NIOS II - NIOS II Very Basic Question. Searched a lot in the internet, but couldn't get an answer. what does NIOS stands for?. Is there any expansion for this acronym? Replies: Re: NIOS II Hi, Nios II name is a reserved name for Intel's (previously Altera) soft processors are designed specifically for Intel FPGAs. It is not an acronym. Replies: Re: NIOS II Network Identity Operating System ? Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor) [Maybe Windows 12 will be better]