1. Enhance designer productivity by providing interactive web based design tools, services, and intellectual property.  This Interactive Web (IW) design environment takes this convenient resource, which is already established as the technical information repository of choice, to the next level by making it a bi-directional communications medium.

2. Provide Java based enabling technologies to facilitate on board reprogramming of the device for system debug, manufacturing, test, as well as after the device has been deployed in the field.  This field reprogramming covers the full spectrum of user requirements from once-and-awhile reprogramming for the purpose of Field Upgrades, to rapid, or run-time, reconfiguration of the programmable logic for applications that must change either data or logic on the fly.  We call this Internet Reconfigurable Logic or IRL.

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Interactive Web is currently composed of four elements.  WebFitter, release 1.5i of our Alliance and Foundation software, our new designer centric support pages http://support.xilinx.com

WebFitter
The WebFitter tool is a web based CPLD design fitting software tool that allows system designers to use the latest version of Xilinx CPLD design software and get results in minutes.  With the Xilinx WebFitter tool, there are no hardware compatibility issues, no software to download and no hassles.  Since the software application runs on Xilinx servers, your WWW access and design files are all you need to begin fitting designs.  Xilinx will introduce this new tool beginning in Q498. Xilinx Press Release

Alliance and Foundation Series
As of release 1.5i (see press release), the design manager of our Alliance Series software and the project manager of our Foundation Series software allow you to connect directly to our new designer centric support pages.  This instant access feature is compatible with either Netscape^tm or Microsoft Internet Explorer^tm web browsers and is an important first step in creating a web based development environment where all  the tools you need to complete your project are available quickly and easily. 

Support.xilinx.com 
The most heavily used pages on any semiconductor's web site are the support pages.  Xilinx has augmented the best customer support available by providing an entire web site, http://support.xilinx.com, dedicated to the design engineer.  Services included on this site are news bulletins, application notes, updates, searchable knowledge base, trouble shooting, and soon to be available online documentation.  Links include dowloadable IP, online licensing, and order inquiry. 

ASIC Estimator
The ASIC Estimator graphically compares product development costs between Xilinx FPGAs, HardWire Arrays, and Gate Array ASIC Solutions. The program allows you to tailor 40 different parameters, such as part cost, engineering overhead, NRE charges, etc., so that the cost models match your project development environment. More importantly, Xilinx ASIC Estimator allows you to adjust a parameter and immediately see the effect of the change. This allows you to quickly explore a "what if" scenario and answer many important questions. 

By the end of 2002 it has been estimated that there will be 500 million web enabled hardware devices installed (Source: International Data Corporation).  These devices will range from sophisticated multi-use appliances (like PDAs, screen phones, PCs, and set top boxes) to standard appliances with network connectivity and intelligence (like copiers and microwaves). Programmable logic is uniquely suited to these devices because of its ability to be reconfigured after it has been deployed in the field. Internet Reconfigurable Logic (IRL) takes advantage of this enormous market opportunity caused by pervasive networking and the WWW.  IRL combines powerful Java based APIs and advanced programmable logic devices to give designers of internet or network appliances the ultimate in flexibility and reconfiguration options.  Network appliances designed with Xilinx software and silicon can be easily upgraded or change functionality. 

Java API for Boundary-Scan

Sun Microsystems announced a proposed Java Applications Programming Interface (API) for the Boundary-Scan market to enable users, developers, silicon vendors, and platform suppliers to easily utilize Boundary-Scan technology. 

For more information on Java API for Boundary-Scan click here.

JBits
The JBits API is a new Java based tool set, or application programming interface (API), that allows designers to write information directly to a Xilinx FPGA to carry out whatever customer logic operations were designed for it.  The JBits API permits the FPGA bitstream to be modified quickly, allowing for fast reconfiguration of the FPGA.  With Virtex FPGAs, the JBits API can partially or fully reconfigure the internal logic of the hardware device. 

The Virtex architecture allows this reconfiguration to be as extensive as necessary and still maintain timing information.  The JBits API also makes it possible to integrate the operations of the FPGA with other system components such as an embedded processor, a graphics coprocessor, or any digital peripheral device. 

JBits applications, or “applets,” can use the Java API for Boundary-Scan (unveiled by Xilinx in  September) for platform independent device configurations deployed locally or remotely over the  Internet.  These applets can be control programs, consumer interface programs, or updates.  Previously, Java applets were only used to send software updates via the Internet.  The JBits API  now makes its possible to create Java logic applets that can be used to send new hardware updates via the Internet.  JBits will be available over the web in 1Q99. 

* Source: International Data Corporation