be counted towards the quorum requirement. If there is no quorum, a majority of the votes present at the meeting may adjourn the meeting to another date.

Votes Counted; Abstentions; Broker Non-Votes

Votes will be counted by the inspector of elections appointed for the meeting, who will separately count “For” and “Against” votes and abstentions with respect to the election of directors and, with respect to any proposals other than the election of directors, “For” and “Against” votes, abstentions and broker non-votes. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that proposal and has not received instructions with respect to that proposal from the beneficial owner, despite voting on at least one other proposal for which it does have discretionary authority or for which it has received instructions. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the election of directors but will be counted as “Against” votes with respect to any proposals other than the election of directors. Broker non-votes have no effect and will not be counted towards the vote total for any proposal.

If your shares of Common Stock are held by your broker, bank or other agent as your nominee (that is, in “street name”), you will need to obtain a proxy form from the institution that holds your shares and follow the instructions included on that form regarding how to instruct your broker, bank or other agent to vote your shares. If you do not give instructions, under the rules that govern brokers who are record owners of shares that are held in street name for the beneficial owners of the shares, brokers who do not receive voting instructions from their clients have the discretion to vote uninstructed shares on routine matters but have no discretion to vote them on non-routine matters. Proposal One (election of directors), Proposal Two (amendment to the 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan) and Proposal Three (amendment to the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan) are non-routine matters. If you hold your shares in street name and you do not instruct your bank or broker how to vote on non-routine matters such as Proposals One, Two and Three, no votes will be cast on your behalf. Therefore, if you hold your shares in street name, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count for non-routine matters. Proposal Four (ratification of external auditors) is a routine matter.

Vote Required

Under our Bylaws and Corporate Governance Principles, directors must be elected by a majority of votes cast in uncontested elections. Therefore, each nominee for Director receiving more votes “For” than votes “Against” shall be elected as a Director. Shares not present and shares voting “Abstain” will have no effect on the election of directors.

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of Common Stock present and entitled to vote either in person or by proxy will be required to (i) approve the amendment to the Company’s 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by 2,000,000 shares; (ii) approve the amendment to the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares to be reserved for issuance thereunder by 4,500,000 shares; and (iii) ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as external auditors for fiscal 2011. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “Against” approval of the amendment to the 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan, “Against” approval of the amendment to the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan and “Against” the ratification of Ernst & Young LLP. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on any of the proposals.

In the absence of instructions, shares of Common Stock represented by valid proxies shall be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Board as shown on the proxy.

Revocability of Proxies

A stockholder giving a proxy may revoke it at any time before it is voted by delivering to the Secretary of the Company, at 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, California 95124, a written notice of revocation or a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or by appearing at the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, be sufficient to revoke a proxy. Any stockholder owning Common Stock in street name wishing to revoke his or her voting instructions must contact the bank, brokerage firm or other custodian who holds his or her shares and obtain a legal proxy from such bank or brokerage firm to vote such shares in person at the Annual Meeting.

Deadline for Receipt of Stockholder Proposals

Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), to be eligible for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement for the Company’s 2011 annual meeting of stockholders, stockholder proposals must be received by the Secretary of the Company at our principal executive offices at 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, California, 95124 no later than February 22, 2011. In order for stockholder proposals made outside of Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act to be considered timely within the meaning of Rule 14a-4(c) under the Exchange Act, such proposals must be received by the Secretary of the Company at our principal executive offices no later than May 8, 2011. In addition, the Company’s Prior Notice For Inclusion on Agenda Bylaw provision requires that stockholder proposals made outside of Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Company’s Bylaws, not later than April 13, 2011 and not earlier than March 14, 2011; provided however, that if the Company’s 2011 annual meeting of stockholders is called for a date that is not within 25 days before or after the anniversary of the Annual Meeting, then to be considered timely, stockholder proposals must be received by the Secretary of the Company at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which notice of the Company’s 2011 annual meeting of stockholders was mailed or publicly disclosed, whichever occurs first. The full text of the Company’s Prior Notice for Inclusion on Agenda Bylaw provision described above may be obtained by writing to the Secretary of the Company.

PROPOSAL ONE

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Nominees

The Board of Directors has nominated the nine individuals named below, each of whom, with the exception of Mr. Pimentel, is currently serving as a director (“Director”) of the Company, to be elected as a Director at the Annual Meeting. The term of office of each person elected as a Director will continue until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until his or her successor has been elected and qualified.  Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the proxies received by them for each of the Company’s nine nominees named below. In the event that any nominee of the Company is unable or declines to serve as a Director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who shall be designated by the Board to fill the vacancy. The Company is not aware of any nominee who will be unable to serve as a Director.

						Director
Name of Nominee		Age				Since
Philip T. Gianos			60				1985
Moshe N. Gavrielov			55				2008
John L. Doyle			78				1994
Jerald G. Fishman			64				2000
William G. Howard, Jr.			68				1996
J. Michael Patterson			64				2005
Albert A. Pimentel			55				—
Marshall C. Turner			68				2007
Elizabeth W. Vanderslice			46				2000

The Company’s Board of Directors seeks to have members with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Set forth below is a brief description of the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each of our Director nominees that led the Board to conclude that the Director should serve on the Board.

Mr. Gianos joined the Company’s Board in December 1985. Mr. Gianos has served as Chairman of the Board since February 2009. Mr. Gianos has been an investor with InterWest Partners, a venture capital firm focused on information technology and life sciences, since 1982 and a General Partner since 1984. Prior to joining InterWest Partners, Mr. Gianos was with IBM Corporation, an information technology company, for eight years, six of which were in engineering management.

Mr. Gianos brings to the Board over 28 years of experience as an investor in multiple areas of information technology, including semiconductors, at a venture capital firm, as well as six years of experience in engineering management. Such experience has proved valuable to the Board in considering and evaluating strategic investments for the Company, as well as in overseeing the operational and R&D aspects of the Company’s business.

Mr. Gavrielov joined the Company in January 2008 as President and CEO and was appointed to the Company’s Board in February 2008. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Gavrielov served at Cadence Design Systems, Inc., an electronic design automation company, as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Verification Division from April 2005 through November 2007. Mr. Gavrielov served as CEO of Verisity Ltd., an electronic design automation company, from March 1998 to April 2005 prior to its acquisition by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Prior to joining Verisity, Mr. Gavrielov spent nearly 10 years at LSI Corporation (formerly LSI Logic Corporation), a semiconductor manufacturer, in a variety of executive management positions, including Executive Vice President of the Products Group, Senior Vice President and General Manager of International Marketing and Sales and Senior Vice President and General Manager of LSI Logic Europe plc. Prior to joining LSI Corporation, Mr. Gavrielov held various engineering and engineering management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and National Semiconductor Corporation.

With extensive experience in executive management and engineering with semiconductor and software companies, Mr. Gavrielov understands the Company and its competitors, customers, operations and key business drivers. From this experience, Mr. Gavrielov has developed a broad array of skills, particularly in the areas of building and developing semiconductor and software businesses, and providing leadership and a clear vision to the Company’s employees. As the CEO of the Company, Mr. Gavrielov also brings his strategic vision for the Company to the Board and creates a critical link between the management and the Board, enabling the Board to perform its oversight function with the benefit of management’s perspective on the business.

Mr. Doyle joined the Company’s Board in December 1994. Mr. Doyle held numerous technical and managerial positions at Hewlett-Packard Company from 1957 to 1991. Mr. Doyle is an independent consultant and has served as a director of Analog Devices, Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer, since 1987.

Mr. Doyle has developed a wide breadth of experience since 1991 as an independent technical and business strategy consultant. Prior to that, Mr. Doyle spent nearly 35 years at Hewlett-Packard Company including time as VP of Personnel, VP of Research and Development, Director of HP Labs and Executive VP of the Computer Systems, Networks and Peripherals businesses which included their integrated circuits operations. Mr. Doyle’s executive experience at Hewlett Packard brings deep leadership and operational experience to our Board. In addition, Mr. Doyle has extensive knowledge of the Company’s business, in particular, gained from his service as a Director of the Company since 1994. Mr. Doyle has also served on the boards of directors of multiple public and private technology companies which provide him with insights into how boards of other companies have addressed issues similar to those faced by the Company.

Mr. Fishman joined the Company’s Board in March 2000. Mr. Fishman has been President and CEO of Analog Devices, Inc., since November 1996. Mr. Fishman also serves as a director of Analog Devices, Inc. and Cognex Corporation, a supplier of machine vision sensors and systems. Please refer to “Other Matters” at the end of this proxy statement for additional information regarding an SEC order concerning Analog Devices, Inc. and Mr. Fishman.

Mr. Fishman has nearly 30 years of experience in executive management of a publicly-traded semiconductor manufacturer, including the past 13 years as its CEO. As a result of his experience as a CEO at a semiconductor company, Mr. Fishman is able to provide important perspectives on issues facing semiconductor companies and the semiconductor industry generally. Mr. Fishman also serves as a director on two other publicly-traded companies. Through Mr. Fishman’s experience on other public company boards, he has a strong understanding of corporate governance best practices.

Dr. Howard joined the Company’s Board in September 1996. Dr. Howard has worked as an independent consultant for various semiconductor and microelectronics companies since December 1990. From October 1987 to December 1990, Dr. Howard was a senior fellow at the National Academy of Engineering conducting studies of technology management. Dr. Howard held various management positions at Motorola, Inc., a wireless and broadband communications company, between 1969 and 1987 including Senior Vice President and Director of Research and Development. Dr. Howard also serves as Chairman of the Board of Ramtron International Corporation, a manufacturer of memory products.

Dr. Howard’s nearly 20 years of experience as an independent consultant for various semiconductor and microelectronics companies, including SEMATECH, the Semiconductor Industry Association and Dow Corning, provides the Board with valuable insights into the industry in which the Company competes. Dr. Howard’s 18 years of experience in various management positions at a leading wireless and broadband communications company, including as its Senior Vice President and Director of Research and Development, has also proved to be valuable as the Company evaluates its own development efforts. Through Dr. Howard’s involvement with several scientific and engineering organizations, including as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has also gained valuable knowledge of the most recent developments in engineering. Dr. Howard has also gained a broad range of skills from his service on multiple boards of directors of public and private technology companies.

Mr. Patterson joined the Company’s Board in October 2005. Mr. Patterson was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PWC”), a public accounting firm, from 1970 until retirement in 2001. The positions he held during his 31-year career at PWC include chair of the national high tech practice, chair of the semiconductor tax practice, department chair for PWC’s Silicon Valley tax practice and managing partner of PWC’s Silicon Valley office. Mr. Patterson serves on a few boards of private companies and advises charitable organizations.

Mr. Patterson’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his extensive experience with public and financial accounting matters for complex global organizations. Mr. Patterson’s extensive financial background, including specifically advising companies in the semiconductor industry, has enabled him to play a meaningful role in the oversight of our financial reporting and accounting practices.

Mr. Pimentel has been CFO and COO of McAfee, Inc., a security technology company, since May 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Pimentel served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Glu Mobile, Inc., a publisher of mobile games, since 2004. Prior to joining Glu Mobile, Mr. Pimentel served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Zone Labs, Inc., an end-point security software company, from 2003 until it was acquired in 2004 by Checkpoint Software, Inc. From 2001 to 2003, he served as a partner of Redpoint Ventures. Prior to joining Redpoint, he served as CFO for WebTV Networks, Inc., a provider of set-top Internet access devices and services acquired by Microsoft Corporation, and LSI Logic Corporation, a semiconductor and storage systems developer. Mr. Pimentel currently serves on the Board of Directors of Seagate Technology LLC, a manufacturer of hard drives and storage solutions.

Mr. Pimentel’s strong financial background, including his work as the CFO at three different publicly-traded companies, provides financial expertise to the Board, including an understanding of financial statements, corporate finance and accounting. As the COO of a publicly-traded company, Mr. Pimentel also brings deep leadership and operational experience to our Board.

Mr. Turner joined the Company’s Board in March 2007. Mr. Turner served as interim CEO of MEMC Electronic Materials, a manufacturer of silicon wafers for semiconductor and solar power applications, from November 2008 until March 2009, and has been a member of their company’s Board of Directors since 2007. Mr. Turner served as Chairman and CEO of Dupont Photomasks, Inc., a manufacturer of photomasks for semiconductor chip fabricators, from June 2003 until its sale in April 2005, and then as President and CEO of the company, renamed “Toppan Photomasks, Inc.,” through May 2006. Mr. Turner is also a member of the board of directors of the AllianceBernstein Funds, a group of 34 mutual fund entities.

Mr. Turner has been involved in the semiconductor and software industries, among others, for 37 years, in a variety of roles—including as the CEO of two companies in the semiconductor industry and chairman of two software companies—as well as a venture capital investor. From these experiences, Mr. Turner has developed a broad range of skills that contribute to the Board’s oversight of the operational, financial and risk management aspects of our business. Mr. Turner has also served on 24 boards of directors and chaired four of them, giving him meaningful perspective regarding the processes and considerations that our Board may bring to bear on a variety of issues.

Ms. Vanderslice joined the Company’s Board in December 2000. Ms. Vanderslice served as a General Manager of Terra Lycos, Inc., an Internet access and interactive content provider, from July 1999 until July 2001. Prior to joining Terra Lycos, Ms. Vanderslice was a Vice President of Wired Digital, Inc., an online services company, beginning in 1995 and served as its President and CEO from 1996 through June 1999 when she led its acquisition by Terra Lycos. Prior to joining Wired Digital, Ms. Vanderslice served as a principal in the investment banking firm Sterling Payot Company and in 1994 became a Vice President at H. W. Jesse & Co., a San Francisco investment banking and business strategy-consulting firm spun off from Sterling Payot. Ms. Vanderslice holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ms. Vanderslice brings a broad range of skills to the Board from her experience as a general manager of an internet access and interactive content provider, CEO of an online services company and as an investment banker at two investment banking firms. In particular, in addition to her computer science and systems engineer background, Ms. Vanderslice contributes to the Board’s understanding of the Company’s sales and marketing efforts and engineering management and her experience in mergers and acquisitions is valuable to the Board in evaluating strategic transactions.

There are no family relationships among the executive officers of the Company or the Board.

Required Vote

Each nominee receiving more votes “For” than “Against” shall be elected as a Director. If you do not wish your shares to be voted with respect to a nominee, you may “Abstain,” in which case your shares will have no effect on the election of that nominee.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES.

BOARD MATTERS

Board Meetings and Committee Composition

The Company’s Board held a total of eleven (11) meetings during the fiscal year ended April 3, 2010. All Directors are expected to attend each meeting of the Board and the Committees on which he or she serves, and are also expected to attend the Annual Meeting. All Directors attended the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders. No Director attended fewer than 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board or its Committees on which such Director served during the fiscal year. The Board holds four (4) pre-scheduled meetings per fiscal year.

