6 Million Gate Design Accelerated 16x Using Aldec's Hardware Acceleration
Henderson Nevada, May 20th, 2003 -- Aldec, Inc., a pioneer in mixed language simulation and advanced design tools for FPGA and ASIC devices, in conjunction with Amirix Systems Inc., a provider of customized embedded systems design services, announced today that Amirix's recent embedded design that exceeded 6 million FPGA gates was accelerated over 16x using Aldec's hardware acceleration product, Riviera-IPT.
Amirix Systems is a design house utilizing the latest advancements in design verification in order to best bring their clients' projects to fruition. While developing the 6 million gate design, Amirix previously simulated the design for three days in regression testing to confirm system level functionality. Once Aldec's Riviera-IPT hardware acceleration technology was applied to that same design, it condensed verification time from three days to less than five hours.
Scott Hurst, a Senior Hardware Designer on the project at Amirix, selected the Riviera-IPT product because of its industry-leading performance runs and unobtrusive installation.
"Riviera-IPT enabled us to become more productive by allowing us to run and complete all the tests overnight on a single system eliminating the need for a server farm. The system performed flawlessly and helped find problems that we wouldn't have practically found otherwise. Additionally, the tool gave us the ability to quickly determine the impact of potential design changes on system performance which enhanced our productivity," stated Hurst.
Riviera-IPT is a PCI-based circuit board system installed on a workstation, PC or server running under UNIX, Linux or Window NT / 2000 / XP operating system. There are several configurations of Riviera-IPT available depending on the design's density; configurations including microprocessor support are also available.
"The hardware board for Riviera-IPT installed directly into a PCI slot, so it wasn't cumbersome like an emulator and its price was thousands of dollars less than comparable products we were evaluating. Riviera-IPT accelerated our design 16x, helping us to meet our customer's expectations and schedule," stated Denise King, VP Technical Operations at Amirix.
By utilizing Riviera-IPT, Amirix was not only able to better debug their design faster and more efficiently, but during the project's development, the design team at Amirix was able to make modifications to the design during the development process and quickly see how such changes will ultimately affect the end-device. The incorporation of hardware verification leads to a more flexible development process because changes can be tested and applied much faster than in a software environment alone.
"Part of what sets Amirix apart as a leading design house is its commitment to providing its customers with the most advanced technology in a cost-efficient strategy. The fact that Amirix chose Riviera-IPT to accelerate its design, while meeting the requirements set forth by their client, shows how pioneering Amirix really is and how dedicated they are to their customers," stated Eric Seabrook, Product Marketing Manager at Aldec.
Availability
Riviera-IPT is a software/hardware co-verification solution that allows designers to designate that certain modules of the design be placed into hardware while new portions of the design continue to reside in software. The design in its entirety can ultimately be placed in hardware for real-time runs. Riviera-IPT comes in various configurations and daughter board expansion options to best fit the needs of each designer.
About Amirix Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1981, AMIRIX offers customized embedded systems design services by combining expertise in hardware (high performance digital board and programmable logic design), embedded software (RTOS/OS, firmware, device drivers) and board level systems integration. AMIRIX design solutions are flexible, time-to-market efficient and cost effective and can be found in defense, aerospace and medical applications, as well as telecommunications platforms. An ISO 9001 approved company, AMIRIX maintains its headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
About Aldec
Aldec, Inc., a 19-year EDA tool provider, is committed to delivering high-performance, HDL-based design verification software for UNIX, Linux and Windows platforms. Aldec is dedicated and responsive to serving its customers' needs with its offices located around the globe. Continuous innovation, superior product quality and total commitment to customer service comprise the foundation of Aldec's strategic objectives. Additional information about Aldec is available at http://www.aldec.com.
