Atmel Extends and Expands Partnership With Mentor Graphics, OEM Agreement Spans Synthesis, Simulation and Verification

SAN JOSE, Calif. and WILSONVILLE, Ore., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Atmel(R) Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) and Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT), today announced a multi-year extension and expansion of the existing OEM agreement for advanced synthesis, simulation, and verification tools from Mentor Graphics. The new agreement signifies the industry's most comprehensive OEM relationship between a programmable logic device (PLD) vendor and electronic design automation (EDA) solutions provider, and spans the full spectrum of tools essential for both FPGA and CPLD design.

Through this OEM agreement, FPGA designers can now easily realize the power of the Precision(R) RTL Synthesis tool from Mentor Graphics within Atmel's FPSLIC(R) FPGA and the ProChip Designer(R) CPLD development systems. Additionally, the partnership extends support of the industry leading ModelSim(R) simulator from Mentor Graphics to all of Atmel's CPLD devices. Users of the FPSLIC development system will get continued support for both the ModelSim simulator and the Seamless(R) hardware/software co-verification product from Mentor Graphics.

"Mentor Graphics is a leader in FPGA and PLD design tools. We have partnered closely over the past five years, and Atmel is pleased to extend our long standing relationship," said Gladwyn D'Souza, product director, Programmable Devices, Atmel Corporation. "Our customers need complete synthesis, simulation, and verification solutions for both CPLD and FPGA development flows. So it was an easy choice to select Mentor Graphics to help complement and enhance Atmel's design tool suite for our new devices. Working in close partnership, Mentor Graphics tools will help our customers take advantage of the exceptional value and performance of Atmel devices," he concluded.

"This agreement reaffirms Mentor Graphics continued technology and business leadership in FPGA design tools, and is reflective of our commitment to provide comprehensive solutions for a broad range of programmable logic devices. By combining the strengths of our Precision RTL Synthesis, ModelSim and Seamless tools with Atmel's devices, we offer our mutual customers unprecedented performance and functionality," said Simon Bloch, general manager, Design Creation and Synthesis Division, Mentor Graphics. "We firmly believe that the addition of these advanced synthesis, simulation, and verification tools to their FPGA and CPLD design tools will enable new customers to adopt Atmel's technology."

Advanced Design Capabilities and Improved Performance

The Precision RTL Synthesis tool is designed to enable professional design engineers to quickly analyze, diagnose and resolve complex design issues with powerful features such as an ASIC-strength static timing analysis tool and intuitive design project management. This power ultimately creates outstanding performance in customers' end applications. Mentor Graphics is currently optimizing Precision RTL Synthesis support for Atmel's CPLD devices as well as FPSLIC FPGAs. Extended Atmel device support will be available in the next Precision RTL Synthesis release later this year. Shipments of Atmel development systems, including the new configurations with Mentor Graphics tools, are expected early next year.

About Atmel FPSLIC and CPLD Devices

Atmel's AT94K and AT94S family of Field Programmable System Level Integrated Circuits (FPSLIC devices) combine all the basic system building blocks (logic, memory and uC) in an SRAM-based monolithic field programmable device. The FPSLIC programmable SLI platform allows true system level designs to be implemented without the need for expensive NRE (non-recurring engineering) charges or costly software tools. FPSLIC for the first time puts system level integration on every designer's desk. The FPSLIC Secure (AT94S) combination of FPSLIC and the serial configuration memory in a single package allows for ISP and remote updates of FPSLIC while hiding programming code for the FPGA and AVR micro.

Atmel's ATF15xx CPLD family offers pin-compatible supersets of the popular 7000 and 3000 series devices ranging from 32 to 128 (soon to be 256) macrocells with propagation delays from 7.5 to 15 ns for 5V standard power versions and 15 ns for 3.3V versions. All products are available in low voltage versions and Atmel's proprietary low-power ("L") versions that use Input Transition Detection (ITD) to power down the device automatically when nothing is switching. All devices also support JTAG in-system programming (ISP).

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions. Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere You Are(SM).

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation 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 $675 million and employs approximately 3,800 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/ .

NOTE: Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof and FPSLIC(R) and ProChip Designer(R) are registered trademarks, and Everywhere You Are(SM) is the trademark of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Mentor Graphics, Precision, ModelSim, Seamless, and specific product designations are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information:

For further information on Programmable Logic, go to http://www.atmel.com/products/Config/ and http://www.atmel.com/products/PLD/ .

   Atmel Press Contacts:
   Clive Over, Director of Press Relations - USA and Asia
   Phone:  408-451-2855, Email:  cliveover@atmel.com
   Veronique Sablereau, Corporate Communications Manager - Europe
   Phone:  +33 1 30 60 70 68, Email:  veronique.sablereau@atmel.com

CONTACT: Clive Over, Director of Press Relations - USA and Asia,
+1-408-451-2855, or cliveover@atmel.com, or Veronique Sablereau, Corporate
Communications Manager - Europe, +33 1 30 60 70 68, or
veronique.sablereau@atmel.com, both of Atmel Corporation

Web site: http://www.mentor.com/

Web site: http://www.atmel.com/