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Axis Systems' Xtreme Emulator Reduces Potential of Design Re-spins for Chrysalis-ITS
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2001--
Axis Systems, Inc. today announced that Chrysalis-ITS'
Semiconductor Division, a producer of high performance network
security processors, reduced the potential for chip design re-spins
with Axis' Xtreme® emulation system. A re-spin can cost a company
millions of dollars in engineering and manufacturing fees and lost
revenue.
In addition, Axis' Xtreme increased the company's confidence in
first silicon for Chrysalis-ITS' Luna 341 network security companion
processor and their high-performance asymmetric processor, the Luna
510.
``Xtreme enables us to save money while significantly reducing time
to market,'' said Terry Thomas, Chrysalis-ITS Semiconductors vice
president of engineering. ``We are currently using the Xtreme box to
emulate two new designs, and to improve an existing design. The
biggest gain came from being able to verify our entire system --
hardware and software -- and run tests long enough to detect a couple
of critical, hard to detect design problems.''
Used by chip and system-on-chip designers, Xtreme is based on
Axis' patented ReConfigurable Computing (RCC) technology that enables
software simulation, accelerated simulation, in-circuit emulation and
hardware/software co-verification on a single platform with one design
database.
In addition to using Xtreme on new chip designs, Chrysalis-ITS
used the emulator to assist in post-fabrication debugging of their
existing Luna 340 chip, designed in partnership with MOSAID. The Luna
340 is a 22-million-transistor design with five ARC processor cores
using 0.25-micron technology.
``With Xtreme, we were able to catch one rarely occurring DMA
problem that would have taken at least six months to detect without
Xtreme. And even then, it is not clear how we would have gone about
identifying the root cause of the problem without Xtreme's debug
capability,'' said Thomas.
Chrysalis-ITS hardware engineers found Xtreme worked just like the
logic simulators they were accustomed to. They were able to emulate at
higher speeds than previously possible, and then swap to logic
simulation mode for full debugging capabilities. Unlike other
emulators, Xtreme allowed Chrysalis-ITS software designers to get a
head start on their work. The software developers were able to use
their standard software development tools, including instruction set
simulators and source-level debuggers, instead of working with
waveforms and large log files from logic simulators.
For one particular test, Chrysalis-ITS engineers saw a two-day
logic simulation run reduced to 40 seconds with Xtreme. ``This time
savings allowed the engineering team to verify much more complex
behaviors earlier in the process,'' Thomas said. ``When you are dealing
with complex multi-ASIC designs, emulation is not optional anymore.
The emulator is running all the time, and there's a waiting list to
use it.''
Mike Tsai, president and CEO of Axis, said, ``Chrysalis-ITS'
experience is exactly the kind of success that Xtreme was designed to
enable. Our goal is to reduce time-to-market by providing the best
co-verification tools,'' Tsai added. ``Our customers know they can
depend on Xtreme and Xcite to speed up the verification and debugging
process, helping them to get it right on the first spin.''
About Xcite and Xtreme
Based on Axis' patented RCC technology, Xcite and Xtreme improve
verification throughput by orders of magnitude over software-only
simulators. From a single system, Xcite and Xtreme enable simulation,
accelerated simulation, and hardware/software co-verification.
Additionally, Xtreme, in its compact server size chassis, eliminates
the complexity of in-circuit emulation by providing full software
debug capabilities while running system emulation.
Xcite and Xtreme directly accelerate designs at register transfer
level (RTL) and do not impose any restrictions on abstraction level
(behavioral, RTL, gates) or style (asynchronous, multiple clocks,
etc.). With Xcite and Xtreme, system integration can be performed much
earlier in the design cycle.
About Axis Systems
Axis Systems, Inc. offers high-performance verification platforms
for the hardware and software development of complex electronic system
and system-on-a-chip designs. Axis' products help increase confidence
in new designs, improve overall verification productivity and shorten
time to market. On a single platform and with one design database,
patented RCC technology provides software simulation, accelerated
simulation, system emulation and hardware/software co-verification.
Axis' verification products go ``way beyond fast'' -- they not only run
fast, but also help customers identify and isolate bugs in a design
faster than any other tool on the market. Customers include the
world's leading networking and multimedia companies. Axis is
headquartered at 209 Java Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089. To learn more
about Axis, visit www.axiscorp.com.
About Chrysalis Semiconductor, a Division of Chrysalis-ITS Inc.
The Semiconductor Division of Chrysalis-ITS provides network
infrastructure OEMs with IC-based solutions, which allow them to offer
security services to their end customers. These solutions are designed
to be trusted, easy to integrate, and to process security protocols
without impeding system throughput. The solutions consist of ICs,
software, and circuit boards. With a ``Security Engine'' from
Chrysalis-ITS, security becomes a routing decision for the system OEM,
eliminating the need for network equipment vendors to keep up with the
ever changing and complex array of security protocols, algorithms, and
standards. Founded in 1994, Chrysalis-ITS is headquartered in Ottawa,
Canada, with offices in London; Boston; and Mountain View, Calif. The
company website is www.chrysalis-its.com.
Contact:
Axis Systems
Yukari Chin, 408/588-2000
yukari@axiscorp.com
OR
Cayenne Communication
Lois DuBois, 650/854-5485
lois.dubois@cayennecom.com
Linda Marchant, 919/968-8198
linda.marchant@cayennecom.com
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