Michael Kaskowitz of Mentor Graphics elected as new VSIA President; Kaskowitz's Revitalization Program will highlight SoC business issues and promote adoption of VSIA standards
LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2003--The VSI
Alliance, an industry association chartered with developing open
standards for System-on-Chip (SoC) development and reuse, today
announced the election of Michael Kaskowitz, general manager,
Intellectual Property Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation
(NASDAQ:MENT) as its new president. Timothy O'Donnell is leaving the
post as VSIA president, after holding the position since June 2001.
At the VSIA Board Meeting on February 27, 2003, Kaskowitz, the
VSIA Board, and VSIA Staff began outlining the VSIA "Revitalization"
Plan with a goal of defining new programs that will focus on the
business issues of reuse and SoC development and bring more resources
to its executive members. VSIA will form a taskforce from its member
base to help define specific programs. Some examples of programs that
have been discussed include: User groups to support more effective
adoption of popular standards; executive and management-level seminars
and panels providing a forum for exploring reuse issues; research
projects and technical surveys providing insights from VSIA end-user
members; technical and business audio presentations on the website;
and other web and in-person events that allow VSIA to share its
industry insights, research and results at the executive, management,
and technical level.
"As GM of Mentor Graphics IP division, Kaskowitz has demonstrated
an in-depth understanding of the technical and business issues
critical to SoC success. His experience dovetails perfectly with our
ongoing efforts to solve the tough problems that surround SoC
development and the widening design gap," said Tim O'Donnell,
Kaskowitz's predecessor. "VSIA is fortunate to have a leader with such
enthusiasm, strategic vision and relevant industry experience."
"For the past few years, VSIA has focused exclusively on the
Development Working Groups (DWGs) and we've done an excellent job
producing more than 20 standards, specs, white papers and taxonomies
in record time," said Kaskowitz. "Unfortunately, we have not done a
good job of solving the problems of adoption and of identifying and
bringing to light the business issues of SoC and reuse. Our membership
represents the most influential global reuse and SoC companies which
have tremendous insights into the business issues companies struggle
with for design reuse programs--we want to tap those resources and
bring more value to our members. During 2003-2004, my goals include
working with industry leaders to identify and provide solutions to the
critical SoC and reuse business challenges."
About VSIA
The VSI Alliance (VSIA) is an open, international organization
that includes representatives from all segments of the SoC industry:
System houses, Semiconductor vendors, Electronic Design Automation
(EDA) companies, and Intellectual Property (IP) providers. VSIA's
vision is to dramatically improve the productivity of SoC development
by specifying open standards and specifications that facilitate the
integration of software and hardware Virtual Components from multiple
sources. Many companies have adopted the use of VSIA specifications,
standards and documents. VSIA has wide industry participation with
more than 120 member companies from around the world. Membership is
open to any company with an interest in the development and promotion
of open standards used in the design of System-on-Chip. For more
information, visit the VSIA web site at www.vsi.org, or e-mail to
info@vsi.org.
About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) 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 3,500 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.
Adoption of VSIA Specifications and Standards
Adoption and use of VSIA's documents, specifications, and
standards is growing at many System-on-Chip companies. Some of the
companies that have adopted VSIA specifications and standards include
Alcatel; ARM; Cadence Design Systems, Inc.; Fujitsu Limited;
Hewlett-Packard Company; Infineon Technologies Corp.; Intel Corp;
LogicVision, Inc.; LSI Logic Corp; Mentor Graphics Corp.; Motorola
SPS; Nokia Mobile Phones; Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.; Philips
Semiconductor; sci-worx.; STMicroelectronics Ltd.; Synopsys, Inc.; and
Virtual Component Exchange.
VSI Alliance is a trademark of the Virtual Socket Interface
Alliance, Inc. Mentor Graphics is a registered trademark of Mentor
Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the
registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Cain Communication
Susan Cain, 831/662-6092
scain@caincom.com
