Synopsys Delivers Milkyway Database C-API, Extending Galaxy Design Platform Interoperability

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Oct. 15, 2003— Twelfth EDA Interoperability Developers' Forum and C-API Technical Training Highlight Production-Proven Milkyway Design Database

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), the world leader in semiconductor design software, today announced the general availability of its Milkyway(TM) design database C-application programming interface (C-API) for electronic design automation (EDA) vendors. Providing a high performance integration option, the Milkyway C-API gives EDA vendors the ability to deliver their products pre-integrated with Synopsys' Galaxy(TM) Design Platform. Integration using the Milkyway C-API offers design engineers lower design risk, improved EDA tool interoperability and more effective design flows. Synopsys is highlighting the Milkyway C-API at an all-day technical training session on October 16 in Mountain View, Calif. and at Synopsys' twelfth semiannual EDA Interoperability Developers' Forum from October 16-17 in Santa Clara, Calif.

"The Milkyway C-API is an out-of-the-box option that enables us to efficiently interface our tools with the widely-used Milkyway database," said Hau-Yun Chen, chief executive officer and president, Silicon Canvas. "The C-API access to Milkyway provides an efficient way for Laker, our leading-edge controllable automated full-custom layout editor, to access a customer's design data. It helps our customers whose design flows are built around Milkyway to effectively use Laker to do custom editing directly on the physical data in their Milkyway databases."

Interoperability through the Milkyway Database C-API

The Milkyway C-API comprises the function prototypes and linkable libraries that allow a stand-alone program to read and write data in the Milkyway database. The Milkyway C-API has been available to customers for several years. Now, both customers and EDA tool developers can use the Milkyway C-API to directly access Milkyway design data with their application programs instead of working through less efficient file transfer formats. The Milkyway C-API provides an additional mechanism for customers and EDA vendors to integrate with and enhance the Galaxy Design Platform. The Milkyway database has been proven in today's largest nanometer-scale designs and is the basis for Synopsys' Galaxy Design Platform.

"National has used the C-API for several years to integrate internal and external tools with our Milkyway-based design environment," said James Lin, vice president of Technology Infrastructure Group at National Semiconductor. "The release of the C-API through MAP-in to EDA vendors will make it possible for us to acquire commercial tools pre-integrated with Milkyway, and provide a well-supported efficient solution for our internal design flows."

"Synopsys is delivering on a commitment it made in February 2003 when it opened Milkyway to EDA vendors, and taking another big step forward in our interoperability efforts," said Rich Goldman, vice president of Strategic Market Development at Synopsys, Inc. "The Milkyway C-API gives EDA vendors and their customers an efficient, faster and more predictable connection to the most widely used database for nanometer-scale designs. Synopsys remains committed to providing its customers with the supporting solutions, forums and training they need to get their complex designs done with fewer interoperability problems."

Milkyway C-API Technical Training and the EDA Interoperability Developers' Forum

The Milkyway C-API technical training session on October 16 will give EDA developers a running start in understanding the objects and functions of the Milkyway database, how to extend Milkyway for their own needs and how to integrate their tools. In addition, the semiannual EDA Interoperability Developers' Forum October 16-17 will also highlight Milkyway and provide EDA vendors and their customers an opportunity to exchange information on interoperability. The October Developers' Forum will include a keynote from James Hogan, senior vice president of business development at Artisan Components. The Forum will also include Milkyway developers' perspectives from Apache, Sequence and Synchronicity, a Milkyway C-API tutorial on design hierarchy and menu options from Synopsys engineers, and Interoperability updates on Liberty(TM), SDC, Milkyway and SystemVerilog. Ninety-eight EDA professionals and customers from 63 companies attended the April 2003 forum.

Availability

The Milkyway C-API linkable libraries are available now and are free to registered Milkyway Access Program (MAP-in(SM)) members. MAP-in members can download the Milkyway C-API through the MAP-in website at: www.synopsys.com/partners/mapin. Any EDA vendor can become a MAP-in member by registering at: www.synopsys.com/mapin/registration.

About the Milkyway Database

Milkyway is the industry's leading database for nanometer design. Leading-edge semiconductor companies have used it for over four years, and an estimated 12,000 tape-outs have been completed using tools based on Milkyway. Milkyway has the proven performance capacity needed by today's nanometer-scale designs. It supports a richer set of integrated circuit implementation tools than any other single design database, thus minimizing the need for non-productive and error-prone data translation between tools in a nanometer design flow. In February of 2003, Synopsys introduced the MAP-in program in order to open the Milkyway database to EDA vendors who wish to make their tools access the Milkyway database directly. More than 40 EDA vendors and partners are members of MAP-in.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is the world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading semiconductor design and verification platforms to the global electronics market, enabling the development of complex systems-on-chips (SoCs). Synopsys also provides intellectual property and design services to simplify the design process and accelerate time-to-market for its customers. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. and is located in more than 60 offices throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

Synopsys is a registered trademark of Synopsys Inc. Galaxy, Liberty and Milkyway are trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. MAP-in is a servicemark of Synopsys, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Synopsys, Inc.
Isela Gamboa, 650-584-1644
igamboa@synopsys.com
        or
Edelman Public Relations
Pushpita Prasad, 650-429-2723
pushpita.prasad@edelman.com