The following table reflects the current composition of the Company’s standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, and Committee of Independent Directors.

						Nominating and		Committee of
		Audit		Compensation		Governance		Independent
		Committee		Committee		Committee		Directors
Non-Employee Directors:
Philip T. Gianos (Chairman)				Chair				X
John L. Doyle		Chair						X
Jerald G. Fishman						X		X
William G. Howard, Jr.						X		X
J. Michael Patterson		X		X				X
Marshall C. Turner		X						X
Willem P. Roelandts (1)
Elizabeth W. Vanderslice				X		Chair		X
Employee Director:
Moshe N. Gavrielov

Committees

The Board has a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and Committee of Independent Directors (the “Committees”). The Board has determined that each Director currently serving on these Committees and who served on the Committees in fiscal 2010 is “independent” in accordance with the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. The Board and its Committees have authority to engage independent advisors and consultants and have used such services. Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, is subject to charters approved by the Board, which are posted on the investor relations page of the Company’s website at www.investor.xilinx.com under “Corporate Governance.”

Audit Committee

The members of the Audit Committee during fiscal 2010 were John L. Doyle, J. Michael Patterson and Marshall C. Turner. During fiscal 2010, the Audit Committee held six (6) meetings. The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to the stockholders relating to the Company’s financial statements and the financial reporting process, the systems of internal accounting and financial controls, and the audit process. The Board has determined that each Audit Committee member meets the independence and financial knowledge requirements under the SEC rules and the corporate governance listing standards of NASDAQ. The Audit Committee operates in accordance with a written charter adopted by the Board, which complies with NASDAQ and SEC listing standards.

The Board has further determined that each member of the Audit Committee qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by SEC rules. Stockholders should understand that this designation is a disclosure requirement of the SEC related to the Audit Committee members’ individual experience and understanding with respect to certain accounting and auditing matters. The designation does not impose upon any of the Audit Committee members any duties, obligations or liabilities that are greater than those generally imposed on each of them as members of the Board nor alter the duties, obligations or liability of any other member of the Board.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee, which consists of Philip T. Gianos, J. Michael Patterson and Elizabeth W. Vanderslice, met sixteen (16) times during fiscal 2010. The Compensation Committee has responsibility for establishing the compensation policies of the Company. The Compensation Committee determines the compensation of the Company’s Board and executive officers (other than the CEO) and has exclusive authority to grant options to such executive officers under the 2007 Equity Plan. The Compensation Committee evaluates the CEO’s performance and makes recommendations to the Board for final determination of CEO compensation, including base salary, incentive pay and equity. The CEO is not present during the Committee’s or Board’s deliberations and voting on CEO compensation, but may be present during voting and deliberations related to compensation of other executive officers. For further information about the processes and procedures for the consideration and determination of executive compensation, please refer to the section of this proxy statement entitled “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION– Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

The Board has further determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is an “outside director” as that term is defined in Section 162(m) of the Tax Code and a “Disinterested Person” and a “Non-Employee Director” as those terms are used by the SEC.

Nominating and Governance Committee

The Nominating and Governance Committee, which consists of Elizabeth W. Vanderslice, Jerald G. Fishman and William G. Howard, Jr., met three (3) times during fiscal 2010. The Nominating and Governance Committee has responsibility for identifying, evaluating and recommending to the Board individuals to serve as members of the Board, and to establish policies affecting corporate governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee, among other things, makes suggestions regarding the size and composition of the Company’s Board, ensures that the Board reviews the Company’s management organization, including the management succession plans, and the adequacy of the Company’s strategic planning process and recommends nominees for election as directors. For further information about the director nomination criteria and process, please refer to the section of this proxy statement entitled “BOARD MATTERS –Nomination Criteria and Board Diversity.”

Committee of Independent Directors

All independent Directors are members of the Committee of Independent Directors. This Committee met eight (8) times during fiscal 2010. The Committee’s principal focus is succession planning but it also addresses other topics as deemed necessary and appropriate. The Committee of Independent Directors typically meets outside the presence of management.

Nomination Criteria and Board Diversity

The Board believes in bringing a diversity of cultural backgrounds and viewpoints to the Board and desires that its Directors and nominees possess critical skills in the areas of semiconductor design and marketing, manufacturing, systems, software and finance. These factors, and any other qualifications considered useful by the Board, are reviewed in the context of an assessment of the perceived needs of the Board at a particular point in time. As a result, the priorities and emphasis of the Nominating and Governance Committee may change from time to time to take into account changes in business and other trends, and the portfolio of skills and experience of current and prospective Board members. Therefore, while focused on the achievement and the ability of potential candidates to make a positive contribution with respect to such factors, the Nominating and Governance Committee has not established any specific minimum criteria or qualifications that a director or nominee must possess. The Board remains apprised of qualified individuals who may be considered as Board candidates in the future.

As necessary and as part of its annual evaluation of current Board members, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers the skills and viewpoints previously mentioned as desirable director qualifications, any job changes, the amount of time each Director spends on Xilinx matters and to what extent, if any, other commitments the Directors may have outside of Xilinx impact the Director’s service to Xilinx. In connection with its evaluation of Board composition, the Nominating and Governance Committee also considers rotating Directors’ positions on the Board Committees.

Consideration of new Board nominee candidates typically involves a series of internal discussions, review of information concerning candidates and interviews with selected candidates. In fiscal 2010, the Company did not employ a search firm or pay fees to other third parties in connection with seeking or evaluating Board nominee candidates, including the nomination of Mr. Pimentel. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider candidates proposed by stockholders using the same process it uses for a candidate recommended by a member of the Board, an employee, or a search firm, should one be engaged. A stockholder seeking to recommend a prospective nominee for the Nominating and Governance Committee’s consideration should submit the candidate’s name and qualifications by mail addressed to the Corporate Secretary, Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, CA 95124, sent by email to corporate.secretary@xilinx.com, or faxed to the Corporate Secretary at (408) 377-6137.

Director Independence

The NASDAQ listing standards require that a majority of the members of a listed company’s board of directors must qualify as “independent” as affirmatively determined by its board of directors. Our Board annually reviews information relating to the members of our Board to ensure that a majority of our Board is independent under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and the rules of the SEC. After review of all relevant transactions and relationships between each Director nominee, his or her family members and entities affiliated with each Director nominee and Xilinx, our senior management and our independent registered public accounting firm, our Board has determined that eight of our nine nominees for Director are independent directors as defined in the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Mr. Gavrielov, our President and CEO, is not an independent director within the meaning of the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules or the rules of the SEC because he is a current employee of Xilinx.

In making a determination of the independence of the nominees for Director, the Board reviewed relationships and transactions occurring since the beginning of fiscal 2008 between each Director nominee, his or her family members and entities affiliated with each Director nominee and Xilinx, our senior management and our independent registered public accounting firm. In making its determination, the Board applied the standards for independence set forth by NASDAQ and the SEC. In each case, the Board determined that, because of the nature of the relationship or the amount involved in the transaction, the relationship did not impair the Director nominee’s independence. The transactions listed below were considered by the Board in its independence determinations.

Mr. Fishman is employed as an executive officer and is a director of a company with which Xilinx does business. Xilinx transactions with this company occur in the normal course of business and the amount that Xilinx paid in each fiscal year to this company for goods and services represented less than 1% of such company’s annual revenue, and the amount received by Xilinx in each fiscal year for goods and services from such company represented less than 1% of Xilinx’s annual revenue. Mr. Fishman has no direct or indirect material interest in these transactions that requires disclosure under Regulation S-K, Item 404(a).

Each of Messrs. Doyle, Fishman, Gianos and Turner and Dr. Howard is, or was during the previous three fiscal years, a non-management director of one or more other companies that has done business with Xilinx. All of the transactions with these companies occurred in the normal course of business in the purchase or supply of goods or services. In addition, Mr. Gianos serves as a non-management director of a private company in which Xilinx has made certain investments. Such investments were made by Xilinx in the ordinary course of its business pursuant to Xilinx investment policies. None of Messrs. Doyle, Fishman, Gianos and Dr. Howard have a direct or indirect material interest in these transactions that requires disclosure under Regulation S-K, Item 404(a).

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors has overall responsibility for risk oversight at the Company and may delegate particular risk areas to the appropriate Committees of the Board. The Board’s role in risk oversight builds upon management’s risk management process. The Company conducts a formal annual risk assessment as well as coordinates on-going risk management activities throughout the year to identify, analyze, respond to, monitor and report on risks. Risks reviewed by the Company include operational risks, financial risks, legal and compliance risks, IT risks and strategic risks. The management team then reviews with the Board any significant risks identified during the process, together with plans to mitigate such risks. In response, the Board, or the relevant Committee, may request that management conduct additional review of or reporting on select enterprise risks. The process and risks are reviewed at least annually with the Board and additional review or reporting of significant enterprise risks will be conducted as needed or as requested by the Board or any of its Committees.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

The Company and the Board, through its Nominating and Governance Committee, regularly review and evaluate the Company’s corporate governance principles and practices. The Significant Corporate Governance Principles, the charters for each of the Board’s Committees, and each of the Company’s Code of Conduct and the Directors’ Code of Ethics are posted on the investor relations page of the Company’s website at www.investor.xilinx.com. Printed copies of these documents are also available to stockholders upon written request addressed to the Corporate Secretary, Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, CA 95124 or by email at corporate.secretary@xilinx.com.

Board Leadership Structure and Independence

The Board believes there should be a substantial majority of independent Directors on the Board. The Board also believes that it is useful and appropriate to have members of management as Directors, including the CEO. Independent Directors are given an opportunity to meet outside the presence of members of management, and hold such meetings regularly.

It is the written policy of the Board that if the Chairman is not “independent” in accordance with NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and the Exchange Act, the Board will designate an independent Director to serve as Lead Independent Director.  Prior to the election of Philip T. Gianos, an independent Director, as Chairman of the Board, Jerald G. Fishman served as the Lead Independent Director.  We believe that having an independent Chairman or a Lead Independent Director, either of whom is responsible for coordinating the activities of the independent Directors, as well as other duties, including chairing the meetings of the Committee of Independent Directors, allows the Company’s CEO to better focus on the day-to-day management and leadership of the Company, while better enabling the Board to advise, and oversee the performance of, the CEO.  The Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee reviews the position of Lead Independent Director and identifies the Director who serves as Lead Independent Director in the absence of an independent Chairman.

Majority Vote Standard

All Directors are elected annually at the annual stockholder meeting. In response to a successful stockholder proposal for election of directors by majority vote standard, on May 3, 2006, the Board amended the Company’s Bylaws to provide for the election of Directors in an uncontested election by the majority of votes cast regarding each nominee. In contested elections, Directors will be elected by the plurality standard whereby those Directors with the highest number of votes cast are elected. Any existing Director that receives more “Against” votes than “For” votes will tender his or her resignation to the Board. The Board will announce its decision with regard to the resignation within 120 days following the certification of election results.

Board Evaluation

The Board conducts an annual evaluation of its performance. The process varies from year-to-year, including self-evaluations and/or one-on-one meetings with each Board member and the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee or the Lead Independent Director. Results of the evaluation are formally presented to the Board. The Board has made changes in Board procedures based on feedback from the process.

Board Service Limits and Terms

The Board has set a limitation on the number of public boards on which a Director may serve to three (3) for any CEO and four (4) for all other Directors. This limitation is inclusive of service on the Xilinx Board.

The Board believes that term limits on Directors’ service and a mandatory retirement age do not serve the best interests of the Company. While such policies could help ensure that fresh ideas and new viewpoints are addressed by the Board, such limits have the disadvantage of losing the contribution of Directors who over time have developed increased insight and knowledge into the Company’s operations and who remain active and contributing members of the Board. The Board evaluation process plays a significant role in determining our Nominating and Governance Committee’s recommendation regarding Board tenure.

Change of Principal Occupation or Association

When a Director’s principal occupation or business association changes substantially during his or her tenure as Director, that Director shall tender his or her resignation for consideration by the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee will recommend to the Board the action, if any, to be taken with respect to the resignation.

Director Education

The Company offers internal and external course selections for new-Director orientation as well as continuing education. On a rotating basis, Directors will attend director education programs, including courses accredited by RiskMetrics Group, and report back to the entire Board on key learnings.

Stock Ownership Requirements

Directors

On May 14, 2008, the Board established new minimum stock ownership guidelines for Directors. Under these new guidelines, Directors are required to own Company stock having a value equal to at least five times their annual cash retainer. At the time these ownership guidelines were adopted, the annual cash retainer for Directors was $60,000, and therefore Directors are required to own Company stock with a value of at least $300,000. For example, based on $24.05, the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on May 14, 2010, $300,000 would purchase 12,474 shares of our Common Stock. Previously, the stock ownership requirement for Directors was 4,000 shares.

Directors are required to retain half of the shares of Company stock derived from awards of RSUs until this ownership requirement is met. Half of the RSUs that are vested but are not settled pursuant to a pre-arranged deferral program will count toward the ownership requirement.

Executive Officers

The Board has established the following minimum stock ownership guidelines for the CEO and other executive officers:

	•		50,000 shares for the CEO; and
	•		15,000 shares for all other executive officers.

Individuals have five (5) years to meet the ownership requirements. For executive officers serving in such capacity at the time the ownership requirements were adopted, the ownership requirements must be attained by June 1, 2011. All other executive officers must meet the requirements within five (5) years of their initial grant date.

Succession Planning

The Board plans for succession to the position of the Chairman of the Board, the position of CEO, and other senior management positions. The Nominating and Governance Committee keeps the Board apprised of external and internal candidates. To assist the Board, the CEO annually provides the Board with an assessment of senior managers and of their potential to succeed him. He also provides the Board with an assessment of considered potential successors to certain senior management positions.

Internal Audit

The Company’s Internal Audit function reports to the Audit Committee of the Board and administratively to the Company’s CFO.

Anonymous Reporting and Whistleblower Protection

The Company’s Code of Conduct includes protections for employees who report violations of the Code of Conduct, other policies, laws, rules and regulations. The Company has implemented an Internet-based anonymous reporting process for employees to report violations they do not otherwise bring directly to management. The site can be accessed from the Company’s intranet as well as from any Internet connection around the world.

Codes of Conduct and Ethics

In February 2009, the Board of Directors adopted an Amended and Restated Code of Conduct (the “Code of Conduct”) applicable to the Company’s Directors and employees, including the Company’s CEO, CFO and its principal accounting personnel. The Code of Conduct includes protections for employees who report violations of the Code of Conduct and other improprieties and includes an anonymous reporting process to provide employees with an additional channel to report any perceived violations. Independent Directors receive complaints and reports of violations regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, auditing, legal and other matters reported through the anonymous reporting process, if any. The Chief Compliance Officer provides a quarterly report to the Audit Committee of incident reports identified through the anonymous reporting process and otherwise as necessary. The Code of Conduct is available on the investor relations page of our website at www.investor.xilinx.com. Printed copies of these documents are also available to stockholders upon written request directed to Corporate Secretary, Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, CA 95124.

