LSI Logic and Synplicity Team to Develop Customized Physical Synthesis Tool for LSI Logic's RapidChip Platform
Next-Generation Physical Synthesis Tool Speeds Time-to-Design
for LSI Logic's RapidChip(TM) Products
MILPITAS, Calif. & SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22,
2003--
LSI Logic Corp. (NYSE: LSI) and Synplicity Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNP)
today announced a joint development, marketing and distribution
agreement to provide an optimized physical synthesis tool expressly
for LSI Logic's RapidChip customers. Synplicity is working closely
with LSI Logic's RapidChip engineering team to create a customized
physical synthesis solution that uniquely targets the RapidChip
architecture and sets a new standard for custom logic designer
productivity. The result of this joint development will be a new class
of physical synthesis tool that enables designers to readily achieve
design goals on RapidChip products. As part of the agreement, LSI
Logic will also license the jointly developed physical synthesis
product for internal use.
RapidChip enables the design of complex, customized
system-on-a-chip products quickly and predictably. To meet the
RapidChip time-to-market requirements, design tools must be able to
automatically map to RapidChip slices and fully utilize the RapidChip
architecture. Synplicity is developing a custom physical synthesis and
mapping tool that enables RapidChip customers to quickly achieve
placement-based timing closure of high-density, high-performance
designs at their site. The tool is built on an automated, easy-to-use
physical synthesis technology suited for a logic designer, not a
physical design expert. Starting from pre-built RapidChip slices and
using Synplicity's tool, customers benefit from a streamlined design
flow that addresses physical design issues up-front: floorplanning,
placement, congestion management, test, packaging, power, clock, and
signal integrity. Because physical design issues are addressed early,
LSI Logic would be able to deliver a GDSII tape-out as fast as one
week per million logic gates from the customer handoff. This is
unprecedented for this level of complexity.
The RapidChip silicon platform includes a customer configurable
logic fabric and highly optimized memories coupled with LSI Logic's
silicon-proven CoreWare. The benefit this provides is to enable
customers to integrate their unique logic functionality with industry
compliant high-speed SERDES, industry standard processors and industry
leading memories pre-built on a RapidChip slice. RapidChip's unique
logic architecture can be configured with up to five metal layers
enabling designers to realize performance and routing densities
typically achieved with standard cell designs and well beyond what is
possible with the architectures characteristic of FPGA and other
structured ASIC devices.
"LSI Logic's RapidChip silicon platform utilizes some innovative
architectures and approaches that allow a much broader range of
customers access, for the first time, to state of the art technology
and intellectual property at an affordable cost of design and entry.
We are developing a physical synthesis product with Synplicity as an
enhancement to our RapidChip product to enable our customers to take
full advantage of the capabilities offered by RapidChip," said Ronnie
Vasishta, vice president, Technology Marketing, LSI Logic Corporation.
"Teaming with Synplicity to provide RapidChip customers with a
customized physical synthesis tool is a natural extension of our
history in developing and delivering industry-leading design tools and
methodologies and once again providing this to a very broad base of
customers."
"We believe custom physical synthesis is a requirement for
maximizing the performance of the RapidChip architecture and we are
pleased LSI Logic has chosen Synplicity to develop this tool for its
RapidChip design flow," said Ken McElvain, chief technical officer,
Synplicity Inc. "We believe by applying a unique high-performance,
high-capacity physical synthesis solution to the RapidChip flow -- one
which brings together the benefits of physical synthesis and silicon
virtual prototyping into one tool environment -- designers will be
able to achieve significant area reduction for the RapidChip
architecture, thus reducing silicon costs."
In a separate purchase agreement, LSI Logic has expanded their use
of Synplicity's suite of FPGA and verification design tools.
Availability
Synplicity expects its customized physical synthesis product to be
available for RapidChip customers in the third quarter of 2003.
Synplicity and LSI Logic are working together to train their field
application engineers and design centers on the new product. In future
phases of the relationship, Synplicity intends to develop enhanced
versions of the software in conjunction with LSI Logic to integrate
the latest design software and architectural enhancements to the
RapidChip solution.
About RapidChip
The RapidChip semiconductor platform combines the high-density,
high-performance benefits of cell-based ASICs with the fast
time-to-market and customization benefits of FPGAs, and the proven IP
benefits of ASSPs. Targeting the Communications, Consumer and Storage
markets, RapidChip uses LSI Logic's high-performance field-tested
CoreWare(R) IP, customizable logic, embedded memory, and innovative
design concepts to significantly reduce design and manufacturing risk
and costs. RapidChip also provides a fast and seamless migration path
to full standard-cell ASIC -- driving unit costs even lower.
Unique to RapidChip is the customer-friendly interface that
dramatically simplifies the underlying complexity of the design tools
and flows associated with SoC design. Rule sets automatically manage
architectural design, verification, and physical design. As a result,
design schedules for high-performance chips are very predictable.
Information on RapidChip technology is available through LSI Logic's
direct sales channels and worldwide distribution partners.
About LSI Logic Corporation
LSI Logic Corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of
communications, consumer and storage semiconductors for applications
that access, interconnect and store data, voice and video. In
addition, the company supplies storage network solutions for the
enterprise. LSI Logic is headquartered at 1621 Barber Lane, Milpitas,
California. Additional information about LSI Logic can be found at
http://www.lsilogic.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 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), structured 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 March 31, 2003, Synplicity employed over 260
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 functionality of new products in
combination with products from 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
products will occur as described in the press release.
Synplicity is a registered trademark of Synplicity, Inc. CoreWare
is a registered trademark of LSI Logic Corp. RapidChip is a trademark
of LSI Logic Corp. All other names mentioned herein are the trademarks
or registered trademarks of their owners.
CONTACT: Porter Novelli
Steve Gabriel, 408/369-1500 x27 (PR)
steve.gabriel@porternovelli.com
or
LSI Logic Corporation
Diana Hodges, 408/433-4245 (Reader)
dschultz@lsil.com
CC03-55
or
Synplicity, Inc.
John Gallagher, 408/215-6000 (Reader)
johng@synplicity.com
or
Brodeur Worldwide
Crystal Patriarche, 602/282-5467 (PR)
cpatriarche@brodeur.com
