UMC Targets Low-Power SoC Designs with Industry's Most Comprehensive Low-Power Reference Design Package
Test Chip, Libraries, Technology Files and RTL-to-GDSII Reference
Flow Demonstrate Predictable Path to Silicon Success with
Shortened Time to Market
HSINCHU, Taiwan—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sept. 27, 2005—
UMC (NYSE:UMC) (TSE:2303), a leading semiconductor foundry, today
introduced the industry's most comprehensive low-power reference
design package to specifically target the needs of low power,
system-on-chip (SoC) designers. The offering delivers a fast, more
predictable path to silicon success and sets a new precedent in the
foundry industry in terms of providing customers with a complete
solution to help shorten their product development time for low power
designs. This technology enabler for nanometer designs is available
for UMC's 0.13um process today, and includes:
-- Silicon-verified test chip that features the open-source LEON2
SPARC processor
-- Process optimized low-power libraries
-- Low power technology files
-- Integrated RTL-to-GDSII reference flow incorporating the
latest tools from Cadence Design Systems Inc. (NYSE:CDN)
(Nasdaq:CDN) and Mentor Graphics (Nasdaq:MENT)
"As designs scale to smaller process technologies, leakage and
other power challenges become bigger obstacles for SoC designers,"
said Ken Liou, director of the IP and Design Support division at UMC.
"To effectively address these issues, designers need a total package
solution that will help guide them efficiently through the design
process. With the delivery of this comprehensive offering, we are
providing designers with key resources to help them quickly and
successfully bring their low-power ICs to market."
The reference design package expands well beyond a typical foundry
reference flow to also include a host of other silicon-verified
resources developed to work together. Low power SoC developers can
reference the test chip that includes a LEON2 processor -- the open
source synthesizable VHDL model of a 32-bit processor, while designing
their own SoC designs. The chip design is highly configurable and
expandable, allowing customers to plug in additional digital and/or
analog/mixed signal (AMS) hard IP blocks, making it ideal for specific
derivative designs that customers are evaluating. The chip can also be
used for greater insight into the process or device side effects of
advanced technology and to figure out solutions, set up a library and
IP QA methodology through chip implementation, and validate process,
library, IP, and EDA tools and flow before adoption.
The silicon-validated reference flow adopts the Cadence Encounter
digital IC design platform, which includes Encounter RTL Compiler
synthesis, SoC Encounter Global Physical Synthesis (GPS), VoltageStorm
static and dynamic power analysis, and CeltIC Nanometer Delay
Calculator (NDC). For design-for-test (DFT), it adopts the latest
Mentor flow, which integrates MBISTArchitect, DFTAdvisor and
TestKompress and for physical verification uses Mentor's Calibre tool.
The reference flow provides the user with an understanding of the
low-power design flow and in-depth DFT using the LEON2 based test chip
as a reference design.
Silicon-proven libraries and technology files complete the
low-power reference design package, and provide the basic building
blocks for customers to begin their low-power SoC development.
Customers interested in this offering should contact their UMC sales
representative.
About UMC
UMC (NYSE:UMC) (TSE:2303) is a leading global semiconductor
foundry that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications
spanning every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC
delivers cutting-edge foundry technologies that enable sophisticated
system-on-chip (SOC) designs, including 90nm copper, 0.13um copper,
and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC is also a leader in 300mm manufacturing;
Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based UMCi are both in volume
production for a variety of customer products. UMC employs over 10,500
people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe,
and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at
http://www.umc.com.
Contact:
UMC (In Taiwan)
Alex Hinnawi, (886) 2-2700-6999 ext. 6958
or
KJ Communications (In the USA)
Eileen Elam, 650-917-1488
Email Contact
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