The Board has adopted a separate Code of Ethics pertaining particularly to the Board which covers topics including insider trading, conflicts of interests, financial reporting and compliance with other laws.

A waiver of any violation of the Code of Conduct by an executive officer or Director and a waiver of any violation of the Directors’ Code of Ethics may only be made by the Board. The Company will post any such waivers on its website under the Corporate Governance page of www.investor.xilinx.com. Amendments of the Code of Conduct will also be posted on the Xilinx website under Corporate Governance page of www.investor.xilinx.com. No waivers were requested or granted in the past year. The Code of Conduct was last amended in February 2009.

Stockholder Value

The Board is cognizant of the interests of the stockholders and accordingly has adopted the following provisions:

	•		All employee stock plans will be submitted to the stockholders for approval prior to adoption;
	•		The 2007 Equity Plan includes a provision that prohibits repricing of options whether by directly lowering the exercise price, through cancellation of the option or SAR in exchange for a new option or SAR having a lower exercise price, or by the replacement of the option or SAR with a full value award (i.e., an award of restricted stock or RSUs); and
	•		The Company is committed to keeping dilution under its stock plans for employees under 3%.

Stockholder Communications to the Board

Stockholders may initiate any communication with the Company’s Board in writing and send them addressed in care of the Company’s Corporate Secretary, at Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, CA 95124, sent by e-mail to corporate.secretary@xilinx.com, or faxed to the Corporate Secretary at (408) 377-6137. The name of any specific intended recipient, group or committee should be noted in the communication. The Board has instructed the Corporate Secretary to forward such correspondence only to the intended recipients; however, the Board has also instructed the Corporate Secretary, prior to forwarding any correspondence, to review such correspondence and, in his discretion, not to forward certain items if they are deemed of a commercial or frivolous nature or otherwise inappropriate for the Board’s consideration. In such cases, and as necessary for follow up at the Board’s direction, correspondence may be forwarded elsewhere in the Company for review and possible response. This centralized process will assist the Board in reviewing and responding to stockholder communications in an appropriate manner.

COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS

Non-Employee Directors

Cash Compensation

In fiscal 2010, the Company paid each of its non-employee Directors serving on its Board $60,000 per year for service as a Director, with the exception of the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board is entitled to an annual cash retainer equal to twice the amount paid to the other non-employee Directors, or $120,000. Chairpersons of the Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees received an additional $10,000 per year and the Chairperson of the Audit Committee received an additional $15,000 per year. Other than the chairpersons, members of the Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees received an additional $3,000 per year and the members of the Audit Committee received an additional $5,000 per year. The Lead Independent Director is also eligible to receive an additional $10,000 per year. In fiscal 2010, Jerald Fishman served as Lead Independent Director until May 2009. Therefore, Mr. Fishman only received a pro rata portion of the Lead Independent Director compensation for fiscal 2010. All payments were made on a quarterly basis.

In light of current market and economic conditions, subsequent to the end of fiscal 2009, the Board of Directors approved a 20% reduction in their total cash compensation effective May 1, 2009. This reduction does not affect the stock ownership requirement for Directors described below. On January 19, 2010, the Board of Directors approved the reinstatement of the Directors’ total annual cash compensation, effective January 1, 2010. Under the terms of the reinstatement, the rate of annual cash compensation for non-employee Directors was restored to their compensation levels in effect on immediately prior to May 1, 2009.

Equity Compensation

Non-employee Directors participate in an equity compensation program under the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan. Under this program, eligible non-employee Directors receive a series of automatic restricted stock unit awards (RSUs). Those automatic RSUs are as follows:

Annual Grant. Each eligible non-employee Director is eligible for an annual RSU award. In fiscal 2010, the program provided that each eligible non-employee Director was automatically granted $140,000 worth of RSUs on the first trading day of January of each year. The RSUs vest annually over a one year period from the date of grant. Accordingly, on January 4, 2010, on which date the fair market value of our Common Stock was $25.38, each non-employee Director received a grant of 5,516 RSUs. On May 12, 2010, the Board amended the non-employee director RSU program under the 2007 Equity Plan to provide for these automatic grants to occur on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders, commencing with the 2010 Annual Meeting, rather than on the first trading day of January, and to vest in full on the day immediately preceding the subsequent annual meeting. The number of RSUs subject to the awards will generally continue to be determined in the same manner. However, the first award under this new schedule will be reduced on a pro rata basis for the period between the date of the 2010 Annual Meeting and the date on which the January 2010 awards will vest.

Initial Grant.   A non-employee director joining the Board between annual meetings of stockholders will receive a pro-rated number of RSUs on or about the tenth day of the month following the Director’s initial appointment or election to the Board. The RSUs vest in full on the day immediately preceding the subsequent annual meeting.

Stock Ownership Guidelines.

Under the Company’s stock ownership guidelines, Directors are required to own Company stock having a value equal to at least $300,000, which is equal to five times their annual retainer in effect at the time the new equity compensation program for Directors was adopted. Directors are required to retain half of the shares of Company stock derived from awards of RSUs until their ownership requirements are met. For more information about stock ownership guidelines for Directors, please see “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES—Stock Ownership Requirements.”

Employee Directors

Directors who are actively employed as executives by the Company receive no additional compensation for their service as Directors. Mr. Gavrielov is currently the only employee Director of the Company.

Deferred Compensation

We also maintain a nonqualified deferred compensation plan which allows each Director as well as eligible employees to voluntarily defer receipt of a portion or all of his or her cash compensation until the date or dates elected by the participant, thereby allowing the participating Director or employee to defer taxation on such amounts. For a discussion of this plan, see “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION— Deferred Compensation Plan.”

Director Compensation for Fiscal 2010

The following table provides information on director compensation in fiscal 2010.

																		Change in
																		Pension
																		Value and
																		Nonqualified
		Fees Earned												Non-Equity				Deferred
		or Paid in				Stock				Option				Incentive Plan				Compensation				All Other
		Cash (1)				Awards (2)				Awards (3)				Compensation				Earnings				Compensation				Total
Name		($)				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)
Philip T. Gianos			113,344				131,446				—				—				—				—				244,790
John L. Doyle			65,000				131,446				—				—				—				—				196,446
Jerald G. Fishman			55,700				131,446				—				—				—				—				187,146
William G. Howard, Jr.			54,600				131,446				—				—				—	(4)			—				186,046
J. Michael Patterson			58,933				131,446				—				—				—				—				190,379
Willem P. Roelandts			18,548				—	(5)			—				—				—				—				18,548
Marshall C. Turner			56,333				131,446				—				—				—	(4)			—				187,779
Elizabeth W. Vanderslice			63,267				131,446				—				—				—	(4)			—				194,713

(1)		Includes amounts deferred at the Director’s election.
(2)		Amounts shown do not reflect compensation actually received by the Director. Instead, the amounts shown reflect the grant date fair value for stock awards granted in fiscal 2010 as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718.
(3)		No option awards were granted to Directors during fiscal 2010. The following aggregate number of option awards were outstanding as of April 3, 2010: Mr. Gianos, 102,052; Mr. Doyle, 102,052; Mr. Fishman, 101,045; Dr. Howard, 102,045; Mr. Patterson, 69,000; Mr. Roelandts, 0; Mr. Turner, 54,000; and Ms. Vanderslice, 127,045.
(4)		Director participated in the Company’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan in fiscal 2010. For more information about this plan see the section entitled “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION— Deferred Compensation Plan.”
(5)		Mr. Roelandts ceased being a member of the Company’s Board of Directors at the Company’s annual stockholder meeting held on August 12, 2009. Therefore, no stock award was granted to Mr. Roelandts in fiscal 2010.

PROPOSAL TWO

AMENDMENTS TO 1990 EMPLOYEE QUALIFIED
STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

The Company’s 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) provides eligible employees of the Company and its participating subsidiaries with the opportunity to purchase shares of Common Stock at a discounted price through payroll deductions. During the fiscal year ended April 3, 2010, the Company issued 1,964,669 shares of Common Stock under the ESPP. As of April 3, 2010, a total of 7,671,709 shares remained available for issuance under the ESPP, not including the 2,000,000 additional shares of Common Stock that would be authorized if the amendment described below is approved.

Proposal

At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders will be asked to approve an amendment to the ESPP to increase by 2,000,000 the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the plan.

Unless a sufficient number of shares are authorized and reserved under the ESPP at the beginning of each offering period (August 1 and February 1) to cover the number of shares purchased throughout its entire 24-month term, the Company may incur additional compensation expense for financial statement purposes for each period in which the sale of shares is dependent on obtaining stockholder approval of an additional share authorization. The Board believes an additional 2,000,000 shares will be necessary to provide for offering periods commencing before the next annual meeting of stockholders.

On May 12, 2010, subject to stockholder approval, the Board adopted amendments to the ESPP to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance under the plan by 2,000,000. If the amendment is approved by the stockholders, the total number of shares available for issuance under the ESPP immediately following such approval will be 9,671,709.

The Board believes that participation by the Company’s employees in the ESPP promotes the success of the Company’s business through broad-based equity ownership among the employees. The Board further believes that the ESPP is an integral component of the Company’s benefits program that is intended to provide employees with an incentive to exert maximum effort for the success of the Company and to participate in that success through acquisition of the Company’s Common Stock.

As long as the ESPP remains in effect, the Company will ask the stockholders each year for the number of additional shares required to meet the Company’s projected share commitments for offering periods beginning before the next annual meeting of stockholders.

Subject to the eligibility requirements described below, most of the Company’s 2,948 employees (as of April 3, 2010) are eligible to participate in the ESPP. As of April 3, 2010, approximately 80% of the Company’s employees were participating in the ESPP.

Summary of the 1990 Employee Qualified Stock Purchase Plan, as Amended

A summary of the material terms of the ESPP, as amended, is set forth below and is qualified, in its entirety, by the full text of the plan set forth in Appendix A to our 2010 proxy statement as filed with the SEC and available for viewing without charge at its website at www.sec.gov. A copy of the ESPP can be obtained from us at no charge upon request.

Purpose

The purpose of the ESPP is to provide employees of the Company and its designated subsidiaries with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock of the Company through accumulated payroll deductions.

Administration

The ESPP may be administered by the Board or a Committee appointed by the Board. All questions of interpretation of the ESPP are determined by the Board or its Committee, whose decisions are final and binding upon all participants. Currently, the Compensation Committee administers the ESPP.

Authorized Shares

Currently, a maximum of 42,540,000 shares of our Common Stock are authorized for issuance under the ESPP, of which 7,671,709 shares of our Common Stock remained available for future issuance as of April 3, 2010, subject to appropriate adjustments in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of any merger, sale of assets or other reorganization of the Company. The Board has amended the ESPP, subject to stockholder approval, to authorize an additional 2,000,000 shares for issuance under the ESPP, which would result in a total of 9,671,709 shares of our Common Stock being available for future purchases.

Eligibility

Subject to certain limitations imposed by Section 423(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Tax Code”), any person who is employed by the Company (or any designated subsidiary) as of the commencement of an offering period under the ESPP and is customarily employed for at least 20 hours per week and more than five months in a calendar year is eligible to participate in the offering period. Eligible employees may become participants in the ESPP by delivering to the Company a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions on or before the first day of the applicable offering period. As of April 3, 2010, most of the Company’s 2,948 employees, including eight current executive officers, were eligible to participate in the ESPP.

Offering Periods

The ESPP is implemented by consecutive and overlapping 24-month offering periods, with a new offering period commencing on or about the first day of February and August of each year. The Board may change the duration of any offering period without stockholder approval, provided that no offering period may exceed 27 months in duration. In addition, the Board may establish separate, simultaneous or overlapping offering periods applicable to one or more subsidiaries of the Company and having different terms and conditions, for example, to comply with the laws of the applicable jurisdiction.

Purchase Price

Each 24-month offering period consists of four exercise periods of six months’ duration. The last day of each exercise period, which occurs on or about January 31 and July 31 of each year, is an exercise date on which each participant in the offering period acquires shares. The purchase price of the shares offered under the ESPP in a given exercise period is the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the first date of the offering period containing that exercise period or 85% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the exercise date. The fair market value of the Common Stock on a given date is the closing sale price of the Common Stock on such date as reported by NASDAQ. On April 1, 2010, the last trading day of the fiscal year, the closing price of our Common Stock as reported on NASDAQ was $25.68 per share.

Payroll Deductions

The purchase price for the shares is accumulated through payroll deductions during each offering period. Payroll deductions commence on the first payday following the commencement of an offering period and end on the last exercise date of the offering period, unless sooner terminated as provided in the ESPP. A participant may not authorize deductions of more than 15% or less than 2% of the participant’s eligible compensation, which is defined by the ESPP to include all regular straight time earnings and any payments for overtime, shift premiums, incentive compensation, bonuses, commissions or other compensation for a given offering period. The Company may limit a participant’s payroll deductions in any calendar year as necessary to avoid accumulating an amount in excess of the maximum amount the Tax Code permits to be applied toward the purchase of shares in any offering under the ESPP. A participant may discontinue participating in the ESPP, or may decrease the rate of payroll deductions during the offering period. Upon withdrawal from the ESPP, the Company will refund, without interest, the participant’s accumulated payroll deductions not previously applied to the purchase of shares.

Grant and Exercise of Purchase Right

In general, the maximum number of shares subject to purchase by a participant in an exercise period is that number determined by dividing the amount of the participant’s total payroll deductions accumulated prior to the relevant exercise date by 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the Common Stock at the beginning of the offering period or on the exercise date. However, the maximum number of shares a participant may purchase in any offering period is a number determined by dividing $50,000 by the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the first day of the offering period. Unless a participant withdraws from the ESPP, the participant’s right to purchase shares is exercised automatically on each exercise date for the maximum number of whole shares that may be purchased at the applicable price.

No employee will be permitted to subscribe for shares under the ESPP if, immediately after the grant of a purchase right, the employee would own and/or hold purchase rights to acquire 5% or more of the voting securities of the Company. Further, no employee may be granted a purchase right which would permit the employee to accrue a right to purchase more than $25,000 worth of stock (determined by the fair market value of the shares at the time the purchase right is granted) for each calendar year in which the purchase right is outstanding at any time.

