NEC Electronics Selects Synplicity for Custom ASIC Synthesis Development; Synplicity to Deliver Custom Software to Enable Optimized Results for NEC's ISSP Products
DATE CONFERENCE
MUNICH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003--Synplicity Inc.
(Nasdaq:SYNP), a leading supplier of software for the design and
verification of semiconductors, today announced it has signed a joint
development agreement with NEC Electronics Corporation to provide
support for NEC's Instant Silicon Solution Platform (ISSP) ASIC
devices. Under terms of the agreement, Synplicity will develop custom
synthesis mapping technology for its Synplify ASIC(R) software,
optimized to deliver the best performance, density and design
productivity for the ISSP devices. NEC Electronics has provided
Synplicity with detailed information about its ISSP architecture, has
validated the Synplify ASIC software's performance and will integrate
the software into its overall OpenCAD design flow. NEC Electronics and
its subsidiaries in North America and Europe will offer library
support for the custom Synplify ASIC software to its ISSP customers
worldwide to enable high-performance, high design capacity and fast
turnaround times.
"We chose to work with Synplicity due to its synthesis expertise
and history of success in developing custom mapping technology for the
high-end FPGA market, and have found Synplicity to be a valuable and
responsive development partner," said Dr. Hitoshi Yoshizawa, general
manager, 3rd custom LSI division, NEC Electronics Corporation. "With a
custom mapper optimized for our ISSP architecture, we expect our
customers will be able to use the Synplify ASIC software to obtain the
best timing performance possible. Likewise, we have found the Synplify
ASIC software to be very easy to use not only by ASIC designers but
also by system designers -- a critical characteristic for tools in a
high-productivity design flow -- enabling our customers to realize the
fast time-to-market benefits provided by our ISSP devices."
Ken McElvain, chief technical officer at Synplicity, said, "In
order to realize the performance and time-to-market advantages offered
by NEC's easy-to-design silicon platform, designers must have access
to automated, easy-to-use design tools. Synplicity has consistently
provided high-productivity, high-performance synthesis solutions, and
the ISSP architecture is an ideal platform to apply our core synthesis
and mapping capabilities. We teamed closely with NEC to understand the
details of the unique ISSP architecture and develop a synthesis engine
that would maximize the performance, density and time-to-market
advantages offered by the devices."
As part of this joint agreement, both parties intend to continue
to optimize the Synplify ASIC software for the ISSP architecture.
Synplicity also intends to train and work closely with NEC's field
design centers in order to provide its mutual customers complete
support. With the initial development complete, Synplicity and NEC
Electronics expect customers will immediately realize timing
performance, area and runtime advantages over synthesis solutions that
are not optimized for the ISSP devices. Synplicity intends to develop
future releases of the Synplify ASIC software in conjunction with NEC
Electronics to integrate the latest design software and architectural
enhancements to the ISSP solution. Both companies will work with
customers using ISSP devices to define additional design flow
advantages.
Pricing and Availability
The Synplify ASIC software version 2.4.1 with the ISSP-specific
mapping technology is available from Synplicity now. A one-year
time-based license starts at $45,000 (U.S.), and a perpetual license
starts at $115,000 (U.S.). Customers on maintenance will be upgraded
for free. The software is available for Linux (Red Hat 8.0), HP-UX
11.11, Sun Solaris 2.7/2.8/2.9, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000
operating systems.
About Synplicity's ASIC Synthesis Solution
Introduced in June 2001, Synplicity's Synplify ASIC software
leverages the company's proven synthesis technology, delivers high
quality of results and features order of magnitude runtime
improvements over traditional synthesis products. The Synplify ASIC
software has been production proven through customer tapeout successes
and endorsements from leading ASIC vendors, and has been flow tested
with leading EDA tools. This solution offers a unique top-down design
methodology that enables designers to perform timing-driven synthesis
on up to two million gates in a single block, supporting matching
hierarchy and constraints in both synthesis and place-and-route steps.
Additionally, the Synplify ASIC software offers a unique
MultiPoint(TM) design flow for fast, high-performance hierarchical
synthesis for any size of ASIC. The Synplify ASIC software is the only
ASIC synthesis solution to provide performance-optimized synthesis
capability for the ISSP architecture from NEC Electronics.
About the Instant Silicon Solution Platform Devices
NEC Electronics' ISSP is a new class of ASIC device based on a
cost-effective, high-function, easy-to-design ASIC architecture.
Targeting mid-volume designs, ISSPs combine the high performance found
in leading-edge cell-based ASICs with a remarkably easy design flow.
ISSP devices are easily customizable using upper metal layers to meet
individual design requirements. An ISSP is ideal for mid-volume
designers engaged in complex designs with high system clock speeds.
However, the platforms are generally very easy to design, consume much
lower power than a comparable FPGA-based solution, and offer up to an
order of magnitude lower NRE costs than cell-based designs. NEC offers
a breadth of ASIC solutions using cell-based and gate array products.
An ISSP complements these approaches by serving the growing number of
mid-volume applications that cannot bear the development costs
associated with leading-edge cell-based designs but which require
higher complexity than a gate array or FPGA solution.
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 networking and communications, computer and
peripheral, consumer and military/aerospace electronics systems.
Recognizing the company's industry-leading position, since the year
2000 Dataquest has named Synplicity as the #1 provider of PLD
synthesis tools, announcing a 54 percent market share in 2001.
Synplicity 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. The company's fast, easy-to-use products
offer high quality of results, support industry-standard design
languages (VHDL and Verilog) and run on popular platforms. As of
December 31, 2002, Synplicity employed over 250 people in its 20
facilities worldwide. Synplicity is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.
For more information on Synplicity, visit http://www.synplicity.com.
The specific features and new functionality of existing products
developed with or for third parties as described in this press release
remain at the sole discretion of Synplicity, Inc. and no warranty is
made as to whether the specific functionalities of such existing
products or the success of product integration with those of third
parties will occur as described in the press release.
Note to Editors: Synplicity and Synplify ASIC are registered
trademarks of Synplicity, Inc. MultiPoint is a trademark of
Synplicity, Inc. All other names mentioned herein are the trademarks
or registered trademarks of their owners.
CONTACT: Synplicity, Inc.
John Gallagher, 408/215-6000
johng@synplicity.com
or
Porter Novelli
Steve Gabriel, 408/369-1500 ext. 27
steve.gabriel@porternovelli.com
