SAN JOSE, Calif., February 14, 2000—Xilinx Inc., (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced the immediate availability of two HDLC controller cores from AllianceCORE^TM partners Memec Design Services and CoreEl MicroSystems for use in the new Spartan^TM-II FPGAs. The HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) protocol controller cores add to the extensive IP solutions portfolio for Spartan-II FPGAs and span networking, Internet, and telecom systems such as SONET networks, switches, and routers. Spartan-II FPGAs combined with intellectual property cores provide low-cost and highly flexible alternatives to off-the-shelf ASSPs (Application Specific Standard Products). 

“Xilinx and its AllianceCORE partners are providing cost-effective solutions that compete directly with ASSPs,” said Mark Bowlby, manager of the AllianceCORE program at Xilinx. “The price of the total HDLC controller solution in high volumes, including Spartan-II FPGAs and the amortized license fees of the cores, is more economical than equivalent ASSPs.”

Compact solution

Memec Design Services provides a compact single channel HDLC controller solution for the Spartan-II XC2S15 device which costs less than $4* in high volume. The core allows flexible expansion to multiple channels while still keeping the costs lower than multi-channel HDLC controller ASSPs. The core conforms to the ISO/IEC 3309 specifications and supports full duplex operation. It also includes 16-bit and 32-bit CRC generation and checking plus flag and zero insertion and detection. The core operates at data rates in excess of the standard 53 Mbps. Target applications include frame relay switches; ISDN applications for voice, video, and data transmission; the X.25 protocol applications in packet switching networks; and high-bandwidth Internet edge routers in wide area networks (WAN).

“The HDLC controller market is mature and includes a number of ASSP solutions. What is missing, however, is the flexibility to customize user-specific modules like FIFOs and DMA,” said Bruce Kilbride, Engineering Manager at Memec Design Services of Tempe, Arizona. “The HDLC controller core in Spartan-II FPGAs fills this gap by providing a solution with amazing flexibility at a price much lower than the cheapest ASSP in the market today.”

PPP over SONET protocol

CoreEl MicroSystems provides an HDLC controller that conforms to RFC1619 point-to-point protocol (PPP) over SONET specification. The core enhances Internet bandwidth by transporting Internet Protocol (IP) packets over high-speed SONET networks. It provides a byte-wide interface to packet and PHY framer interfaces; supports features like packet error detection and statistics generation; supports16-bit and 32-bit CRC generation and checking; and supports programmable address, control and protocol fields. The core is supplied as transmitter and receiver modules and operates at 80 MHz. Target applications include high-bandwidth wide area network, and broadband ISDN systems such as network routers, switches, and bridges.

Spartan-II FPGAs

The Spartan-II family delivers 100,000 system gates for under $10 at speeds of 200 MHz and beyond, offering unmatched design flexibility. These low-power 2.5-volt devices feature I/Os that operate at up to 3.3 volts with full 5-volt tolerance. Spartan-II devices also feature multiple delay lock loops (DLLs), on-chip RAM (block and distributed) and the versatility of SelectI/0™technology supporting over 16 high-performance interface standards. All these features are in devices that offer unlimited programmability and can be upgraded in the field. 

Product availability

HDLC controllers are available today from Memec Design Services and CoreEl MicroSystems for use in Spartan-II FPGAs. The data sheets can be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center^TM, a comprehensive resource for system-level intellectual property and services.

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.

* Based on 250,000 volume pricing, price of XC2S15TM device is $3.95, speed grade 5, end of 2000