Automatic Transfer to Low Price Offering Period

In the event that the fair market value of the Company’s Common Stock on any exercise date (other than the last exercise date of an offering period) is less than on the first day of the offering period, all participants will be withdrawn from the offering period after the exercise of their purchase right on such exercise date and enrolled as participants in a new offering period commencing on or about the day following such exercise date. A participant may elect to remain in the previous offering period by filing a written statement declaring such election prior to the time of the automatic change to the new offering period.

Withdrawal; Termination of Employment

A participant may withdraw all, but not less than all, payroll deductions credited to his or her account but not yet used to exercise a purchase right under the ESPP at any time by signing and delivering to the Company a notice of withdrawal from the ESPP. Any withdrawal by the participant of accumulated payroll deductions for a given offering period automatically terminates the participant’s interest in that offering period. The failure to remain in the continuous employment of the Company for at least 20 hours per week during an offering period will be deemed to be a withdrawal from that offering period.

Transferability

No rights or accumulated payroll deductions of a participant under the ESPP may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to the ESPP) and any attempt to so assign or transfer may be treated by the Company as an election to withdraw from the ESPP.

Adjustments upon Changes in Capitalization

In the event any change is made in the Company’s capitalization pursuant to a stock split or any other increase or decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, proportionate adjustments will be made by the Board to the number of shares authorized for issuance under the ESPP and subject to each outstanding purchase right and in the purchase price per share.

In the event of a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or a merger of the Company with another corporation, the acquiring or successor corporation or its parent may assume the purchase rights outstanding under the ESPP or substitute equivalent purchase rights for the acquiror’s stock, provided that the Board may instead accelerate the exercise date of all offering periods then in progress to a date prior to the transaction.

Amendment or Termination

The Board may at any time and for any reason amend or terminate the ESPP, except that (other than in limited circumstances set forth in the ESPP) termination will not affect purchase rights previously granted, and no amendment may make any change in any purchase right previously granted that adversely affects the participant’s rights. Stockholder approval must be obtained for any amendment to the extent necessary to comply with applicable law. Under its current terms, the ESPP will expire on January 26, 2030.

Federal Tax Information

The following summary of the effect of United States federal income taxation upon the participant and the Company with respect to the purchase of shares under the ESPP does not purport to be complete, and reference should be made to the applicable provisions of the Tax Code. In addition, this summary does not discuss the provisions of the income tax laws of any municipality, state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

The ESPP, and the right of participants to make purchases thereunder, is intended to qualify under the provisions of Sections 421 and 423 of the Tax Code. Under these provisions, no income will be taxable to a participant at the time of grant of the purchase right or purchase of shares. Upon disposition of the shares, the participant will generally be subject to tax, and the amount of the tax will depend upon the length of time the shares have been held by the participant. If the shares have been held by the participant for more than two years after the date of grant of the purchase right and more than one (1) year after the date on which the shares were purchased, then the purchaser will recognize ordinary income equal to the lesser of (a) the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of such disposition over the purchase price or (b) 15% of the fair market value of the shares on the first day of the offering period. Any further gain upon such disposition will be treated as long-term capital gain. If the shares are disposed of before the expiration of these holding periods, the participant will recognize ordinary income generally equal to the excess of the fair market value of the purchased shares on the date of the purchase over the purchase price. Any additional gain or loss on the sale will be a capital gain or loss, which will be either long-term or short-term depending on the actual period for which the shares were held. The Company is entitled to a deduction for amounts taxed as ordinary income reported by participants upon disposition of shares within two years from date of grant or one year from the date of acquisition.

New Plan Benefits

The number of shares that may be purchased under the ESPP will depend on each participant’s voluntary election to participate and on the fair market value of the Common Stock of the Company on future purchase dates, and therefore the actual number of shares that may be purchased by any individual is not determinable. No purchase rights have been granted and no shares of Common Stock of the Company have been issued with respect to the 2,000,000 additional shares for which stockholder approval is being sought.

Number of Shares Purchased by Certain Individuals and Groups

The following table sets forth for each of listed persons and groups (i) the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock of the Company purchased under the ESPP during fiscal 2010, and (ii) the market value of those shares on the date of such purchase, minus the purchase price of such shares:

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

		Number of				Dollar Value
Name and Position		Shares				($)
Moshe N. Gavrielov President and Chief Executive Officer			1,492				13,939
Jon A. Olson Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer			1,492				13,939
Victor Peng Senior Vice President, Programmable Platforms Development			—				—
Vincent F. Ratford Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing			—				—
Frank A. Tornaghi Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales			1,492				13,939
All current executive officers, as a group			7,460				69,695
All Directors who are not executive officers, as a group (l)			N/A				N/A
All employees who are not executive officers, as a group			1,957,209				16,874,904

Required Vote

Affirmative votes constituting a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this proposal will be required to approve this proposal. Abstentions will have the same effect as a negative vote, while broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this vote.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S 1990 EMPLOYEE QUALIFIED STOCK PURCHASE PLAN TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE THEREUNDER BY 2,000,000 SHARES.

PROPOSAL THREE

AMENDMENT TO THE 2007 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

Proposal

At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders are being requested to approve an amendment to the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2007 Equity Plan”), to increase by 4,500,000 the number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance to a new total of 28,500,000 shares.

The 2007 Equity Plan was adopted by the Company’s Board on May 3, 2006, and approved by stockholders at the Annual Stockholders Meeting in July 2006. The 2007 Equity Plan, which became effective on January 1, 2007, replaced the Company’s 1997 Stock Plan and Supplemental Stock Option Plan. The prior plans have been terminated.

Each year we evaluate the performance and compensation of each Company employee. Following this evaluation, we make appropriate adjustments to the compensation of a substantial number of Company employees. These compensation adjustments are typically made in July and include the grant of additional equity awards as appropriate. We refer to this process as our annual “Focal Review.” Our fiscal 2011 Focal Review will occur this July 2010, and our fiscal 2012 Focal Review will occur next July 2011. This means that we will go through two Focal Review periods before obtaining stockholder approval of the additional shares we request this year. Over the past few years, we have used an average of 4,500,000 shares in each Focal Review. We currently have 12,321,775 shares available for grant as of April 3, 2010. Therefore, we anticipate that we will use the majority of the shares currently available in connection with our fiscal 2011 Focal Review and fiscal 2012 Focal Review, as well as for new hire and promotion grants throughout the year. Given the timing of when we issue this proxy statement and when we hold our annual meeting, we are seeking stockholder approval of a 4,500,000 share increase in the number of shares available under the 2007 Equity Plan at the 2010 Annual Meeting in order to ensure that we will have a sufficient number of authorized shares available to meet the requirements of our equity compensation program over the next two years.

Key Terms of the 2007 Equity Plan

The following is a summary of the key provisions of the 2007 Equity Plan.

Plan Term:		January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2013
Eligible Participants:		Employees, consultants and non-employee directors of Xilinx and its subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the 2007 Equity Plan.
Shares Authorized:		Currently, 24,000,000 shares of Common Stock are authorized, of which 12,321,775 remain available for grant as of April 3, 2010. If the stockholders approve the proposed amendment, a total of 28,500,000 shares will be authorized and 16,821,775 will be available for future grants, subject to adjustment to reflect stock splits and similar events.
Award Types:		•     Non-qualified and incentive stock options
		•     Restricted stock awards
		•     Restricted stock units (“RSUs”)
		•     Stock appreciation rights (“SARs”)
Award Limits:		A participant may receive in any calendar year:
		•     No more than 4,000,000 shares subject to options or SARs, in the aggregate
		•     No more than 2,000,000 shares subject to awards other than options and SARs
		•     No more than $6,000,000 subject to awards that may be settled in cash
Award Terms:		Stock options and SARs must expire no more than seven years from the date of grant.

Exercise Price:		The exercise price of stock options or SARs may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant.
Repricing:		Repricing of under water options or SARs, whether by directly lowering the exercise price, by canceling an option or SAR in exchange for a new option or SAR having a lower exercise price, or by substituting a full value award in place of the option or SAR is not permitted without stockholder approval.

The Board believes that participation in the 2007 Equity Plan by the employees, consultants, and non-employee directors of the Company and its designated subsidiaries worldwide promotes the success of the Company’s business by providing them with an incentive to exert their maximum effort toward achieving that success. Therefore, the Board unanimously adopted on May 12, 2010, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to increase the maximum number of shares of Common Stock authorized under the 2007 Equity Plan by 4,500,000 shares to a total of 28,500,000 shares to ensure that the Company will continue to have available a reasonable number of shares for its equity program.

Summary of the 2007 Equity Plan, as Amended

A summary of the material terms of the 2007 Equity Plan, as amended, is set forth below and is qualified, in its entirety, by the full text of the 2007 Equity Plan set forth in Appendix B to our 2010 proxy statement as filed with the SEC and available for viewing without charge at its website at www.sec.gov. A copy of the 2007 Equity Plan can be obtained from us at no charge upon request.

Purpose

The purpose of the 2007 Equity Plan is to attract and retain the services of employees, consultants, and non-employee directors of the Company and its subsidiaries, and to provide such persons with a proprietary interest in the Company.

Administration

The Compensation Committee of the Board administers the 2007 Equity Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Board. The Compensation Committee consists of at least two directors of the Company who are both “outside directors” under Section 162(m) of the Tax Code, and “non-employee directors” under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. The Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, will interpret the 2007 Equity Plan and prescribe, amend, and rescind any rules and regulations necessary or appropriate for the administration of the 2007 Equity Plan, including the creation of sub-plans to take advantage of favorable tax-treatment, comply with local law, or reduce administrative burdens for grants of awards in non-U.S. jurisdictions.

Eligibility

The Compensation Committee determines the employees, consultants, and non-employee directors of the Company or a subsidiary who are eligible to receive awards under the 2007 Equity Plan. As of April 3, 2010, there were approximately 2,948 employees, including eight (8) current executive officers, 288 consultants and eight (8) non-employee directors eligible to participate under the 2007 Equity Plan.

Authorized Shares

Subject to adjustment in the event of certain corporate events (as described below), the maximum number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock authorized under the 2007 Equity Plan is currently 24,000,000, of which 12,321,775 remained available for future issuance as of April 3, 2010, all of which may be granted under the terms of the 2007 Equity Plan as incentive stock options. The Board has amended the 2007 Equity Plan, subject to stockholder approval, to authorize an additional 4,500,000 shares for issuance under the 2007 Equity Plan which would result in a total of 16,821,775 shares of Common Stock available for future grants. If any award granted under the 2007 Equity Plan expires or otherwise terminates in whole or in part for any reason, or if shares issued pursuant to an award are forfeited or otherwise reacquired by the Company because of the participant’s failure to comply with the conditions of the award or for any other reason, any such shares subject to a terminated award or reacquired by the Company will again become available for issuance under the 2007 Equity Plan. Shares will not be treated as having been issued under the 2007 Equity Plan and will therefore not reduce the number of shares available for issuance to the extent an award is settled in cash. The Compensation Committee is authorized to adopt such procedures for counting shares against the maximum number of authorized shares as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate.

Types of Awards

The 2007 Equity Plan allows the Compensation Committee to grant incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, RSUs, restricted stock and SARs. Subject to the limits set forth in the 2007 Equity Plan, the Compensation Committee has the discretionary authority to determine the amount and terms of awards granted under the 2007 Equity Plan.

Automatic Non-employee Director Awards

As amended in May 2008, the 2007 Equity Plan provides for the periodic automatic grant of RSU awards to non-employee directors. Following that amendment and prior to the 2010 Annual Meeting, each non-employee director was granted automatically on the first trading day of January of each year an award consisting of a number of RSUs determined by dividing $140,000 by the closing price of the Company’s Common Stock on the grant date. These awards vest in full on the first anniversary of the award. In May 2010, the Board further amended the 2007 Equity Plan to provide that, in the future, RSU awards granted to non-employee directors continuing in office will be granted instead on the day of each annual meeting of stockholders and will vest in full on the day immediately preceding the subsequent annual meeting. The number of RSUs subject to these future awards will be determined on the same basis as the previous awards. The first such new award will be granted to continuing non-employee directors on the date of the 2010 Annual Meeting. However, to avoid doubling up on the portions of RSU awards vesting in overlapping periods, the number of RSUs subject to this initial award under the new schedule will be reduced on a pro rata basis for the period between the date of the 2010 Annual Meeting and the first anniversary of the non-employee director RSU awards granted in January 2010. A non-employee director joining the Board between annual meetings of stockholders will receive a pro rated RSU award on or about the tenth day of the month following the director’s initial appointment or election to the Board.

Limitations on Awards

Awards under the 2007 Equity Plan are subject to the following limitations:

An option’s exercise price cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of the shares underlying the option on the date of option grant. A SAR’s base level price cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of the shares underlying the SAR on the date of grant of such SAR.

Section 162(m) of the Tax Code requires, among other things, that the maximum number of shares for which an award may be granted or the maximum amount of compensation that could be paid to an individual during a specified period must be set forth in the plan and approved by stockholders in order for the awards to be eligible for treatment as performance-based compensation that will not be subject to the $1,000,000 limitation on tax deductibility for compensation paid to each ”covered employee.” Covered employees are the Company’s chief executive officer and its three highest compensated executive officers (excluding the chief executive and chief financial officers) holding office on the last day of the Company’s taxable year. Accordingly, the 2007 Equity Plan limits awards granted to an individual participant in any calendar year. The aggregate awards granted under the 2007 Equity Plan to any participant during any calendar year may not exceed (i) 4,000,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock subject to stock options or SARs and (ii) 2,000,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock subject to awards other than stock options and SARs. In addition, no participant may receive during any calendar year an award under the 2007 Equity Plan settled in cash exceeding $6,000,000 in the aggregate.

Without stockholder approval, the Company cannot reprice options or SARs, whether by directly lowering the exercise price, through cancellation of the option or SAR in exchange for a new option or SAR having a lower exercise price, or by the replacement of the option or SAR with a full value award (i.e., an award of restricted stock or RSUs).

Performance Goals

The Compensation Committee has the sole discretion to condition awards granted to those employees subject to Section 162(m) of the Tax Code on the attainment of performance goals. The Compensation Committee will establish the performance goals in writing. Such performance goals may be determined for the Company or any subsidiary and may be based on one or more of the following criteria in either absolute or relative terms: (i) increased revenue; (ii) net income measures (including, but not limited to, income after capital costs and income before or after taxes); (iii) stock price measures (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total stockholder return); (iv) market segment share; (v) earnings per share (actual or targeted growth); (vi) cash flow measures (including, but not limited to, net cash flow and net cash flow before financing activities); (vii) return measures (including, but not limited to, return on equity, return on average assets, return on capital, risk-adjusted return on capital, return on investors’ capital and return on average equity); (viii) operating measures (including operating income, funds from operations, cash from operations, after-tax operating income, sales volumes, production volumes and production efficiency); and (ix) expense measures (including, but not limited to, overhead cost and general and administrative expense).

