Insight Electronics And Model Technology Announce Strategic Partnership to Improve FPGA Verification

SAN DIEGO & PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2002--Insight Electronics, the leading distributor of Xilinx devices and a member of The Memec Group, and Model Technology, a Mentor Graphics (Nasdaq:MENT - News) company, today announced a partnership to address the needs of today"s field-programmable gate array (FPGA) designers.

The agreement encompasses the standardization of Insight Electronics design centers and field engineering teams on the ModelSim® simulator, a reference selling agreement and joint marketing activities. The goal of the partnership is to accelerate and smooth the adoption of simulation technology into FPGA design projects taking simulation to the next level.

Simulation Required For Today"s FPGA Designs

Today"s generation of large FPGAs now contain millions of gates and designers are finding that the traditional method of verifying FPGAs -- prototyping -- is no longer effective. Functional simulation enables the designers to access all of the design rather that just what is available at the pins of the device, greatly simplifying the debugging of complex problems.

"With designs incorporating multiple IP cores and exceeding millions of gates, it"s clear that simulation is no longer simply an option for today"s FPGA designs," said Dick Joy, vice president of Memec Design, The Memec Group"s design and engineering division. "We already use simulation on all of our design contracts and were looking for a partner to help us in bringing the methodology to our customers. Model Technology was the obvious choice."

FPGA Designs Now Require Advanced Simulation Features

Large designs place the same demands on simulators whether they are implemented on FPGAs or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Almost all large designs use intellectual property (IP), which has increased the need for mixed-language simulation, and the complexity drives the need for a comprehensive debugging environment to help quickly find and fix bugs. The industry"s leading ModelSim simulator is used today on designs from thousands to millions of gates. ModelSim is uniquely architected to support the needs of entry level to advanced users.

"The goal of this agreement is to combine the expertise of the Insight Memec field team with ModelSim"s leading capabilities to ensure quick success for FPGA designers when they simulate their designs," said Robert Hum, vice president and general manager, Model Technology. "It is an honor to engage with the leading company in sales, technical support and FPGA design services."

About Model Technology

Model Technology, a Mentor Graphics company, is the industry"s leading supplier of HDL simulation tools. Model Technology provides ASIC and FPGA designers with the latest in simulation technology regardless of the language (VHDL, Verilog or mixed-HDL) or platform (Unix, Windows, Linux) used. Model Technology is headquartered in Portland, Ore., with 28 sales and distribution offices in the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Pacific Rim. For information on the nearest Model Technology(TM) representative or Model Technology products, call (503) 641-1340, email sales@model.com, or visit www.model.com.

About Mentor Graphics Corporation

Mentor Graphics Corporation is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world"s most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $600 million and employs approximately 3,700 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.

About Insight Electronics

Insight Electronics is a member of The Memec Group, the world"s leading distributor of proprietary advanced-technology semiconductors. With 52 divisions in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and South America, Insight is the largest specialty semiconductor distributor in North and South America. Insight focuses its line card on leading semiconductor companies, enabling their sales team and field application engineers to devote their time and resources to mastery of supplier products, processes, and technologies. The company"s value-added services, design expertise, inventory management, logistics, and e-business tools ensure that customers receive the products they need, when and where they need them. For more information, visit the Insight Web site at www.insight.na.memec.com.

Mentor Graphics and ModelSim are registered trademarks and Model Technology is a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company and/or product names are the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

     Model Technology
     Shawn Hiday, 503/526-1693
     shawnh@model.com
     or
     Model Technology Media Contact
     Weber Shandwick
     Mark Mohammadpour, 503/552-3734
     mmohammadpour@webershandwick.com
     or
     Insight Electronics Media Contact
     The Memec Group
     Nora Kenney, 858/450-8896
     nora_kenney@mei.memec.com