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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE XILINX AND AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES COOPERATE
New Xilinx ChipScope ILA tool enhances time-to-market advantage SAN JOSE, Calif., March 7, 2000—Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX) and Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) today jointly announced the ChipScope Integrated Logic Analyzer (ILA) tool. This software tool, combined with the Agilent Technologies 16700 series logic analysis systems, allows XilinxÒ field programmable gate array (FPGA) users to easily debug multimillion gate designs. The ChipScope ILATM core can be integrated into the actual FPGA design to provide real-time logic analyzer capabilities. The tools were developed in conjunction with Agilent, the leader in logic analysis tools. As a result, ChipScope ILA tool and the Agilent 16700 series of logic analyzers are designed to be compatible for system-level debugging. By combining these two powerful tools, designers spend less time debugging in-system chip functionality, improving their time-to-market. While the need for thorough debugging capabilities in multi-million gate FPGA designs remains, externally probing package pins or board traces is becoming increasingly difficult. Using conventional logic analyzer probing methods to access leads in today’s advanced ball grid technologies or high-performance devices can be challenging. The Xilinx ChipScope ILA tool addresses these challenges by integrating logic analyzer capability into the FPGA. The Xilinx ChipScope ILA software and the ILA core allow real-time access to any node in the chip at full system speed, with an easy-to-use GUI interface. The ChipScope software allows designers to quickly download to the FPGA, modify trigger and set-up functions, and display waveforms for the captured traces. The Integrated Logic Analyzer data also can be displayed using the Agilent 16700 Logic Analyzer, time correlated with other system data acquired by the 16700. "Today's Internet-enabled world has product development windows shrinking at enormous rates," said Rich Sevcik, senior vice president of software, cores, and support at Xilinx. "Time to market advantages are even more critical to the designers and to the success of their products. In many cases, today's logic designers look first at which solution enables a shorter time to market. The existing FPGA time-to-market advantage combined with real-time logic analysis further shortens that critical development window." The ChipScope ILA capability includes real-time trace capture and performs synchronously to the internal clock up to 155 MHz. Its capabilities double that of competitive logic analysis tools: it can process up to 4096 samples and 256 channels. Multiple trigger settings capture not only matches and ranges, but can record the duration and number of events. This gives the user a wide range of flexible options for complex events. Cooperative Effort with Agilent Technologies The Agilent 16700 series logic analyzers are the most widely used logic analyzers for system debug. The 16700 combined with the Xilinx ChipScope ILA tool will enable a new debug paradigm in concurrent coordinated FPGA and board-level system debugging. “When two market leaders join efforts to deliver an integrated solution, their mutual customers succeed," said Pat Byrne, a general manager of the Electronic Products and Solutions Group in Agilent Technologies. "Multimillion-gate FPGA designers need state-of-the-art verification tools and many of those designers are already Agilent customers. This was a natural fit to help our customer base get to market more quickly." Over the next quarter and in cooperation with Agilent, Xilinx plans to introduce additional verification applications to help high gate-count designers efficiently analyze FPGA logic and performance. These include ChipScope Integrated Performance Analyzer (IPA), which enables in-system performance monitoring for analysis of events, bandwidth, and transactions. Xilinx also plans built-in self test (BIST) for self-test capabilities at the device level. U.S. Pricing and Availability The ChipScope tool and the ILA core for VirtexTM, Virtex-E and SpartanTM-II FPGAs are now available for download through the Xilinx Xpresso Café E-Commerce site and are available at the introductory price of $195. The ChipScope IPA and ChipScope BIST modules are currently in beta testing and are expected to be available in second quarter. The tools also will be offered with high-density configurations of the Xilinx Foundation SeriesTM and Alliance SeriesTM software. Xilinx is the leading innovator of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfills more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at www.xilinx.com. Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is a diversified technology company, resulting from Hewlett-Packard Company’s plan to strategically realign itself into two fully independent companies. With 42,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent Technologies is a global leader in designing and manufacturing test, measurement and monitoring instruments, systems and solutions, and semiconductor and optical components. The company serves markets that include communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. The businesses comprising Agilent, a subsidiary of HP, had net revenues of more than $8.3 billion in fiscal year 1999. Information about Agilent Technologies can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com. —30— #0014
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