Transferability

Awards granted under the 2007 Equity Plan may not be transferred other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised during the lifetime of a participant only by the participant or the participant’s legally authorized representative. However, the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, may allow for the transfer or assignment of a participant’s award pursuant to a divorce decree or domestic relations order, but only if such participant is a U.S. resident.

Adjustments upon Changes in Capitalization

In the event any change is made in the Company’s capitalization pursuant to a stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization or any other increase or decrease in the Company’s shares effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, equitable adjustments shall be made to the number of shares of Common Stock available for grant under the 2007 Equity Plan, the exercise price of options, the SAR base level price, and the number of shares underlying outstanding awards.

Merger or Change of Control

In the event of a merger, consolidation, or share exchange pursuant to which the Company is not the surviving or resulting corporation: (i) the shares or equivalent cash or property of the surviving or resulting corporation shall be substituted for any unexercised portions of outstanding awards under the 2007 Equity Plan; or (ii) all awards may be canceled by the Company immediately prior to the effective date of such event and each stockholder may be permitted to purchase all or any portion of the shares of Common Stock underlying his or her vested and unvested award(s) within 30 days before such effective date. In the event of a change in control of the Company, the Compensation Committee may provide that the vesting and exercisability of all or any portion of the outstanding awards will be accelerated and exercisable in full and all restriction periods, if any, shall expire.

Amendment or Termination

The Board may at any time and for any reason amend, alter, revise, suspend or terminate the 2007 Equity Plan. Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the 2007 Equity Plan shall terminate on December 31, 2013. However, without stockholder approval, the Compensation Committee may not amend the 2007 Equity Plan in any manner that would require stockholder approval under applicable law.

Federal Tax Information

The following summary of the effect of United States federal income taxation upon the participant with respect to the 2007 Equity Plan does not purport to be complete and reference should be made to the applicable provisions of the Tax Code. In addition, this summary does not discuss the provisions of the income tax laws of any municipality, state or foreign country in which the participant may reside.

Incentive Stock Options

An individual residing in the U.S. who is granted an incentive stock option is not taxed on the date of grant or vesting of such option. If the shares underlying the option are held for at least two years from the date of grant, and at least one year from the date of option exercise (the “holding periods”), then upon the sale of the shares, the individual will generally recognize a long-term capital gain or loss on the difference between the exercise price of the option and the fair market value of the Common Stock underlying the option on the date of sale. If either of the holding periods is not satisfied, the individual will generally recognize as ordinary income on the date of the disqualifying disposition of the shares an amount equal to the difference between the option’s exercise price and the fair market value of the Common Stock underlying the option determined as of the date of exercise (not to exceed the gain realized upon the disposition if the disposition is a transaction with respect to which a loss, if sustained, would be recognized). Any further gain or loss upon the disqualifying disposition of the shares constitutes a capital gain or loss.

In general, the difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise of an incentive stock option is treated as an adjustment in computing the participant’s alternative minimum taxable income and may be subject to an alternative minimum tax which is paid if such tax exceeds the regular tax for the year. Special rules may apply with respect to certain subsequent sales of the shares in a disqualifying disposition, certain basis adjustments for purposes of computing the alternative minimum taxable income on a subsequent sale of the shares and certain tax credits which may arise with respect to participants subject to the alternative minimum tax.

Non-Qualified Stock Options

An individual who is granted a non-qualified stock option generally is not taxed on the date of grant or vesting of such option. Rather, the individual will generally recognize as ordinary income on the date of option exercise an amount equal to the difference between the option’s exercise price and the fair market value of the stock underlying the option on the date of option exercise. Any further gain or loss upon the subsequent sale or disposition of the shares underlying the option constitutes a capital gain or loss.

Stock Appreciation Rights

An individual who is granted a SAR will generally recognize ordinary income on the date the SAR is exercised in an amount equal to the difference between the SAR’s exercise price and the fair market value of the shares underlying the SAR on the date of exercise.

Restricted Stock

Unless an individual makes a timely election under Section 83(b) of the Tax Code (as described below), an individual will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the restricted stock on the date of vesting of the shares over the purchase price, if any, paid for the shares. Any further gain or loss from the subsequent sale of such restricted stock constitutes capital gain or loss. If the individual makes a timely election under Section 83(b), the individual is taxed, at ordinary income rates, on the excess of the fair market value of the restricted stock on the date of grant over the purchase price, if any, paid for the shares, and any further gain or loss on the subsequent sale of the stock constitutes a capital gain or loss.

Restricted Stock Units

An individual generally will recognize no income upon the receipt of an award of RSUs. Upon the settlement of RSUs, the participant normally will recognize ordinary income in the year of receipt in an amount equal to the cash received and the fair market value of any substantially vested shares received. If the participant receives shares of restricted stock, the participant generally will be taxed in the same manner as described above under “Restricted Stock.” Any further gain or loss on a subsequent sale of any shares received will be taxed as capital gain or loss.

In general, the Company is entitled to a deduction in an amount equal to the ordinary income recognized by the individual.

Plan Benefits

The number, amount and type of awards to be granted in the future to eligible persons under the 2007 Equity Plan cannot be determined at this time. With the exception of the RSUs to be automatically granted to non-employee directors, awards under the 2007 Equity Plan will be granted at the discretion of the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors, and accordingly cannot be determined at this time. See the above section “Automatic Non-employee Director Awards” for a discussion of the automatic grant of RSU awards to our non-employee directors under the 2007 Equity Plan.

The table below sets forth the RSUs awards that will be granted under the “Automatic Non-employee Director Awards” component of the 2007 Equity Plan on the date of the Annual Meeting to certain individuals and groups. This table is furnished pursuant to the rules of the SEC. Only non-employee directors are eligible to receive automatic non-employee director awards.

		Dollar Value				Number of
Name and Position		($)				Units
Moshe N. Gavrielov President and Chief Executive Officer		—				—
Jon A. Olson Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer		—				—
Victor Peng Senior Vice President, Programmable Platforms Development		—				—
Vincent F. Ratford Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing		—				—
Frank A. Tornaghi Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales		—				—
All current executive officers, as a group		—				—
All Directors who are not executive officers, as a group				(1)				(1)
All employees who are not executive officers, as a group		—				—

Options Granted to Certain Persons

The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock subject to options granted to certain persons under the 2007 Equity Plan since its inception are reflected in the table below. Since its inception, no options have been granted under the 2007 Equity Plan to any other nominee for election as a director, or any associate of any such director, nominee or executive officer, and no other person has been granted 5% or more of the total amount of options granted under the 2007 Equity Plan.

		Amount of
Name and Position		Options
Moshe N. Gavrielov President and Chief Executive Officer			1,100,000
Jon A. Olson Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer			216,250
Victor Peng Senior Vice President, Programmable Platforms Development			260,000
Vincent F. Ratford Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing			200,000
Frank A. Tornaghi Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales			191,000
All current executive officers, as a group			2,419,050
All Directors who are not executive officers, as a group			126,000
All employees who are not executive officers, as a group			5,130,204

Required Vote

Affirmative votes constituting a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this proposal will be required to approve this proposal. Abstentions will have the same effect as a negative vote, while broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this vote.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S 2007 EQUITY PLAN TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK TO BE RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE THEREUNDER BY 4,500,000 SHARES.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The table below sets forth certain information as of fiscal year ended April 3, 2010 about the Company’s common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options, RSUs, warrants and rights under all of our existing equity compensation plans including the ESPP:

		A				B				C
										Number of Securities
		Number of Securities								Remaining Available for
		to be Issued upon				Weighted-average				Future Issuance under
		Exercise of				Exercise Price of				Equity Compensation
		Outstanding Options,				Outstanding Options,				Plans (excluding securities
Plan Category		Warrants and Rights				Warrants and Rights				reflected in Column A)
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders
1997 Stock Plan			24,416,741			$	32.55				—	(1)
2007 Equity Plan			10,245,870	(2)		$	22.96	(3)			12,321,775	(4)
Employee Stock Purchase Plan			N/A				N/A				7,671,709
Total-Approved Plans			34,662,611			$	30.51				19,993,484
Equity Compensation Plans NOT Approved by Security Holders (5)
Supplemental Stock Option Plan (6)			12,000			$	32.04				—
Total-All Plans			34,674,611			$	30.51				19,993,484

PROPOSAL FOUR

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF EXTERNAL AUDITORS

The Audit Committee has selected Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, to audit the consolidated financial statements of Xilinx for the fiscal year ending April 2, 2011 and recommends that stockholders vote for ratification of such appointment. Although we are not required to submit to a vote of the stockholders the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP, the Company, the Board and the Audit Committee, as a matter of good corporate governance, have determined to ask the stockholders to ratify the appointment. If the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP is not ratified, the Audit Committee will take the vote under advisement in evaluating whether to retain Ernst & Young LLP.

Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP attend meetings of the Audit Committee of the Board including executive sessions of the Audit Committee at which no members of Xilinx management are present. Ernst & Young LLP has audited the Company’s financial statements for each fiscal year since the fiscal year ended March 31, 1984. Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting. In addition, they will have an opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so, and are expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

Fees Paid to Ernst & Young LLP

The following table shows the fees billed or to be billed for audit and other services provided by Ernst & Young LLP for fiscal 2010 and 2009.

		2010				2009
Audit Fees		$	2,185,000			$	2,467,400
Audit-Related Fees			8,000				14,200
Tax Fees			122,000				144,900
All Other Fees			—				—
Total		$	2,315,000			$	2,626,500

Audit Fees

This category includes fees for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and for the review of the Company’s interim financial statements on Form 10-Q. This category also includes advice on any audit and accounting matters that arose during the annual audit, the review of interim financial statements, and statutory audits required by non-U.S. jurisdictions.

Audit-Related Fees

This category consists of assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the annual audit or interim financial statement review and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” In fiscal 2009, audit-related services consisted of audit services performed in connection with the restructuring, fair value accounting and convertible debt accounting. In fiscal 2010, audit-related services consisted of services performed in connection with the audit of an employee benefit plan.

Tax Fees

This category consists of fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services, including preparation of tax returns and assistance and representation in connection with tax audits and appeals.

Audit Committee’s Pre-approval Policy and Procedures

The Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures for approval of financial audit (and audit related), non-financial audit and tax consulting work performed by Ernst & Young LLP. Pursuant to its charter and those policies, the policy of the Audit Committee is that any and all services to be provided to the Company by Ernst & Young LLP are subject to pre-approval by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee pre-approves statutory and annual audit fees, quarterly reviews and tax compliance fees at the beginning of the fiscal year. In its review of non-financial audit and tax consulting services, the Audit Committee considers whether the provision of such services are consistent with SEC guidance, and whether the service facilitates the performance of the financial audit, improves the Company’s financial reporting process, and is otherwise in the Company’s best interests and compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence.

The Audit Committee did not waive its pre-approval policies and procedures during the fiscal year ended April 3, 2010.

Vote Required

Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present and entitled to vote either in person or by proxy. Abstentions and broker non-votes will each be counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. Abstentions will be counted as “Against” votes with respect to the proposal, but broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS
THE COMPANY’S EXTERNAL AUDITORS FOR FISCAL 2011.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of Common Stock of the Company as of May 14, 2010, except as noted below, by (i) each stockholder known to the Company to be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s Common Stock, (ii) each of the Company’s Directors and Director nominees, (iii) each of the named executive officers identified in the section entitled “Executive Compensation” and (iv) all current Directors and executive officers as a group. The Company believes that each of the beneficial owners of the Common Stock listed below, based on information furnished by such beneficial owners, has sole voting power and sole investment power with respect to such shares, except as otherwise set forth in the footnotes below and subject to applicable community property laws.

		Amount and Nature of				Percent of
Beneficial Owners		Beneficial Ownership (1)				Class
Greater than 5% Stockholders
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. 100 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202			33,662,492	(2)			12.3	%
Capital Research Global Investors 333 South Hope Street Los Angeles, CA 90071			31,655,200	(3)			11.6	%
The Growth Fund of America, Inc. 333 South Hope Street Los Angeles, CA 90071			17,155,300	(4)			6.3	%
BlackRock, Inc. 40 East 52nd St. New York, NY 10022			15,485,363	(5)			5.7	%
Capital World Investments 333 South Hope Street Los Angeles, CA 90071			14,402,500	(6)			5.3	%
The Vanguard Group Inc. 100 Vanguard Blvd. Malvern, PA 19355			14,368,996	(7)			5.2	%
Directors
Philip T. Gianos			158,494	(8)				*
Moshe N. Gavrielov			559,883	(9)				*
John L. Doyle			100,627	(10)				*
Jerald G. Fishman			97,070	(11)				*
William G. Howard, Jr.			125,795	(12)				*
J. Michael Patterson			65,150	(13)				*
Albert A. Pimentel			—	(14)				*
Willem P. Roelandts			89,705	(15)
Marshall C. Turner			53,924	(16)				*
Elizabeth W. Vanderslice			119,023	(17)				*
Named Executive Officers
Jon A. Olson			405,050	(18)				*
Victor Peng			126,007	(19)				*
Vincent F. Ratford			150,272	(20)				*
Frank A. Tornaghi			88,856	(21)				*
All current Directors and executive officers as a group (15 persons)			2,602,863	(22)				*

For certain information concerning our Executive Officers, see “Executive Officers of the Registrant” in Item 1 of Part I of our Form 10-K.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Overview of Compensation Program and Elements of Compensation

Our compensation programs are designed to support our business goals and to promote both short-term and long-term growth and profitability. This section of the proxy statement explains our compensation programs in general, and how they operate with respect to our named executive officers in particular. This year, our “named executive officers” are the CEO, Moshe Gavrielov, the CFO, Jon Olson and each of the other three most highly compensated executive officers serving as executive officers at the end of fiscal 2010, Victor Peng, Vincent Ratford and Frank Tornaghi.

The Company uses cash and equity incentives to achieve its compensation objectives. The cash component of compensation is intended to reflect market competitiveness and performance against semi-annual objectives and to compensate for the duties assigned to the particular executive. Equity awards are also intended to be market competitive and designed to create long-term incentives providing officers with a stake in the success of the business and encourage creation of stockholder value. In addition, equity awards are used to encourage and reward achievement of performance objectives. The Compensation Committee strives to ensure that the total compensation paid to the named executive officers is fair, reasonable and competitive and aligned with performance-based objectives.

