SAN JOSE, Calif., March 14, 2000 —Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) and Xentec, Inc. announced today the availability of two new core products for Xilinx® Virtex™, Virtex-E, and Spartan™-II FPGAs. The cores are sold and supported by Xilinx AllianceCORE™ partner, Xentec, Inc. of Ontario, Canada. 

"As more companies conduct business over the Internet, the security of transactions is a major concern," said Mark Bowlby, manager of the AllianceCORE program at Xilinx. "The Xentec encryption cores, with the added flexibility of an FPGA, further extend the Xilinx leadership in secure data communications, paving the way for e-commerce."

NIST Certification
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) currently recommends the use of Data Encryption Standard (DES) and triple DES (3DES) cryptographic algorithms for data security. The DES function encrypts 64-bit data using a 64-bit secret key. Authorized users can only decrypt data with the same key. Triple DES is a cascaded chain of three single DES functions to further enhance the security.

Xentec's X_DES core is certified by NIST to conform to the FIPS 46-3 and ANSI X9.52 specifications (http://csrc.nist.gov/cryptval/des/desval.htm). Both the X_DES and X_3DES cores contain encryption and decryption functions selectable by internal control. In secure data communications, the same core is used at both transmit and receive ends. The X_DES core supports all four standard DES modes: Electronic Code Book (ECB), Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), Cipher Feedback (CFB), and Output Feedback (OFB). The X_3DES triple DES core supports the most popular ECB mode while customization is available for other modes. Both cores process a new encryption or decryption every 16 clock cycles.

"Our DES and triple DES cores are available for use in the Virtex series and Spartan-II FPGAs," said Vincenzo Liguori, design manager of the multimedia group at Xentec. "Systems which require flexibility and high-performance integration will benefit from the Virtex series version, while cost-sensitive, high-volume consumer applications will benefit from the Spartan-II versions."

Virtex Series Enables High Performance System Integration
Virtex series FPGAs are well suited for high-performance applications due to the high clock speeds, large gate densities and system-level features. The X_DES core runs at an effective bit rate of about 500 Mbits/sec in Xilinx Virtex-E devices. The small DES and triple-DES cores allow for easy integration with other Xilinx IP solutions to build large complex systems in Virtex series FPGAs.  These include Internet, intranet, and extranet networks facilitating secure business-to-business transactions, satellite digital cinema, secure satellite broadcast, secure video surveillance, and space imaging systems.

Consumer applications with Spartan-II
The DES and triple-DES cores are very compact. The cores targeted for the Spartan-II FPGA family offer a low-cost solution that designers can use in combination with other Xilinx IP solutions to develop consumer appliances that include e-commerce security enabled PCs and cable modems, set-top boxes, wireless LAN and Bluetooth wireless systems, prepaid smart cards, and personal banking systems.

Pricing and Availability
X_DES and X_3DES cores are immediately available from Xentec, Inc. for use in Xilinx Virtex series and Spartan-II FPGAs.  The netlist versions of the X_DES and X_3DES triple DES cores list at $7,500 and $10,000 respectively. All Xentec products can be purchased directly from Xentec. The datasheets can be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center (www.xilinx.com/ipcenter), a comprehensive resource for system-level intellectual property and services.

About Xentec
Xentec, Inc. provides comprehensive ASIC and FPGA design services, integration expertise, and technology for the product development requirements of the world's leading electronics companies. Founded in 1995, Xentec's mission is to be the leading provider of analog/digital integrated circuit design services and Intellectual Property used in System-on-Chip (SoC) based integrated circuits for all facets of the electronics industry. The company is headquartered in Oakville, Ontario and is privately funded. More information about the company, its products, and services may be obtained from the World Wide Web at www.xentec-inc.com. For inquiries regarding Xentec cores and services please contact sales@xentec-inc.com.

About Xilinx 
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 website at www.xilinx.com.