CoWare's Latest Software Release Aligns Strategic Technologies into Cohesive, Platform-Driven ESL Design Environment; Solutions Combine Tools, IP, Methodology, and Services With SystemC Technology Backbone
MUNICH, Germany—(BUSINESS WIRE)—March 6, 2006—
CoWare(R) Inc., the leading supplier of electronic
system-level (ESL) design software and services, has aligned the
strategic technologies it has developed and acquired into a new set of
solutions for platform-driven ESL design. Platform-driven design is
the major design trend in the electronics industry as system-on-chip
(SoC) developers shift focus from individual products to product
platforms that define a basic architecture used to derive multiple
products over a period of time. With its native backbone of SystemC
technology, CoWare has aligned its three product families into one
product line that enables three key solutions for collaborative
platform-driven ESL design: SoC platform capture and architecture
exploration, custom processor design, and algorithm design.
"Since its inception, CoWare has been leading the way to ESL
design. A sequence of strategic technology acquisitions, the
pioneering work in the definition of the industry-standard SystemC
modeling language, and the integration of all these technologies has
produced the industry's most comprehensive solution for
platform-driven ESL design," said Alan Naumann, CoWare CEO. "CoWare
customers are embracing the platform-driven ESL design approach
because of the economic and business value it delivers and the
impressive results they achieve."
"Our Elemental Computing product consists of a unique set of
processing elements, and a sophisticated interconnect capable of
executing complex signal processing and general purpose applications,"
stated Jaime Cummins, CEO, ElementCXI. "CoWare is leading the way with
the critical set of ESL technologies and the vision to integrate them
in a meaningful way for our product platform development. We look
forward to rapidly deploying this solution to embedded application
developers in the multimedia and automotive markets that we will serve
with our first silicon."
The Need for Product Platforms
Multimedia convergence, especially in the consumer electronics
markets, drives the need for increasingly complex product
architectures. The ability to record and play back multiple video
streams, high-quality audio, high-speed wireless communications, and a
multitude of other applications drives the need for complex SoC
designs with multiple busses, multiple processors, and a variety of
complex peripherals. At the same time the software content of such
devices has been growing exponentially.
Semiconductor companies are being forced to change their product
development strategies to successfully address the increasing market
demands. Their focus has shifted from individual products to product
platforms. A product platform defines a basic architecture that is
used to derive multiple products over a period of time. A cell phone
product platform, for example, may be under development for two to
three years, and, once completed, it can be used to derive as many as
50 different products (cell phones) per year for yet another three or
more years.
Platform-Driven ESL Design
The design of product platforms poses a new set of requirements on
the design tools and methodologies being used. The traditional
electronic design automation (EDA) design flow, from RTL to GDSII, is
no longer sufficient to capture the platform architecture, explore and
evaluate alternatives, and eventually help optimize it. The platform
architecture must be captured at a higher level of abstraction --
processors, buses, and peripherals need to be modeled in a manner that
allows the execution of real software applications on the platform
model so the architecture can be properly evaluated and explored. And,
because platform-driven ESL design does this so well, this methodology
is being adopted by many systems and semiconductor companies today.
CoWare Product Offerings for Platform-Driven ESL Design
CoWare technologies have been offering solutions to a number of
design challenges, such as creating custom processors and processor
models with LISATek(TM); defining and evaluating digital signal
processing algorithms with SPW; and modeling complex logic functions
such as bus architectures and peripheral IP blocks using
ConvergenSC(R). The combination of these technologies enables a new
level of design aimed at the capture, evaluation, and optimization of
the entire product platform.
"Instead of choosing individual tools and technologies, our
customers have been increasingly viewing CoWare as their primary ESL
design solution vendor," said AK Kalekos, vice-president marketing and
business development, CoWare. "In recognition of the trend to make a
'CoWare decision' for ESL design solutions, we have initiated a
renaming of our individual product lines to reflect their use in a
consistent and collaborative 'Platform-Driven ESL Design'
environment."
-- CoWare Platform Architect (formerly ConvergenSC Platform
Architect): Is the SystemC-based graphical environment for
capturing the entire product platform and the dashboard for
initiating the platform analysis functions.
-- CoWare Model Designer (formerly ConvergenSC Model Designer):
Is the SystemC-based modeling and simulation environment for
capturing complex IP blocks and verifying them.
-- CoWare Model Library (formerly ConvergenSC Model Library):
Provides an extensive library of processor, bus and peripheral
models that are commonly used in product platforms.
-- CoWare Processor Designer (formerly LISATek Processor
Designer): Enables the creation of custom processors or
programmable hardware accelerators and their models so they
can be incorporated into product platforms.
-- CoWare Signal Processing Designer (formerly SPW): Enables the
design and analysis of complex signal processing algorithms
and exports these algorithm implementations as blocks that can
be incorporated in product platforms. (See related
announcement at http://www.CoWare.com/news/)
Availability
CoWare's platform-driven ESL design solutions are available today.
For additional information about specific products, visit
www.CoWare.com. For pricing information, contact the local CoWare
sales representative.
About CoWare
CoWare is the leading supplier of electronic system-level (ESL)
design software and services. CoWare offers a comprehensive set of
platform-driven ESL products that enable SoC developers to
"differentiate by design" through the creation of system IP including
embedded processors, on-chip buses, and DSP algorithms; the
architecture of optimized SoC platforms; and hardware/software
co-design. The company's solutions are based on open industry
standards including SystemC. CoWare's customers are major systems,
semiconductor, and IP companies in the market where consumer
electronics, computing, and communications converge. CoWare's
corporate investors include ARM Ltd. (LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY),
Cadence Design Systems (Nasdaq:CDNS), STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM),
and Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE). CoWare is headquartered in San Jose,
Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information about
CoWare and its products and services visit http://www.coware.com.
ConvergenSC and CoWare are registered trademarks, and LISATek is a
trademark of CoWare, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
Contact:
CoWare, Inc.
Marketing Communications
Mindy Palmer, 408-392-8513
Email Contact
or
Armstrong Kendall, Inc.
Public Relations for CoWare
Jean Armstrong, 503-672-4680
Email Contact
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