Role of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee, in consultation with the Company’s CEO, is responsible for establishing the Company’s compensation and benefits philosophy and strategy. The Compensation Committee also oversees the general compensation policies of the Company and sets specific compensation levels for corporate officers, including the named executive officers. The Compensation Committee also reviews and makes recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of the CEO. In determining compensation strategy, the Compensation Committee reviews market competitive data to ensure that the Company is able to attract and retain quality employees, including the named executive officers. The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage its own independent advisors to assist in carrying out its responsibility and has done so, as described below, but may not delegate its authority to such advisors.

Compensation Consultant

In fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee retained the services of Semler Brossy Consulting Group LLC (“Semler Brossy”) to act as its compensation consultant. Semler Brossy provided the Compensation Committee with general advice on compensation matters. The total amount of fees paid to Semler Brossy in fiscal 2010 was less than $120,000. Semler Brossy is also reimbursed for reasonable travel and business expenses. Semler Brossy did not provide any additional services to the Company other than the services for which it was retained by the Compensation Committee.

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

The primary objectives of the Compensation Committee with respect to determining executive compensation are to attract, motivate and retain talented employees and to align executives’ interests with those of stockholders, with the ultimate objective of improving stockholder value. It is the philosophy of the Compensation Committee that the best way to achieve this is to align executives’ compensation with their level of performance, thereby compensating executives on a “pay for performance” basis.

To achieve these objectives, the Compensation Committee has implemented and oversees compensation plans that tie a significant portion of executives’ overall compensation to our financial performance, including our share of revenue, operating profit and the trading price of our Common Stock. Overall, the total compensation opportunity is intended to create an executive compensation program which sets total compensation targets between the 50^th and 75^th percentile of comparable companies. The comparable companies considered by the Compensation Committee are described more fully below.

For fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee approved a bonus program applicable to executives, including the named executive officers, the Xilinx 2010 Executive Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”), which is described in greater detail below. Compensation under the Incentive Plan varied with our financial performance during the fiscal year. Bonus payments to executives corresponded with the Company’s performance during the fiscal year, as well as with their individual performance. This design was intended to accomplish the Company’s goal of aligning executives’ interests with those of stockholders by encouraging the executives to work diligently toward the success of the Company, and to reward, as appropriate, achievement of semi-annual objectives. For fiscal 2010 as compared to fiscal 2009, the Compensation Committee removed the revenue growth component as a performance objective for awards under the Incentive Plan in light of the uncertain economic environment and due to the lack of visibility in forecasting future revenue. Other than this change, the components of the Incentive Plan remained the same.

In addition to the Incentive Plan, the Company further seeks to advance its objective of aligning executives’ interests with the interests of stockholders through its 2007 Equity Plan. The purpose of the 2007 Equity Plan is to promote the success of our business by encouraging equity ownership in the Company. In particular, the 2007 Equity Plan provides officers with incentive to exert maximum effort toward the success of the Company and to participate in such success through acquisition and retention of our Common Stock.

Performance to be Rewarded and Procedural Approaches to Accomplish Compensation Objectives

The Compensation Committee believes that the executive compensation provided by the Company to its executives, including the named executive officers, should include both cash and stock-based compensation that rewards performance as measured against established goals.

Peer Group Data. To aid in its periodic examination and determination of executive compensation, the Compensation Committee retained the services of Radford Surveys + Consulting (“Radford”) to provide the Radford Executive Compensation Survey to assist in setting executive compensation. In our survey of market data, we focus on companies meeting all or some of the following criteria: (i) they operate in a similar industry as the Company; (ii) they are of roughly similar size (as measured by revenues and aggregate market capitalization) as the Company; (iii) they have growth expectations similar to those of the Company; and (iv) they are companies against whom the Company competes for talent. For fiscal 2010, the peer group companies that were considered are as follows:

•    Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. •    Altera Corporation •    Analog Devices, Inc. •    Atmel Corporation •    Broadcom Corporation •    Cadence Design Systems, Inc. •    Cypress Semiconductor Corporation		•    Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. •    KLA-Tencor Corporation •    LAM Research Corporation •    Linear Technology Corporation •    LSI Corporation •    Marvell Technology Ltd. •    Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.		•    Microchip Technology Inc. •    National Semiconductor Corporation •    Novellus Systems Inc. •    Nvidia Corporation •    ON Semiconductor Corporation •    Sandisk Corporation •    Synopsys, Inc.

In reviewing the peer group for appropriateness, for fiscal 2010 as compared to fiscal 2009, the Compensation Committee removed Freescale Semiconductor from the list of comparator companies and added Microchip Technology Inc. and Novellus Systems Inc. The Compensation Committee determined that Freescale Semiconductor was not a relevant comparator company because it was a privately held company with significantly larger number of employees and annual revenues. The Compensation Committee added Microchip Technology Inc. because they compete with us in the same end markets, operate a similar business model and employ people with similar skills. Novellus Systems Inc. returned to our peer group company list to join KLA-Tencor and LAM Research, all equipment manufacturers, whose industry and revenue was comparable to ours.

Data on the compensation practices of the above-mentioned peer group is generally gathered through searches of publicly available information, including publicly available databases. Peer group data is gathered with respect to base salary, bonus targets and equity awards. The Company also relies on a compensation survey prepared by Radford to assist the Company in benchmarking target salary, bonus and equity compensation levels against the same companies in the peer group identified above. The Radford survey reflects more current information than the information found through publicly available sources. In fiscal 2010, all but five of the peer group companies identified above participated in this Radford survey, but our benchmarking included the entire peer group. The Company reviews the Radford survey and publicly available information of compensation offered by the applicable market comparables between the 50^th to 75^th percentile and targets total compensation between the 50^th and 75^th percentile.

CEO Evaluation and Compensation Determination. The Compensation Committee annually reviews the performance of the CEO in light of the goals and objectives of the Company’s executive compensation plans, and based on this review, recommends to the Board for its approval, the CEO’s compensation. The review of the performance and compensation of the CEO and all other named executive officers is conducted annually during the period commencing on or about the middle of May which is called our “Focal Review Period.” The Compensation Committee uses objective data from peer group companies to assist in determining the compensation of the CEO, and compares the data to competitive ranges following statistical analysis and review of subjective policies and practices, including assessment of the CEO’s achievements, and a review of compensation paid to CEOs of the peer group companies. In determining the long-term incentive component of the CEO’s compensation, the Compensation Committee considers all relevant factors, including the Company’s performance and relative stockholder return, the value of similar awards to CEOs of the peer group companies, the awards given to the CEO in prior years, and formal feedback from the independent directors and the CEO’s direct reports. To provide further assurance of independence, the Compensation Committee’s independent compensation consultant, Semler Brossy, provides its recommendation for CEO compensation. The compensation consultant prepares analyses showing competitive CEO compensation among the peer group for the individual elements of compensation and total direct compensation. Then, it provides the Compensation Committee with a range of recommendations for any change in the CEO’s base salary, annual incentive target, equity grant value, and equity mix. The recommendations take into account the peer competitive pay analysis, expected future pay trends, and importantly, the position of the CEO in relation to other senior executives and proposed pay actions for all key employees of the Company. The range allows the Committee to exercise its discretion based on the CEO’s individual performance and other factors.

In April 2009, in light of market and economic conditions, the Compensation Committee approved a temporary reduction in annual base salaries of all executives of the Company, including that of Mr. Gavrielov. Mr. Gavrielov’s annual base salary was reduced by 20% from $700,000 to $560,000, effective May 1, 2009. Because the Company’s financial performance improved during the second and third quarters of fiscal 2010, on January 19, 2010, the Board, upon recommendation of the Compensation Committee, reinstated the annual base salary of Mr. Gavrielov and the other executives effective January 1, 2010. No adjustment was made to Mr. Gavrielov’s target bonus in fiscal 2010. In addition, on July 1, 2009, Mr. Gavrielov received a stock option for 350,000 shares in connection with the annual Focal Review.

Evaluation of Other Named Executive Officers and Compensation Determination. The CEO works with the Compensation Committee in establishing the Company’s compensation and benefits philosophy and strategy for its executives and also makes specific recommendations to the Compensation Committee with respect to the individual compensation for each of the executive officers, including the named executive officers other than himself. With respect to the named executive officers, the Compensation Committee annually reviews, with the CEO, the executives’ performance in light of the goals and objectives of the Company, and approves their compensation. The Compensation Committee also considers all relevant factors in approving the level of such compensation, including each executive officer’s performance during the year, specifically an officer’s accomplishments, areas of strength and areas for development. During the Focal Review Period, the CEO and members of the Company’s human resources department document each named executive officer’s performance during the year based on the CEO’s knowledge of each named executive officer’s performance, individual self-assessment and feedback provided by the named executive officer’s peers and direct reports. The CEO also reviews compensation data gathered from Radford as well as from proxy statements and informal compensation surveys, and identifies trends and competitive factors to consider in adjusting executive compensation levels. The CEO then makes a recommendation to the Compensation Committee as to each element of each named executive officer’s compensation.

Compensation Components

Our executive compensation is divided into the following components: base salary, incentive cash compensation, long-term equity incentive compensation and generally available benefits.

Base Salary. The Company provides the named executive officers and other employees with base salary to compensate them for services rendered during the fiscal year. As noted above, base salaries for our executive officers, including named executive officers, are reviewed annually. In determining the base salaries of executive officers, including the named executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers a number of criteria, including the officer’s performance during the prior year, base salary during the prior year, scope of responsibility, breadth of knowledge and individual achievements. In addition, in our determination of executive officers’ base salaries, we review the base salaries being paid to executive officers in comparable positions at companies of similar size and conduct an internal review of the executive’s compensation, both individually and relative to other executive officers. The comparable companies used in this analysis are the same peer group companies identified in the discussion of peer group data above regarding our survey of market data. Determination of base salary is not made in accordance with a strict formula which measures weighted qualitative and quantitative factors, but rather is based on objective data synthesized to competitive ranges and to internal policies and practices, including review of the foregoing criteria, all of which are considered when making the determination of base salary. Generally, we believe that executive officers’ base salaries should be targeted between the 50^th and 75^th percentile of salaries for executives in similar positions and with similar responsibilities at comparable companies in line with our compensation philosophy.

In fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee, in light of market and economic conditions, reduced the annual base salaries of all our executives, including the named executive officers effective May 1, 2009. The rate of the salary reduction was based on the grade level of the executive, and rate of reduction for all named executive officers, other than Mr. Gavrielov, was 15%. Because the Company’s financial performance improved during the second and third quarters of fiscal 2010, on January 19, 2010, the Board, upon recommendation of the Compensation Committee, reinstated the annual base salaries of the named executive officers effective January 1, 2010 to the levels in place prior to the reduction. These temporary reductions did not impact the executives’ target bonus amounts for fiscal 2010 because the Compensation Committee believed that it would not be in the best interests of the Company to reduce compensation incentives for executive performance.

Incentive Cash Compensation. All of our executives, including the named executive officers, are eligible to participate in our cash incentive program which provides for a cash bonus calculated as a percentage of the named executive officer’s annual salary. In fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee adopted the Incentive Plan under which the CEO’s bonus target was 100% of his annual salary in effect prior to May 1, 2009, unchanged from fiscal 2009, and the bonus targets for all other named executive officers were 75% of their annual salary, unchanged from fiscal 2009. The Incentive Plan and payouts under the Incentive Plan are described in the section below entitled “2010 Executive Incentive Plan.”

Long-Term Equity Incentive Program. Equity awards are a key element of the Company’s market-competitive total compensation package. Our equity compensation program is intended to align the interests of our officers with those of our stockholders by creating an incentive for our officers to maximize stockholder value. The equity compensation program is also designed to encourage our officers to remain employed with the Company despite a very competitive marketplace. The Company targets the value of its equity awards to be in the median of the peer group companies mentioned above. We provide long-term incentive compensation through the award of stock options that vest over multiple years. In addition, under the 2007 Equity Plan, we are also authorized to issue RSUs and performance-based RSUs but none were granted to our named executive officers in fiscal 2010. We grant most equity awards on an annual basis in connection with the annual Focal Review and adjustment cycle. In fiscal 2010, stock options were granted under our 2007 Equity Plan to all of our named executive officers. The size and other characteristics of these awards were approved by the Compensation Committee taking into consideration the various factors set forth above, including market-competitiveness, individual performance during the year, and retention value. For further information about these equity awards, please see the table below entitled “Grant of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal 2010.”

Certain officers of the Company receive certain acceleration of vesting as follows: options outstanding under our 1988 and 1997 Stock Plans are credited with one year of vesting in the event an elected officer voluntary resigns after attaining age 55 and with at least five years of service to the Company as an elected officer. The 2007 Equity Plan does not provide for automatic acceleration of vesting. However, we have entered into contractual arrangements with certain executive officers, as provided below, to provide for acceleration under certain conditions such as termination or change in control.

Generally Available Benefit Programs. The Company also maintains generally available benefit programs in which our executives may participate. The Company maintains the ESPP, under which generally all employees are able to purchase our Common Stock through payroll deductions at a discounted price. We also maintain a tax-qualified 401(k) Plan for employees in the U.S., which provides for broad-based employee participation. The Company has established a matching program pursuant to which the Company will match up to 50% of the first 8% of an employee’s compensation that the employee contributed to their 401(k) account. For calendar year 2009 and beyond, the maximum Company contribution per calendar year is $4,500 per employee.

The Company also offers a number of other benefits to the named executive officers pursuant to benefits programs that provide for broad-based employee participation which includes medical, dental and vision insurance, disability insurance, various other insurance programs, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, educational assistance, employee assistance and certain other benefits. The terms of these benefits are essentially the same for all eligible employees.

The Company also maintains a nonqualified deferred compensation plan which allows eligible participants, including executive officers and members of the Board, to voluntarily defer receipt of a portion or all of their salary, cash bonus payment or directorship fees, as the case may be, until the date or dates elected by the participants, thereby allowing the participating employees and directors to defer taxation on such amounts. Refer to the section below entitled “Deferred Compensation Plan” for more information about this benefit plan.

Consistent with our compensation philosophy, we intend to continue to maintain market-competitive benefits for all employees, including our named executive officers; provided, however, that the Compensation Committee may revise, amend, or add to the officer’s executive benefits and perquisites if it deems advisable in order to remain competitive with comparable companies and/or to retain individuals who are critical to the Company. We believe the benefits and perquisites we offer are currently at competitive levels with comparable companies.

2010 Executive Incentive Plan

Executive Summary. Under the Incentive Plan, the cash bonuses for the named executive officers were determined using three different components, each with a different weighting: (1) the Company’s share of revenue (the “SOR Component”), weighted at 20%, (2) the Company’s operating profit as a percentage of revenue determined in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP (the “OP Component”), but excluding payments under the Company’s non-sales incentive plans and other unusual charges, weighted at 30%; and (3) the strategic component (the “Strategic Component”) based on strategic goals pertaining to such officer’s position and responsibilities, weighted at 50%. In fiscal 2010, the Company did not include a Growth Component in the Incentive Plan, which rewarded for year over year revenue growth, as a result of the uncertainty in the global economic environment and lack of visibility in forecasting future revenue.

