Product category: Intellectual Property Cores
News Release from: Synopsys | Subject: DesignWare IP library
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 8 October 2001
Cores for celebration at growing IP library
Synopsys is adding microprocessor cores from Infineon, MIPS Technologies and NEC to its industry-leading DesignWare IP library.
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Synopsys is adding microprocessor cores from Infineon, MIPS Technologies and NEC to its industry-leading DesignWare IP library. These cores will integrate seamlessly into DesignWare's AMBA-based on-chip bus IP solution to provide complete plug-and-play microprocessor subsystems. More than 25,000 design engineers who use the DesignWare IP library will now be able to evaluate and design easily at their desktop using these high-performance, high-value IP cores, thus fostering innovation and accelerating time to market in next-generation designs.
"Synopsys is pleased to partner with these leading Star IP providers to bring world-class microprocessor IP to the designers' desktop", said John Chilton, senior vice president and general manager of the Synopsys IP and Systems Group.
"This Star IP programme coupled with our worldwide distribution, global presence and dedicated support will contribute to the realisation of Gartner's prediction that by 2005, 80% of an SoC will consist of predesigned IP blocks".
"The top three design challenges hardware engineers face with microprocessors is finding IP that is easy to access, easy to evaluate and easy to implement", said Kevin Meyer, vice president of marketing at MIPS Technologies.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Synopsys to help solve these critical systems issues through offering the MIPS32 4KE processor core family in the DesignWare library.
Now with its extensive range of preverified and reusable IP building blocks and microprocessor cores, DesignWare provides hardware engineers with a complete design environment targeted toward 'right-first-time' design".
"Embedded applications continue to be driven by the need for cost-effective solutions with real-time performance.
The C166S 16bit microcontroller has already established itself as a leading architecture, based on its balance of performance and system implementation cost", according to Dr.Reinhard Ploss, senior vice president and general manager of Infineon Technologies Automotive and Industrial Business Unit.
"Availability of a technology-independent implementation of the C166S through DesignWare allows our customers the benefits of making price performance tradeoffs to maintain a competitive edge in providing embedded solutions".
"We are pleased that our high-value V850 CPU core will be included in DesignWare", said Shinichi Iwamoto, senior manager of the Microcomputer Division at NEC Corporation.
"We believe this strategic project with Synopsys will enable us to widely expand our microcomputer business and strengthen our foothold in the IP business to remain an SoC market leader".
The initial microprocessor cores that will be available through DesignWare include Infineon's C166S, the MIPS32 4KE processor core family, and NEC's Nx85E-STAR (V850).
Design views consisting of configurable simulation and timing models for these cores will be available in DesignWare to existing customers at no additional charge.
DesignWare customers who license these cores will also get full Implementation Views of the respective cores in DesignWare, including the synthesisable RTL.
Each microprocessor core will have an amba AHB interface for compatibility with DesignWare's on-chip bus solution and other AMBA-based DesignWare IP.
These microprocessors will conform to the strict design reuse coding guidelines and methodology defined by the reuse methodology manual (RMM) co-authored by Synopsys.
Star IP cores in DesignWare are packaged into coreKits with coreBuilder and include the configurable core, and a complete verification environment consisting of simulation models, test benches and test suites.
These coreKits are delivered in DesignWare with coreConsultant, a tool that automatically configures the core and verification environment.
In addition, it synthesises the core using Design Compiler, Physical Compiler or FPGA Compiler II.
Synopsys is developing a complete AMBA-based on-chip bus solution which, when combined with the Star IP cores in DesignWare, allows designers to create complete AMBA-based microprocessor sub-systems.
In addition to the existing DesignWare MacroCells, Synopsys is adding AMBA on-chip bus logic as well as other standard microprocessor peripherals to DesignWare.
DesignWare customers will be able to configure, assemble, synthesize and verify AMBA-based subsystems automatically using new tools built on the proven coreBuilder and coreConsultant technology.
The first Star IP microprocessor cores will be available to DesignWare customers starting in Q4 2001.
The DesignWare AMBA-based on-chip bus solution will be available in the first calendar quarter of 2002.
There is no additional charge to DesignWare customers for the Star IP microprocessor core design views and DesignWare AMBA-based on-chip bus solution.
Star IP implementation views are licensed directly from the respective Star IP owners (except the NEC V850, which is licensed from Synopsys).
A DesignWare one-year technology subscription license (TSL) is priced at $25,740.
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