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SAN JOSE, Calif., and READING, England, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq: MENT) today announced a licensing agreement for its XRAY® debugger technology with Siroyan, the SIP2 company targeting the requirements of convergence applications. This latest agreement continues Mentor's penetration of the rapidly developing System-on-Chip (SoC) embedded software development market. Siroyan will utilize the XRAY technology as the basis for its own customized debug environment, which will enable rapid and efficient application software development and debug. Siroyan will market the tool directly to its customers.

A significant factor in Siroyan's decision to adopt the XRAY platform was XRAY's ability to provide customers with a consistent, easy-to-use interface from code development through debug. This will help speed the time to market for Siroyan's customers in SoC-based convergence applications. Additionally, XRAY's multi-core debug capabilities are highly applicable to Siroyan's novel Scalable Integrated Processor architecture, which combines RISC and DSP with memory management support in a single core.

``A key factor in our strategy is to deliver to our customers a professional-quality tool chain comprising compilers, simulation tools and debuggers that can be customized to meet the needs of the target configuration,'' said Ken Will, founder and CEO of Siroyan. ``Using XRAY's technology as a foundation will enable us to create an easy-to-use development and debug tool chain that will offer software design and validation in a consistent environment for both hardware and software teams. We can achieve optimum performance and maintain the highest quality, which are essential in our 'right first time' approach.''

Siroyan has designed an innovative VLIW-based Scalable Integrated Processor architecture -- codenamed Opus -- that combines RISC and DSP elements, making it the ideal platform for demanding consumer-oriented applications, such as 3G mobile and internet connectivity, digital television and digital video broadcasting. The company will deliver the product as a soft core, code-named Rubicon, which eliminates many of the process problems associated with the conventional hardcore approach. Siroyan calls its approach SIP2, a combination of the unique Scalable Integrated Processor solution with a Semiconductor Intellectual Property delivery model.

A New Approach to Embedded Software Licensing

The embedded software tools market is in transition. As older standard hardware platforms with standard processors are replaced by SoC platforms and solutions, development and debugging tools also have to evolve. Semiconductor manufacturers and Intellectual Property (IP) companies can proliferate new cores with finely differentiated capabilities and target markets; but each one requires a slightly different software development and debugging environment.

To help ease the software verification pains associated with bringing new processor architectures to market, Mentor Graphics is now offering its XRAY Debugger technology as a platform from which companies can build custom debug tools. In a process similar to Mentor's IP business model, companies, from start-ups to established processor vendors, can license Mentor's XRAY technology to develop custom-built software development tools that are marketed under the licensee company's name.

``Our new licensing model is a reaction to the changing SoC landscape,'' said Michael Kaskowitz, vice president and general manager for the Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. ``Hardware start-ups are in abundance but their processor architectures are difficult to implement without standard software development tools. Companies such as Siroyan can tailor our best-in-class debug technology to their processor architecture, enabling them to offer their customers software development tools built on Mentor's recognized technology name.''

About XRAY

Mentor's XRAY debugger is the industry's first choice for the development and debug of advanced SoCs. XRAY is ideally suited for companies with proprietary or third-party CPUs or DSPs. As a result, industry leaders like Philips Semiconductor and ARM Ltd. have standardized on XRAY debug technology.

XRAY provides a common debugger interface for all stages of the embedded development process and supports all phases of embedded software for SoC design, including simulation, integration, hardware/software co-verification and emulation. It significantly reduces the amount of time needed to identify and resolve problems in multi-core applications.

Through the Mentor Graphics® Seamless® Co-Verification Environment (CVE(TM)), the XRAY debugger can be used to develop software and hardware in parallel, allowing users to verify system-level software, such as start-up code and device drivers, against a gate-level simulation of the target hardware. Application development can proceed even when no hardware is available by using the XRAY debugger with an instruction set simulator. When connected to the final target hardware via the JTAG interface, the XRAY debugger can provide complete control over the processor, with zero target intrusion, ensuring rapid project completion and shortened time to market.

Licensing Information

For more information on Mentor Graphics XRAY technology, please visit http://www.mentor.com/embedded or contact your local Mentor Graphics sales account manager.

About Siroyan

Siroyan Limited is a UK-based business founded in June 1999 to deliver the next-generation processing power and applications solutions to System-on-Chip (SoC) designers addressing the convergence of computing, communication and multimedia applications. The company is the first to use scalable VLIW techniques that combine the features of RISC and DSP processing, delivered within an integrated semiconductor IP softcore package, specifically for SoC deployment. Based in Reading, UK, the company has grown substantially, quadrupling its engineering headcount in 2000 and opening a second design center in the UK. More information is available at www.siroyan.com

About Mentor Graphics Corp.

Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products and consulting services for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of nearly $600 million and employs approximately 2,750 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com .

Mentor Graphics, XRAY and Seamless are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corp. Co-Verification Environment (CVE) is a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corp. Siroyan and the Siroyan logo are registered trademarks of Siroyan Limited. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.