5th Apr 2007 18:47
Synplicity, Inc. (Nasdaq:SYNP), a leading supplier of FPGAsynthesis software and ARM (LSE:ARM)(Nasdaq:ARMHY) have announced ajoint marketing and collaboration agreement which includes a referencemethodology for the recently launched ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M1 processor-- the first ARM processor specifically designed for implementation inFPGA (see "ARM Extends Cortex Family with First Processor Optimizedfor FPGA" Mar. 19 2007 http://www.arm.com/news/17017.html). £ The two companies have also agreed to work together to furthersupport easy system integration of the Cortex-M1 processor using theSynplicity tool chain. With the signing of this marketing andcollaboration agreement, ARM and Synplicity will work together toensure that mutual customers can successfully implement the ARMprocessor across a range of FPGA device families. The ARM-Synplicityjoint reference methodology ensures that a broad number of companiescan easily and effectively leverage the ARM technology and Synplicitysoftware. £ Under this marketing and collaboration agreement Synplicity, amember of the ARM Connected Community, will put processes in place toensure that customers have a seamless design flow for Cortex-M1processors. Synplicity's R&D team will use the Cortex-M1 processor aspart of standard product validation procedures. Synplicity's corporateengineering also has access to the Cortex-M1 processor IP to providemutual customer support. £ ARM worked closely with Synplicity during the development of theCortex-M1 processor and used Synplicity's industry-leading SynplifyPro synthesis software extensively during the development process. £ "Synplicity's involvement was a significant benefit during thedevelopment of the Cortex-M1 processor," said Graham Budd, ExecutiveVP and General Manager, Processor Division, ARM. "The ARM design teamwas keen to ensure the Cortex-M1 processor was optimized for multipleFPGA targets. Synplicity's vendor independent flow enabled us toachieve this with minimum overhead, ensuring that the processor can beimplemented on the widest possible range of FPGA devices." £ "ARM's entry into the FPGA market is a watershed event by bringingan industry standard processor to FPGA design," said Joe Gianelli, VPbusiness development, Synplicity. "The intent of our long-termpartnership with ARM is to increase the awareness and provide optimalimplementation of ARM processors for FPGA design." £ The ARM Cortex-M1 processor is the first ARM processorspecifically designed for implementation on FPGA and extends the rangeof the ARM Cortex processor family, enabling OEMs to standardizearound a common architecture across the performance spectrum. Theprocessor implements a subset of the popular, high-density Thumb(R)-2instruction set which enables both the processor and softwarefootprint to meet the area budget of the smallest FPGA devices, whileretaining compatibility with Thumb code for any ARM processor from theARM7TDMI(R) processor upwards. £ The Cortex-M1 processor is capable of more than 170 MHz, whilstoccupying less than 15 percent area of popular low-cost FPGA devices.Despite being the smallest processor in the Cortex family, theCortex-M1 processor can deliver 0.8 DMIPS/MHz. £ Tools and Peripherals Support £ The Cortex-M1 processor will be fully supported by the ARMRealView(R) Development Suite and RealView Microcontroller DevelopmentKit. The RealView Development Suite includes a complete instructionset system model (ISSM) enabling developers to create and testapplications for the Cortex-M1 processor out of the box. For improvedintegration into tool-flows, the Cortex-M1 processor is supported withan XML description adhering to the IP-XACT(TM) specification from TheSPIRIT Consortium. £ The ARM-Synplicity reference methodology for the Cortex-M1processor includes capabilities for physical and logic synthesisdesign flows. Synplicity's FPGA synthesis solutions help programmablelogic designers rapidly achieve aggressive performance objectives.Synplicity's family of FPGA synthesis solutions includes the Synplifysoftware, Synplify Pro logic synthesis software and the SynplifyPremier physical synthesis software. The Synplify Pro software is theindustry's most widely used FPGA synthesis solution, utilizing a truetiming-driven approach to synthesis. The software delivers theperformance needed to meet a design's timing requirements and thenoptimizes the circuit for area, saving significantly on chip cost. TheSynplify Premier solution builds upon Synplicity's industry-leadingsynthesis technology and adds new graph-based physical synthesis andreal-time, simulator-like visibility into operating FPGA devices.Graph-based physical synthesis provides rapid timing closure and a5-20 percent timing improvement. £ Availability: £ The reference methodology is available now from both companies. £ About ARM £ ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanceddigital products, from mobile, home and enterprise solutionsto embedded and emerging applications. ARM's comprehensive productoffering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines,graphics processors, digital libraries, embedded memories,peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analogfunctions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with thecompany's broad Partner community, they provide a total systemsolution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leadingelectronics companies. More information on ARM is available athttp://www.arm.com. £ About the ARM Connected Community £ The ARM Connected Community is a global network of companiesaligned to provide a complete solution, from design to manufacture andend use, for products based on the ARM architecture. ARM offers avariety of resources to Community members, including promotionalprograms and peer-networking opportunities that enable a variety ofARM Partners to come together to provide end-to-end customersolutions. For more information, please visithttp://www.arm.com/community. £ About Synplicity £ Synplicity(R) Inc. (Nasdaq:SYNP) is a leading supplier ofinnovative software solutions that enable the rapid and effectivedesign of Programmable Logic Devices (FPGAs, PLDs and CPLDs) thatserve a wide range of communications, military/aerospace, consumer,semiconductor, computer, and other electronic systems markets.Synplicity's tools provide outstanding performance, cost andtime-to-market benefits by simplifying, improving and automating keydesign planning, logic synthesis, physical synthesis and verificationfunctions for FPGA, FPGA-based ASIC verification, and DSP designers.Synplicity is the number one supplier of FPGA synthesis solutions andhas been rated #1 in customer satisfaction since 2004 in EE Times'Annual FPGA Customer Survey. Synplicity products supportindustry-standard design languages (VHDL and Verilog) and run onpopular platforms. The company operates in over 20 facilitiesworldwide and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For moreinformation visit http://www.synplicity.com. £ ARM, Thumb, ARM7TDMI, and RealView are registered trademarks ofARM Limited. Cortex is a trademark of ARM Limited. All other brands orproduct names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" isused to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited;and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARMTaiwan; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARMBelgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; AXYS GmbH; ARM EmbeddedSolutions Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Physical IP, Inc.; and ARM Norway AS. £ Forward-Looking Statements £ This press release contains forward-looking statements including,but not limited to, statements regarding Synplicity's efforts tosupport of customers using Cortex-M1 processor cores. In some cases,you will be able to identify forward-looking statements by terminologysuch as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "believes," "can" or thenegative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Thesestatements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks,uncertainties and other factors that may cause the forward-lookingstatements to differ materially, including the potential errors,design flaws or other problems with the Cortex-MI processor; thedevelopment of the market for ultra high-performance programmabledevices; the rapid changes in technical requirements for FPGAs andcompetitive risks. For additional information and considerationsregarding the risks faced by Synplicity, see its annual report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 as filed with the Securitiesand Exchange Commission, as well as other periodic reports filed withthe SEC from time to time, including its quarterly reports on Form10-Q. Although Synplicity believes that the expectations reflected inthe forward-looking statements are reasonable, Synplicity cannotguarantee the future performance or achievements of its products. Inaddition, neither Synplicity nor any other person assumesresponsibility for the accuracy or completeness of theseforward-looking statements. Synplicity disclaims any obligation toupdate information contained in any forward-looking statement. £ Synplicity, Synplify Pro and Synplify are registered trademarks ofSynplicity Inc. All other brands or products are the trademarks orregistered trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright Business Wire 2007Related Shares:
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