There was no payout under the SOR Component during fiscal 2010 since the Company did not meet the minimum threshold in either the first or second half of fiscal 2010. With respect to the OP Component, the Company fell slightly below target resulting in below target payouts under the OP Component for the first half of fiscal 2010. The Strategic Component payouts to the named executive officers for the first half of the fiscal year ranged from 101% to 110% of target. In the second half of the fiscal year, the Company met its operating profit objective, resulting in above target payouts under the OP Component. In the second half of the fiscal year, the Strategic Component payouts to the named executive officers ranged from 95% to 133% of target.

Each component is described in more detail below under the sections entitled “Share of Revenue Component,” “Operating Profit Component,” and “Strategic Component.”

Timing of Payments. All plan components were paid on a semi-annual basis. The semi-annual payments to the named executive officers for fiscal 2010 performance are set forth in the section entitled “Named Executive Officer Bonuses Under the Incentive Plan — Bonus Summary.”

Share of Revenue Component. The SOR Component was designed to measure and reward increases in the Company’s share of revenue as compared to certain benchmark programmable logic device (“PLD”) companies identified by the Compensation Committee, which were Actel, Altera, and Lattice Semiconductor (collectively the “SOR Benchmark Companies”). The SOR Component was selected as a goal because the Company sought to improve its market position relative to its chief PLD competitors, and the Compensation Committee identified the SOR Benchmark Companies as such chief competitors. To determine the Company’s share of revenue as compared to the SOR Benchmark Companies, the Company measured the actual revenue result of the Company and the SOR Benchmark Companies on a semi-annual basis. The Company’s share of revenue (the “Company SOR”) was determined by dividing the Company’s total semi-annual revenue by the semi-annual revenue generated by the Company and the SOR Benchmark Companies during the fiscal year. The SOR Component was subject to a minimum threshold for payout and a multiplier that increased the target payout depending on Company performance. In fiscal 2010, the minimum threshold for payout was 51.6%. If the Company reached this threshold, then the SOR Component payout multiplier (the “SOR Component Multiplier”) was 50%. If the Company SOR achieved 51.7%, then the SOR Component Multiplier increased by 50% and 100% payout would be achieved. Thereafter, the SOR Component Multiplier increased by 25% for each one-tenth of a percentage point above 51.7%. The maximum payout was capped at 200% if the Company SOR reached 52.1% or greater. In fiscal 2010, the Company SOR was 51.2% for both the first and second half of the fiscal year and therefore no payout was made under the SOR Component in either period.

Operating Profit Component. The OP Component is designed to measure and reward improvements in the Company’s operating profit. The goal in the OP Component is to continually manage and reduce costs and enhance profitability. For purposes of the Incentive Plan, the OP Component is calculated on a semi-annual basis using the financial results for the fiscal six-month period. The operating profit percentage used in the OP Component, and referred to in the discussion below, excludes expenses related to bonus payments made under the Company’s non-sales incentive compensation plans and other non-recurring adjustments or expenses that are not associated with currently planned or on-going business operations. In connection with the calculation of the OP Component for the first half of fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee exercised its discretion to exclude the restructuring charge incurred by the Company as a result of a reduction in force. In connection with the calculation of the OP Component for the second half of fiscal 2010, the Compensation Committee exercised its discretion to exclude the restructuring charge incurred by the Company as a result of a reduction in force as well as a one-time charge associated with a litigation expense.

For fiscal 2010, due to the unpredictability of revenue growth stemming from the uncertainty in the global economic environment, the minimum threshold for the OP Component was lowered from the previous year in order to incentivize employees to manage costs despite the uncertainty around revenue generation. The OP Component is subject to a minimum threshold range for any payout and contains a multiplier that increases payout under this component depending on Company performance. The minimum threshold for fiscal 2010 was achievement of operating profit of at least 13% (calculated as described above). Once the Company reached 13% operating profit, then the OP Component multiplier (“the OP Component Multiplier”) would equal 20%. The OP Component Multiplier remained at 20% for each percentage point increase in operating profit until the Company achieved 17% operating profit. Once the Company’s operating profit reached 17%, then the OP Component Multiplier increased by 10% for each percentage point increase over 17% operating profit until the Company reached 24% operating profit. The Company would then pay 100% of the OP Component of the target bonus for operating profit between 24% and 26%. Thereafter, the OP Component Multiplier increased by 10% for each percentage point increase of operating profit over 26%. There was no cap in the OP Component in fiscal 2010. The calculation for determining the OP Component Multiplier for fiscal 2010 is set forth in the table below and demonstrates that the Company’s operating profit fell slightly below target in the first half of the fiscal year and exceeded the target in the second half of the fiscal year.

The calculations below of the OP Component Multiplier for the semi-annual periods are based on actual fiscal 2010 Company performance.

OP Component Multipliers

		Actual				OP Component
Period		Company OP Component				Multiplier
First Half		23%				0.9
Second Half		32%				1.6

For purposes of calculating the earnings for the OP Component, the Company used each executive’s earnings for the calendar six-month period corresponding to the fiscal six-month period minus any unpaid days off. The salary reductions imposed during fiscal 2010 had no effect on these calculations and the bonus targets remained the same.

The total Target OP Component for the year was determined by the following formula:

OP Component Multiplier x OP Component Weighting (30%) x Annual Earnings = Total Target OP Component

However, the OP Component was paid semi-annually. Therefore, the semi-annual target OP Component payout for each semi-annual period was determined by the following formula:

OP Component Multiplier x OP Component Weighting (30%) x Semi-Annual Earnings = Semi-Annual OP Component

Strategic Component. Under the Strategic Component, for each semi-annual performance period, each named executive officer was required to have a maximum of five strategic goals, each with a minimum weighting of 20%. For the first half of fiscal 2010, however, there was a deviation from this number of goals and relative weighting of goals for each of Messrs. Gavrielov, Peng and Ratford. Mr. Gaverielov was paid on the basis of six goals, four of which had a weighting under 20%; Mr. Peng was paid on the basis of five goals, two of which had a weighting below 20%; and Mr. Ratford was paid on a basis of five goals, three of which had a weighting below 20%. While the number of goals and relative weighting deviated from the terms of the Incentive Plan, there was no impact on the dollar amount of any payments to these executives. The threshold payment for any payout under the Strategic Component is 50% overall achievement and the maximum performance is capped at 150%.

Each strategic goal under the Strategic Component was (1) directly related to the Company’s business objectives and (2) corresponded to such executive’s position and responsibilities at the Company. The strategic goals for the named executive officers related to the broader corporate goals within the following categories:

	•		Product objectives. Goals related to product innovation and development, product quality and product schedules fell within this category.
	•		Sales and marketing objectives. Goals related to design wins, marketing strategies and product launches fell within this category.
	•		Operational objectives. Goals related to fiscal discipline, cost reductions, business efficiencies and profitability fell within this category.
	•		Organizational objectives. Goals related to the implementation of new employee performance and compensation programs, succession planning and compliance fell within this category.

The total Target Strategic Component was determined by the following formula:

Bonus % x Strategic Component Weighting (50%) x Annual Salary = Total Target Strategic Component

However, the Strategic Component was paid semi-annually. Therefore, the semi-annual target Strategic Component for each semi-annual period was determined by the following formula:

Bonus % x Strategic Component Weighting (50%) x Semi-Annual Salary = Semi-Annual Strategic Component

For all named executive officers other than the CEO, the CEO, in consultation with each executive, assigned a weight to each goal which was measured in proportion to how that goal corresponded to the importance of the business objective involved. At the end of each semi-annual period, the executive was responsible for self-assessing his or her achievement of each goal on a scale of 0% achievement to 150% achievement. The CEO then reviewed the executive’s performance and the executive’s self assessment and recommended to the Compensation Committee the appropriate multiplier, on a scale of 0% to 150%, corresponding to the level of the executive’s achievement.

For the CEO, the Compensation Committee, in consultation with the CEO, assigned a weight to each of the CEO’s goals, which was also measured in proportion to the importance of that goal to the business. At the end of each semi-annual period, the CEO self-assessed his achievement of each goal on the same 0% to 150% scale and submitted the self-assessment to the Compensation Committee.

The table below reflects a hypothetical example of how particular goals would be weighted based on their achievement level, resulting in the calculation of the Strategic Multiplier for an individual Xilinx executive.

STRATEGIC COMPONENT MULTIPLIER (EXAMPLE ONLY)

Goal		Weighting				Achievement Level				Multiplier
#1			20	%			100	%			20	%
#2			30	%			50	%			15	%
#3			30	%			100	%			30	%
#4			20	%			150	%			30	%
						Strategic Multiplier					95	%

Following the CEO’s assessment and recommendation, the Compensation Committee reviews and approves the Strategic Multiplier and Strategic Component semi-annual payout for each named executive officer for each semi-annual period. With respect to the CEO, the Compensation Committee reviewed the CEO’s self-assessment and made their own assessment of his performance. The Compensation Committee then recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, the Strategic Multiplier and Strategic Component semi-annual payout for the CEO for each semi-annual period. In assessing the CEO’s achievements and approving his compensation, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors considered his achievements within a broader set of expectations including strategic leadership, organizational quality and effectiveness, management abilities and responsiveness to economic conditions.

The specific goals for each named executive officer’s Strategic Component is discussed in the footnotes to the table below. The target and actual bonus amounts for fiscal 2010 for our named executive officers, based on the achievement against the financial goals (as discussed above) and achievement against the individual strategic goals (as discussed in the footnotes below) were as follows:

																																		Bonuses
																														Annual				Actually
														Bonus Actually Paid ($)																Target as				Paid as
										First Half				First Half				Second Half				Second Half								Percentage				Percentage
		Base Salary				Target Bonus				Financial				Strategic				Financial				Strategic				Total Bonus				of Base				of Base
Named Executive Officer		($)(1)				($)				Metrics ($)				Goals ($)				Metrics ($)				Goals ($)				Actually Paid ($)				Salary (%)				Salary (%)
Moshe N. Gavrielov			700,000				700,000				94,500				183,750	(2)			168,000				210,000	(3)			656,250				100				94
Jon A. Olson			460,000				345,000				46,575				94,875	(4)			82,800				99,188	(5)			323,438				75				70
Victor Peng			400,000				300,000				40,500				75,750	(6)			72,000				71,250	(7)			259,500				75				65
Vincent F. Ratford			360,000				270,000				36,450				74,250	(8)			64,800				74,250	(9)			249,750				75				69
Frank A. Tornaghi			360,000				270,000				36,450				70,875	(10)			64,800				81,000	(11)			253,125				75				70

Semi-Annual Payouts for Named Executive Officers. To determine the semi-annual payments, the Share of Revenue Multiplier, the OP Component Multiplier and the Strategic Component Multiplier were multiplied by their respective weights and added together to compile a semi-annual multiplier (the “Semi-Annual Multiplier”). The calculation of the Semi-Annual Multiplier was as follows:

(Bonus % x Share of Revenue Component Weighting (30%) x Share of Revenue Component Multiplier) + (Bonus % x OP Component Weighting (30%) x OP Component Multiplier)  + (Bonus % x Strategic Component Weighting (50%) x Strategic Component Multiplier) = Semi-Annual Multiplier

The Semi-Annual Multiplier for the semi-annual period was then applied to the named executive officer’s salary earned during the first half and second half of the fiscal year.

Named Executive Officer Bonuses under the Incentive Plan

The target bonus and bonus percentages for the named executive officers, as well as the actual calculation and amounts paid the named executive officers for fiscal 2010 performance for each semi-annual period are reflected in the table below.

Bonus Summary

																						Total
						Target																Bonus As
Named		Total				Bonus as a				First Half				Second Half				Total				Percentage
Executive		Target				Percentage				of Year,				of Year,				Bonus,				of Salary,
Officer		Bonus				of Salary				Actual				Actual				Actual				Actual
Moshe N. Gavrielov		$	700,000				100	%		$	278,250			$	378,000			$	656,250			94%
Jon A. Olson		$	345,000				75	%		$	141,450			$	181,988			$	323,438			70%
Victor Peng		$	300,000				75	%		$	116,250			$	143,250			$	259,500			65%
Vincent F. Ratford		$	270,000				75	%		$	110,700			$	139,050			$	249,750			69%
Frank A. Tornaghi		$	270,000				75	%		$	107,325			$	145,800			$	253,125			70%

Fiscal 2011 Executive Incentive Plan

On May 12, 2010, the Compensation Committee approved an executive incentive plan for fiscal 2011 (the “2011 Executive Incentive Plan”). Similar to the 2010 Executive Incentive Plan, the 2011 Executive Incentive Plan has a share of revenue component, an operating profit component and a management goal component. In addition, the 2011 Executive Incentive Plan contains a fourth component, a revenue growth component. The weighting of the different components has been revised given the addition of a fourth component. The 2011 Executive Incentive Plan components are weighted as follows: the share of revenue component at 10%, the operating profit component at 30%, the revenue growth component at 20% and the management goal component at 40%. For fiscal 2011, the bonus target for the CEO increased from 100% of base salary to 110% of base salary. Bonus targets for all other participants remained the same. As compared to the 2010 Executive Incentive Plan which limited the strategic goals to three to five goals, each with a minimum weighting of 20%, under the 2011 Executive Incentive Plan, each participant may set up to 10 management goals and each goal may be weighted based on its importance to the business objectives. There is no minimum weighting requirement for management objective goals. The 2011 Executive Incentive Plan is effective for fiscal 2011.

Employment and Separation Agreements with Named Executive Officers

Employment Letter Agreements with Moshe N. Gavrielov and Jon A. Olson. The Company maintains employment letter agreements with Messrs. Gavrielov and Olson. Mr. Gavrielov’s employment letter agreement, entered into with Mr. Gavrielov on January 4, 2008, entitles him to certain payments and benefits in the event his employment is terminated at any time due to disability or other than for cause, or if Mr. Gavrielov voluntarily terminates his employment for good reason. This arrangement with Mr. Gavrielov was entered into with him as a part of an arm’s length negotiation with the Compensation Committee when Mr. Gavrielov joined the Company.

The employment letter agreement we entered into with Mr. Olson on June 2, 2005, and amended on February 14, 2008, provides Mr. Olson with certain payments and benefits in the event he is terminated without cause within one year following a change in control of the Company. This arrangement was entered into with Mr. Olson to retain Mr. Olson and ensure his cooperation with and continued commitment to the success of the Company.

A description of the terms of Messrs. Gavrielov’s and Olson’s employment letter agreements, and a quantification of the potential payments and benefits under these agreements, are provided below in the section entitled “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.”

