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Synplicity and Monterey Design Systems Link Tools for High-Productivity RTL to GDSII Design Flow

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2001--Synplicity Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNP), a leading supplier of software for the design and verification of semiconductors, and Monterey Design Systems, a leading provider of physical design solutions, today introduced a high-productivity ASIC design flow intended to enable design synthesis, physical prototyping and implementation In One Pass(TM). This register transfer level (RTL) code to GDSII flow, which combines Synplicity's new Synplify ASIC(TM) synthesis software, also announced today(a), with Monterey's Sonar(TM) physical prototyping software and Dolphin(TM) physical implementation software, can enable ASIC designers to shave months off design time and determine timing closure early in the design process. The companies plan to demonstrate the new design flow in their respective suites at the Design Automation Conference in Las Vegas later this month.

``Our relationship with Monterey Design Systems is a valued partnership to provide a smooth interface between our new Synplify ASIC software and products critical to the deep-submicron ASIC design flow,'' said Andy Haines, vice president of marketing at Synplicity. ``Our two companies share a common mission -- to enable designer productivity and speed time to market -- and we are pleased to team with Monterey Design Systems, a technology leader in physical design as demonstrated by its fast Sonar and Dolphin products. Together we intend to deliver a complete design flow from RTL code to a final GDSII output for manufacturing.''

Bill Alexander, vice president of marketing, Monterey Design Systems, added, ``Productivity is a key issue facing designers today and we're happy to partner with Synplicity to address this critical problem. Synplicity's Synplify ASIC product runs up to 15 times faster than other synthesis tools and has the ability to synthesize up to two million gates at a time. Combining the Synplify ASIC product with our Sonar and Dolphin products, we can provide a fast and complete flow that will appeal to a large segment of the ASIC market.''

Complete RTL to GDSII Design Flow

The new design flow enables designers to determine timing closure early in the design process, much more quickly than previously possible with other synthesis and place and route flows. Using this approach, designers enter RTL code into the Synplify ASIC product for synthesis. Designers can then directly pass the Synplify ASIC product-developed netlist into the Sonar software for early and rapid identification of problems that would prevent successful completion of physical design. Issues found in Sonar can be quickly resolved within the Synplify ASIC software before performing final place and route with the Dolphin product. This unique flow allows designers to achieve timing closure without the need for multiple iterations between synthesis and place and route or multiple iterations through place and route. The combination of the quick runtimes offered by the Synplify ASIC product with the early issue detection capabilities of the Sonar software allows design sign-off in a fraction of a place and route run-time. Dolphin accepts Sonar's physical prototype for fast and manufacturing ready tape-out for mask-making.

Synplicity and Monterey Design have crafted the combined flow to leverage each company's specific technology advantages. For example, rapid scan insertion is accomplished within the Synplify ASIC software, with optimization of the scan chain taking place within physical design where factors such as clock and power routing can be taken into account, thus enabling a ``best-of-breed'' test solution. Additionally, Synplicity's HDL Analyst® graphical analysis tool enables extensive design visualization throughout the design flow, and can be cross-probed directly from files generated within Sonar and Dolphin. In this way, physical implementation issues identified by Sonar can be rapidly resolved within the Synplify ASIC software.

The companies plan to demonstrate this new design flow in their suites at the Design Automation Conference, June 18-21, 2001 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To view a demonstration, please contact either Synplicity at 408/215-6000 or Monterey Design Systems at 408/747-7370. Interested parties may also sign up for more information on the demonstration by visiting http://www.synplicity.com or http://www.montereydesign.com.

About Synplicity's Synplify ASIC Product

Synplify ASIC is the industry's first timing-driven ASIC synthesis solution optimized to improve productivity for the majority of ASIC designers. Leveraging Synplicity's proprietary synthesis algorithms that have made Synplicity's FPGA synthesis and ASIC verification products successful, the Synplify ASIC software provides a fast, easy-to-use and powerful ASIC synthesis solution -- with runtimes up to 15 times faster than traditional synthesis products. The Synplify ASIC software also offers a unique ``top-down'' design methodology that enables designers to perform timing-driven synthesis on up to two-million-gate designs in a single operation, supporting matching hierarchy and constraints in synthesis and place and route steps.

