Mentor Graphics RocketIO Design Kit for HyperLynx Simplifies Simulation of Xilinx Multi-Gigabit Designs

WILSONVILLE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 2003--Mentor Graphics Corporation, the market leader in printed circuit board (PCB) design software, today announced the availability of the HyperLynx(R) GHz RocketIO(TM) Design Kit for the Virtex-II Pro(TM) family of Platform FPGAs from Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX). The design kit allows hardware design, layout and signal integrity (SI) engineers to simulate and implement Xilinx(R) Virtex-II Pro RocketIO multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs) in their PCB designs through the well-known and easy-to-use HyperLynx interface. By making it easy to evaluate Virtex-II Pro serial interconnects and guiding users through the process, the RocketIO Design Kit for HyperLynx ensures system design companies reach their time-to-market goals

"This new RocketIO Design Kit allows the HyperLynx tool users to access qualified Xilinx IC models from their preferred easy-to-use simulation and analysis environment when incorporating Xilinx Virtex-II Pro Platform FPGAs into their designs," said Joe Dalton, director of marketing, Systems Design Division, Mentor Graphics. "For digital designers who may not be familiar with SPICE, the design kit makes it simple to use Xilinx(R) RocketIO MGT models."

Designed for Ease-of-Use

The RocketIO Design Kit for the HyperLynx tool includes all of the qualified example circuits, connector and transmission line trace models required to simulate MGTs when incorporating Virtex-II Pro FPGAs into a PCB design. By eliminating the need for SPICE expertise, the design kit allows the HyperLynx GHz tool users to easily perform SI analysis on boards using a wide range of interconnects, from traditional parallel interconnects, to state-of-the-art multi-gigabit serial interconnects, and into the future of 10 gigabit I/O. The design kit also allows for the investigation of a large design space in a short period of time, featuring "what if" analysis on a wide variety of transmitter and receiver configurations.

The RocketIO Design Kit for the HyperLynx tool is already being used by a number of application engineers at Xilinx with excellent results. "Having the design kit for the HyperLynx GHz tool offers our customers an affordable and easy-to-use solution for our Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, further complementing Xilinx's vision to provide a complete serial design infrastructure as outlined in the Serial Tsunami initiative," said Andy DeBaets, senior director, Systems and Application Engineering, Xilinx, Inc. "The design kit has been pre-tested and verified in the HyperLynx environment, allowing our joint customers to gain instant productivity advantages and increase their confidence for first time serial design success."

Pricing and Availability

The RocketIO Design Kit for the HyperLynx tool is available immediately at no cost through the High-Speed Resource Center on the Mentor Graphics Web site (www.mentor.com/highspeed/resource/). More information is also available at this site or by calling 800-547-3000, or at the Xilinx high-speed Serial Tsunami solution Web portal at www.xilinx.com/serialsolution.

About the Virtex-II Pro FPGA Platform Family

The Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA family is the world's first and only FPGA to offer up to four integrated IBM PowerPC embedded processors and up to 24 multi-gigabit serial transceivers to solve high-performance architectural challenges. Virtex-II Pro devices include these multiple PowerPC CPUs and multi-gigabit serial transceivers at no additional charge, providing unequaled capability and value for today's system design requirements.

This unprecedented level of integration offers systems designers the highest level of performance with the lowest system cost available from any programmable solution. The use of behavioral synthesis technologies allows partitioning for optimal system performance during definition, during debug and after product shipment. Designers can now get the performance they need without costly and time-consuming re-designs.

About HyperLynx

Compatible with all major PCB layout environments, the HyperLynx 7.0 tool is a powerful and easy-to-implement tool suite for pre- and post-layout SI simulation and analysis. The HyperLynx tool allows PCB hardware designers to predict and eliminate SI, crosstalk and electromagnetic compliance (EMC) errors earlier in the design cycle, eliminating costly layout, prototype and test cycles. The HyperLynx 7.0 tool is available in two versions, the HyperLynx EXT tool for mainstream designs with clock frequencies under 500 MHz, and the HyperLynx GHz tool for multi-gigabit designs.

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.

Mentor Graphics and HyperLynx are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Mentor Graphics
             Debra Layton, 720/494-1043
             debra_layton@mentor.com
                   or
             Weber Shandwick
             Emily Taylor, 503/552-3733
             etaylor@webershandwick.com