Equity Grant Procedures and Guidelines

We have conducted an internal review of our equity granting procedures to ensure that our procedures satisfy both our objectives and all applicable compliance requirements. To this end, the Company has adopted written procedures for the grant of equity awards. With respect to grants to employees and officers, including named executive officers, the Compensation Committee reserves the authority to make grants at such time and with such terms as it deems appropriate in its discretion, subject to the terms of the 2007 Equity Plan. Generally, grants of equity awards are made to officers based on and in connection with the annual review during the Focal Review Period. The Compensation Committee periodically grants equity awards at its scheduled meetings or by unanimous written consent for new hires and promotions. Grants approved during scheduled meetings become effective and are priced as of the date of approval or a pre-determined future date. Grants approved by unanimous written consent become effective and are priced as of the date the last signature is obtained or as of a predetermined future date. The Compensation Committee has made certain exceptions to these procedures in order to grant an equity award on an executive’s start date, as it did in the case of the option grant to Mr. Gavrielov. The Company has not granted, nor does it intend in the future to grant, equity awards to executives in anticipation of the release of material nonpublic information that is likely to result in changes to the price of the Company’s Common Stock, such as a significant positive or negative earnings announcement. Similarly, the Compensation Committee has not timed, nor does it intend in the future to time, the release of material nonpublic information based on equity award grant dates. In any event, because equity compensation awards typically vest over four-year periods, the effect of any immediate increase in the price of the Company’s Common Stock following grant is minimal.

The Board of Directors has delegated to the CEO and CFO limited authority to approve equity award grants to non-officer employees pursuant to the terms of the 2007 Equity Plan, and subject to the provisions of pre-determined guidelines. Specifically, with respect to non-officer employees, our annual focal awards will be granted on or about July 1 of each year (or if such day is not a business day, the first business day thereafter), and other equity awards will generally be granted on the 10th day of the month, or if such day is not a business day, the first business day thereafter that the Company’s stock is traded. The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining and granting all equity awards to executive officers.

Under the 2007 Equity Plan, the exercise price of options and stock appreciation rights may not be less than 100% of the closing price of the shares underlying such options and stock appreciation rights on the date of grant.

Claw-Back Policy

The Board has adopted a policy for seeking the return (claw-back) from executive officers of compensation to the extent such amounts were paid due to financial results that later had to be restated. The policy provides that to the extent the Board, or any Committee thereof, and the Company, in their discretion, determine appropriate, the Company may require reimbursement of all or a portion of any bonus, incentive payment, commission, equity-based award or other compensation granted to and received by or for an elected officer beginning in fiscal 2009, where: (1) the compensation was predicated upon achieving certain financial results that were subsequently the subject of a substantial restatement of Company financial statements filed with the SEC; (2) the Board (or a Committee thereof), in its sole discretion, determines the elected officer engaged in intentional misconduct that was directly responsible for the substantial restatement; and (3) less compensation would have been paid to the elected officer based upon the restated financial results.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We have adopted stock ownership guidelines for our officers, including the named executive officers to align more closely the interests of our officers with those of our stockholders. Under these guidelines, the ownership guideline applicable to the CEO is 50,000 shares and the guideline applicable to other executive officers, including the named executive officers, is 15,000 shares. Executive officers holding such positions on the date our guidelines were adopted must meet these ownership requirements by June 1, 2011 and new executive officers must meet these guidelines within five years after such individual’s receipt of his or her initial grant.

Policy Against Short Sales, other Put-Equivalent Investment and Margin Accounts

All employees, including the named executive officers, are subject to our Insider Trading Policy. In November 2009, we amended our Insider Trading Policy to prohibit any employee from engaging in short sales or enter into any transaction, investment or arrangement that is intended or may be expected to increase in value on the basis of any decrease in value of any of our shares of common stock (such as buying “put” options). In addition, the policy prohibits any employee from holding shares of our Common Stock in a margin or pledging shares of our Common Stock.

Tax and Accounting Considerations

It is our policy generally to qualify compensation paid to named executive officers for deductibility under Section 162(m) of the Tax Code. Section 162(m) of the Tax Code places a limit of $1,000,000 on the amount of compensation that the Company may deduct in any one year with respect to each of its CEO and next three most highly paid executive officers (other than its CFO). Our stockholder-approved equity plans are qualified so that awards of stock options and performance based RSUs under these plans may constitute performance-based compensation not subject to the limit under Section 162(m) of the Tax Code. A portion of the cash payments we make under the 2010 Incentive Plan may not be deductible under Section 162(m) of the Tax Code. The Compensation Committee intends to continue to evaluate the effects of the Tax Code and related U.S. Treasury regulations and the advisability of qualifying its executive compensation for deductibility of such compensation. To maintain flexibility in compensating executive officers in a manner designed to promote varying corporate goals, however, the Compensation Committee has not adopted a policy that all compensation must be deductible.

Compensation Risk Analysis

The Compensation Committee in cooperation with management reviewed the Company’s compensation programs and believes that the mix and design of the elements of such programs does not encourage management to assume excessive risks. Our programs have been balanced to focus on both short-term and long-term financial and operational performance.

Our incentive cash compensation program is designed to reward financial and strategic performance in areas considered critical to short- and long-term success of the Company. The cash incentive plan for our named executive officers is based on a combination of corporate financial metrics and individualized strategic goals. The financial metric component is based on multiple financial metrics which counterbalance each other, decreasing the likelihood that executives will pursue any one metric to the detriment of overall financial performance. The SOR Component is designed to measure and reward increases in the Company’s share of revenue as compared to benchmark programmable logic device companies and the OP Component is designed to reward improvements in the Company’s operating profit. Both of these metrics limits the ability of an executive to be rewarded for taking excessive risk on behalf of the Company by, for example, seeking revenue enhancing opportunities at the expenses of profitability. In addition, except for the operating profit component, the SOR Component is capped at 200% and the Strategic Component is capped at 150%. The OP Component, while uncapped, may only increase linearly above 100%. These limitations and caps eliminate the risk of uncapped cash bonus opportunities and unjustified bonus payments. Finally, the Board has also adopted a clawback policy (as discussed above) whereby the Company would seek a return (claw-back) from executive officers of compensation to the extent such amounts were paid due to financial results that later had to be restated. The individual strategic goals for the CEO are reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors and the individual strategic goals for each of the named executive officers are reviewed and approved by the CEO. Furthermore, payment for the cash incentive bonus for our named executive officers (other than our CEO) is approved by the Compensation Committee. This multi-layer approval process in the goal-setting and payment approval process reduces the risk of improper awards.

Our equity incentive program is designed to promote long-term performance. It contains a mix of stock options, restricted stock units and performance share units. The stock options vest monthly over a period of four years. Since options generate value if the stock price appreciates from the date of grant, this award provides incentives to promote behavior that is aligned with stockholder interests over the long term. Restricted stock units vest annually over a four-year vesting schedule and since restricted stock retains value even in a depressed market, employees are usually incentivized to enhance its value. The named executive officers typically received stock option grants on an annual basis, while the restricted stock units are generally reserved for non-executive employees. The Company has also adopted stock ownership guidelines which further aligns executives with stockholder interests and promotes long term focus on Company growth. Therefore, the Compensation Committee believes that these equity awards do not encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking since equity awards are subject to long-term vesting schedules and the ultimate value of the awards is tied to the appreciation of the Company’s stock price. This helps ensure that executives have significant value tied to long-term stock price performance.

The Company has also adopted corporate policies to encourage diligence, prudent decision-making and oversight during the goal-setting and review process. The processes that are in place to manage and control risk include:

	•		The Compensation Committee approves the benchmark competitors for the SOR Component and the OP Component. The OP Component is the same for both the executives and non-executives in the Company and is based on the Company’s overall financial plan thereby aligning all employees towards the same financial metrics.
	•		The Compensation Committee sets the financial metrics at reasonable levels in light of past performance and market conditions.
	•		Approval of payments under the incentive cash compensation program is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, in the case of our CEO, or the Compensation Committee, in the case of our other named executive officers.
	•		The Compensation Committee retains discretion in administering all awards and in determining performance achievement.
	•		The Company has implemented a number of effective controls such as the Code of Conduct, a claw-back policy and quarterly sub-certification process for all executives in order to mitigate the risk of any unethical behavior.

REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with the management of the Company and, based on such review and discussion, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and, through incorporation by reference from this proxy statement, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2010.

The Compensation Committee
—Philip T. Gianos, Chairman
—J. Michael Patterson
—Elizabeth W. Vanderslice

The following non-employee members of the Board participated in the review, discussions and recommendations with respect to the compensation of the CEO.

—Philip T. Gianos
—John L. Doyle
—Jerald G. Fishman
—William G. Howard, Jr.
—J. Michael Patterson
—Marshall C. Turner
—Elizabeth W. Vanderslice

The foregoing Report of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing of Xilinx under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act,”) or under the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date of this proxy statement and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides compensation information for the named executive officers.

																										Change in
																										Pension Value
																										and
																										Nonqualified
																						Non-Equity				Deferred
														Stock				Option				Incentive Plan				Compensation				All Other
						Salary				Bonus				Awards (1)				Awards (1)				Compensation (2)				Earnings				Compensation (3)				Total
Name and Position		Year				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)				($)
Moshe N. Gavrielov			2010				606,667				—				—				1,969,800				656,250				—				—				3,232,717
President and Chief Executive Officer			2009				700,000				—				—				—				389,375				—				—				1,089,375
			2008				164,679				—				—				4,101,450				175,000				—				20,592	(4)			4,461,721
Jon A. Olson (5)			2010				414,000				—				—				562,800				323,438				—				4,500				1,304,738
Senior Vice President,			2009				460,000				—				—				442,896				184,575				—				6,750				1,094,221
Finance and Chief Financial Officer			2008				455,000				—				569,360				459,647				273,783				—				2,150				1,759,940
Victor Peng (5)(6)			2010				360,000				—				—				506,520				259,500				—				6,649				1,132,669
Senior Vice President,			2009				388,000				100,000	(7)			500,200				1,251,200				142,581				—				3,750				2,385,731
Programmable Platforms Development
Vincent F. Ratford (6)			2010				324,000				—				—				450,240				249,750				—				—				1,023,990
Senior Vice President,			2009				342,500				—				—				441,600				144,032				—				—				928,132
Worldwide Marketing
Frank A. Tornaghi (6)			2010				324,000				—				—				450,240				253,125				—				4,500				1,031,865
Senior Vice President,			2009				360,000				36,180	(7)			—				221,448				140,063				—				5,250				762,941
Worldwide Sales

Grants of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal 2010

The following table provides information on equity and non-equity awards granted to our named executive officers during fiscal 2010.

																						All Other
																						Option								Grant
																						Awards:				Exercise				Date Fair
																						Number of				Or Base				Value of
										Estimated Future Payouts Under												Securities				Price of				Stock and
										Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards (1)												Underlying				Option				Option
		Approval				Grant				Threshold				Target				Maximum				Options (3)				Awards				Awards (4)
Name		Date				Date				($)				($)				($)(2)				(#)				($/Sh)				($)
Moshe N. Gavrielov			6/22/09				7/1/09				—				—				—				350,000				20.57				1,969,800
			4/28/09				—				0				700,000				—				—				—				—
Jon A. Olson			5/13/09				7/1/09				—				—				—				100,000				20.57				562,800
			4/28/09				—				0				345,000				—				—				—				—
Victor Peng			5/13/09				7/1/09				—				—				—				90,000				20.57				506,520
			4/28/09				—				0				300,000				—				—				—				—
Vincent F. Ratford			5/13/09				7/1/09				—				—				—				80,000				20.57				450,240
			4/28/09				—				0				270,000				—				—				—				—
Frank A. Tornaghi			5/13/09				7/1/09				—				—				—				80,000				20.57				450,240
			4/28/09				—				0				270,000				—				—				—				—

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 2010

The following table provides information on outstanding stock options and RSUs held by the named executive officers as of April 3, 2010.

																																						Equity
																																		Equity				Incentive
																																		Incentive				Plan
										Equity																								Plan				Awards:
										Incentive Plan																				Market Value				Awards:				Market or
										Awards:																				of Shares				Number of				Payout Value
		Number of				Number of				Number of																Number of				or				Unearned				of Unearned
		Securities				Securities				Securities																Shares or				Units of				Shares, Units				Shares, Units
		Underlying				Underlying				Underlying																Units of				Stock				or Other				or Other
		Unexercised				Unexercised				Unexercised																Stock				That Have				Rights That				Rights That
		Options				Options				Unearned				Option								Option				That Have				Not				Have Not				Have Not
		(#)				(#)				Options				Exercise Price								Expiration				Not Vested(1)				Vested(2)				Vested(3)				Vested(2)
Name		Exercisable				Unexercisable				(#)				($)				Grant Date				Date				(#)				($)				(#)				(#)
Moshe N. Gavrielov			406,249				343,751				—				20.46				01/07/08				01/07/15	(4)			—				—				—				—
			65,625				284,375				—				20.57				07/01/09				07/01/16	(7)			—				—				—				—
Jon A. Olson			200,000				—				—				25.66				06/27/05				06/27/15	(5)			—				—				—				—
			74,999				5,001				—				22.80				07/03/06				07/03/16	(6)			—				—				—				—
			38,672				17,578				—				26.97				07/02/07				07/02/14	(7)			—				—				—				—
																			07/02/07																11,000				282,480
			26,250				33,750				—				24.29				07/01/08				07/01/15	(7)			—				—				—				—
			18,750				81,250				—				20.57				07/01/09				07/01/16	(7)			—				—				—				—
Victor Peng			77,916				92,084				—				26.34				05/12/08				05/12/15	(4)			—				—				—				—
																			05/12/08								15,000				385,200				—				—
			16,875				73,125				—				20.57				07/01/09				07/01/16	(7)							—				—				—
Vincent F. Ratford			47,916				2,084				—				25.84				03/14/06				03/14/16	(5)			—				—				—				—
			5,834				1,166				—				22.80				07/03/06				07/03/16	(6)			—				—				—				—
			35,000				25,000				—				23.02				11/12/07				11/12/14	(7)							—				—				—
																			11/12/07								3,334				85,617				—				—
			27,500				32,500				—				26.34				05/12/08				05/12/15	(7)			—				—				—				—
			15,000				65,000				—				20.57				07/01/09				07/01/16				—				—				—				—
Frank A. Tornaghi			42,187				38,813				—				21.98				02/11/08				02/11/15	(4)			—				—				—				—
																			02/11/08								4,500				115,560				—				—
			13,125				16,875				—				24.29				07/01/08				07/01/15	(7)			—				—				—				—
			15,000				65,000				—				20.57				07/01/09				07/01/16				—				—				—				—