About Monterey Design Systems' Products

Monterey has developed highly integrated, yet open, leading technology products that reduce the number of tools required in a design flow to achieve extremely fast physical design implementation of complex SoCs. Unlike existing physical design solutions, Dolphin's In One Pass architecture solves the complex interdependencies among SoC design factors by simultaneously exploring all aspects of the physical design space. Sonar's physical prototyping allows rapid validation of the design planning assumptions to achieve design closure. To provide further productivity advantages to the market, Monterey has pioneered System-Driven Physical Design(TM), a new generation physical design solution that allows system-level design constraints to be driven through to full chip implementation. This top-down, correct by construction flow enables the company's customers to implement their complex designs with fewer engineers and in a much shorter time.

About Monterey Design Systems

Monterey Design Systems is the only System-Driven Physical Design solution provider, giving customers the fastest and most advanced System to GDSII approach for deep submicron SoC design. The company combines superior technology in design planning, physical prototyping and automated physical implementation to provide a revolutionary physical design flow that begins at the system level and produces a manufacturing ready layout. Leading semiconductor companies such as LSI Logic (NYSE: LSI - news), STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM - news), Infineon Technologies (DAX/NYSE: IFX - news) and NEC Corporation (Nasdaq: NIPNY - news) have adopted Monterey's innovative products to dramatically increase their design productivity. Pioneering new business models that align financial rewards to its customers' success have attracted customers to the company's patented products. Monterey Design Systems is privately held and backed by leading venture and industrial investors. The company partners with leading EDA companies such as Cadence (NYSE: CDN - news) and Synopsys (Nasdaq: SNPS - news) to ensure interoperability in ASIC and COT design flows. Monterey Design Systems is located at 894 Ross Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1443, tel: 1.408.747.7370, fax: 1.408.747.7377, http://www.montereydesign.com

About Synplicity

Synplicity, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNP) is a leading provider of software products that enable the rapid and effective design and verification of semiconductors used in next-generation networking and communications hardware and other electronic devices. The company leverages its innovative logic synthesis, physical synthesis and verification software solutions to improve performance and shorten development time for complex programmable logic devices, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and system-on-chip (SoC) integrated circuits. Synplicity's fast, easy-to-use products offer extremely high quality of results, support industry-standard design languages (VHDL and Verilog) and run on popular platforms. As of the end of March 2001, Synplicity employed over 230 people in its 16 facilities worldwide. Synplicity is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Forward-looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Synplicity's levels of activity and product performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you will be able to identify forward looking statements by terminology such as ``anticipates,'' ``intends,'' ``may,'' ``will,'' ``expects,'' ``potential,'' ``continue'' or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and the actual events or results may differ materially, particularly with respect to the continued acceptance of Synplicity's existing products and the successful introduction and widespread market acceptance of Synplicity's new products and tools. For additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Synplicity, see its Registration Statement on Form S-1 and Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as periodic reports on Forms 10-Q on file with the SEC. Although Synplicity believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, Synplicity cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. In addition, neither Synplicity nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these forward-looking statements. Synplicity disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement.

Note to Editors: Synplicity and HDL Analyst are registered trademarks of Synplicity, Inc. Synplify ASIC is a trademark of Synplicity. All other brands or products are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners. In One Pass, Dolphin, Sonar and Monterey Design Systems are trademarks of Monterey Design Systems.

(a) See additional press releases also announced today Complete RTL to

GDSII Design Flow


Contact:
     Tsantes/Porter Novelli for Synplicity
     Steve Gabriel, 408/369-1500 x27
     steve@tsantes.com
        or
     Lee Public Relations for Monterey Design Systems
     Wendy Truax, 503/672-9073
     wendy@leepr.com

Copyright 2001, Internet Business Systems, Inc.
1-888-44-WEB-44 --- marketing@ibsystems.com