Extensive Design Support

• Complete Suite of Design Tools
• Extensive Core Support
• Compile Designs in Minutes

The current Xilinx Alliance Series and Foundation Series software, version 3.1i, fully support all the new Spartan-II products.

The Spartan-II Family is also supported by design-entry tools from these leading third-party EDA vendors:

In benchmarks performed using Xilinx software targeting a 100,000 gate Spartan-II device versus the leading competitor's closest size device and latest software, Xilinx software compiled designs in minutes, twice as fast as the competition. Timing driven results delivered an average 18% increase in performance. The competition delivered no performance increase.

Xilinx Foundation Series Software delivers a low cost, shrink-wrapped design environment for the Spartan-II Family at a cost of $495.00. Xilinx software now makes replacing ASIC technology a pushbutton process. The FPGA design flow allows a designer to maintain control of the design, reach timing closure faster and use new debug tools currently unavailable in an ASIC design flow.

Design Flow Trends

ASIC and FPGA design flows have been converging and are expected to unify in the new century. One benefit of this unification is that Xilinx's FPGA/CPLD customers will have access to more intellectual property. A unified flow will allow IP written for ASICs to be retargeted to Xilinx FPGAs/CPLDs. More than 60 CORE solutions are available today for the Spartan-II Family.