Mentor Graphics Delivers First Totally Integrated PCB Design and Signal Integrity Solution for Xilinx Virtex-II Pro X FPGAs

WILSONVILLE, Ore.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 17, 2003— Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT), the market leader in printed circuit board (PCB) design solutions, today announced a new class of design kits for the Xilinx Virtex-II Pro(TM)X family of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Xilinx Virtex-II Pro X FPGAs are the first programmable solution to offer embedded multi-gigabit transceivers with speeds up to 10 Gigabits (Gbps) per channel. The Mentor design kit provides designers with high-speed verification models written in ICX-SPICE to be used with Mentor Graphics(R) industry leading ICX(R) PCB design verification environment, consisting of fully integrated analog/mixed signal circuit simulation technology. Designers can now implement the world's fastest FPGAs on their PCBs using Mentor's integrated design entry, place and route and signal integrity solution.

"Mentor Graphics has reduced the cost and complexity of multi-gigabit signal integrity analysis by fully integrating its SPICE and S-Parameter solution directly within its PCB design environment," said Jerry Banks, director of Global Alliances at Xilinx, Inc. "Users should benefit from a robust design with a reduced number of board spins and a higher PCB production yield by having accurate verification models for our multi gigabit Virtex-II Pro X devices."

"High performance Xilinx FPGAs, such as the Virtex-II Pro X devices, are achieving speeds of 10 Gigabits per second per channel," stated Joe Dalton, director of marketing, systems design division, Mentor Graphics. "Rules of thumb no longer apply when placing and routing these devices on a PCB. Each PCB interconnect must be carefully verified using advanced tools from Mentor Graphics and Xilinx FPGAs. Our collaboration with Xilinx enables our users to capitalize on the most advanced FPGA technology available."

The ICX family of products provides signal integrity analysis functionality for integrated circuit (IC) device architectures from traditional parallel to state-of-the-art multi-gigabit serial interconnect. Mentor's ICX solution combines the electrical and physical aspects of a design, providing an integrated design and verification environment for signal integrity and timing analysis during layout. This environment uses true electrical rules to drive the placement and routing of high-speed boards, ensuring designs are electrically-correct the first time.

About Xilinx Virtex-II Pro X FPGAs

Xilinx Virtex-II Pro X FPGAs are the only programmable solution in the industry to offer multi-gigabit transceivers with speeds up to 10 Gbps per channel. These highly programmable transceivers support all the industry's high-speed serial IO standards; such as 10GE, OC-48, SxI-5, TFI-5, PCI-Express, Serial RapidIO, XFP, Fibre Channel and the new UXPi specification. The new Virtex-II Pro X devices extend the current Virtex-II Pro family by supporting data rates up to 10.3125 Gbps. By removing perceived obstacles in the adoption of high-speed serial design, Xilinx expects to enable thousands of new designs for its Virtex-II Pro and Virtex-II ProX FPGAs.

Pricing and Availability

The Mentor RocketIOX Design Kit for ICX will be available Q4 2003 free of charge to Mentor customers and can be accessed through the High-Speed Resource Center on the Mentor Graphics Web site (www.mentor.com/highspeed/resource/). The Xilinx RocketIO ICX-SPICE model is free of charge and available for download on the Xilinx Web site at /www.xilinx.com/support/software/spice/spice-request.htm).

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 $650 million and employs approximately 3,600 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: http://www.mentor.com/.

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

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