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SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2001--Exemplar Logic®, a Mentor Graphics® company, and Xilinx® Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX) today announced they have entered into a strategic multi-year technology exchange partnership.

The move expands the development relationship between the two companies, providing mutual customers with greatly improved synthesis quality of results and faster time-to-market for multi-million gate field programmable gate array (FPGA) designs.

According to the terms of the agreement, Xilinx and Exemplar can now jointly examine synthesis strategies for features in Xilinx' ultra high-density device architectures. With this intense collaboration, Exemplar can devise the best way to implement those strategies into its next-generation logic synthesis and analysis software solutions -- LeonardoSpectrum(TM) and LeonardoInsight(TM).

``Most of our sophisticated customers rely on hardware description language (HDL) synthesis tools from third-party vendors, such as Exemplar, therefore it is beneficial for us to continue working together and strengthen our cooperation at all levels,'' said Rich Sevcik, senior vice president of software, cores and support for Xilinx. ``Through the technology exchange partnership with Exemplar, we now offer our mutual customers optimized synthesis solutions that reduce synthesis iterations and accelerate timing closure in our next-generation architectures.''

Anne Sanquini, general manager and vice president of Mentor Graphics' HDL Design division added, ``This close working relationship with Xilinx has already yielded significant synthesis performance increases with Xilinx architectures. As our two companies focus our efforts to push the envelope of what can be accomplished with FPGA designs, it is important we move ahead in lockstep to continue providing first-in-class solutions for the multi-million FPGA architectures of today and tomorrow.''

Exemplar noted that this cooperation has already yielded significant and beneficial results. One idea provided by Xilinx, for example, has enhanced Exemplar's priority encoder optimization results for Virtex family architectures yielding an 85% performance improvement on specific designs. Moving forward, it is anticipated that this partnership will focus efforts on Exemplar's recently announced TimeCloser(TM) physical synthesis optimization flow, which uses physical data provided from place and route to inside LeonardoSpectrum to perform as second pass true timing optimization design to help designers rapidly reach timing closure on their designs with out modifications to the RTL.

About Xilinx

Xilinx (Nasdaq:XLNX) is the leading innovator of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and commands more than half of the world market for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to significantly reduce the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at www.xilinx.com.

About Exemplar Logic, Inc.

Exemplar Logic, Inc. is a Mentor Graphics Company (Nasdaq:MENT). Exemplar pioneered applying logic synthesis techniques to the design of FPGAs, CPLDs and ASICs. It is the world's number one CPLD and FPGA synthesis tool supplier, as reported by Dataquest. Exemplar's products are sold and supported worldwide by Exemplar Logic, its OEMs and VARs, Mentor Graphics and through the FPGA and CPLD component distribution channel. Exemplar's design environments implement a complete high-level design solution for FPGA, CPLD and ASIC design, offering synthesis, simulation and timing analysis for Windows® 95/98, Windows-NT and UNIX (HP, Sun) platforms in server and non-server environments. Exemplar Logic is located at 880 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131. For information on Exemplar representatives or products, please call 408/487-7410, e-mail: sales@exemplar.com, or visit www.exemplar.com.

Mentor Graphics and Exemplar Logic are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. LeonardoSpectrum, LeonardoInsight and TimeCloser are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. Xilinx is a registered trademark of Xilinx Inc. All other company and/or product names are the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

     For Exemplar
     Keri Wilson, 503/685-1359
     keri_wilson@mentor.com
     or
     Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide (Media)
     Jason Khoury, 415/290-5023
     jason@benjamingroup.com
     or
     Xilinx, Inc.
     Craig Willert, 303/413-3237
     craig.willert@xilinx.com
     or
     Ann Duft, 408/879-4726 (Public Relations)
     ann.duft@xilinx.com