SAN Diego, Calif., January 24, 2000—Xilinx Inc., (NASDAQ:XLNX) at the Portable Design 2000 show, today announced the immediate availability of multiple solutions for development of MPEG Layer 3 (MP3) audio players. This new range of design solutions gives designers an alternative to conventional solutions by providing the flexibility and time-to-market advantages of programmable logic.

Xilinx and Micronas Semiconductors, Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) have combined forces to develop an MP3 evaluation platform based upon the recently announced CoolRunner XPLA3 family of CPLDs and the Micronas MAS3507D MPEG decoder. This evaluation platform accelerates the development and delivery of an MP3 player in order to meet time-to-market demands of the fast moving Internet audio market. The flexibility and reprogrammability of the CoolRunner XPLA3 family allows designers to create a customized solution with the capability to address the rapidly changing standards in this emerging market.

"With the advent of on-chip memory and an integrated DC/DC converter, the Micronas MPEG audio decoder offers a low-power highly integrated solution," said Rainer Hoffmann, president and general manger, Micronas Semiconductors, Inc. "When used in conjunction with the CoolRunner XCR3256XL, designers are able to develop very cost effective solutions with the lowest possible number of parts."

"We are very pleased to be working with Micronas, currently the market leader providing over 90 percent of the MP3 decoder chipsets," said Scott Lewis, director of CPLD marketing for Xilinx. "It is only through the unique low power capabilities of the CoolRunner family that it is possible to provide the benefits of CPLDs in a portable player."

CoolRunner XPLA3 CPLD

The new CoolRunner XPLA3 CPLD family, which combines an innovative Fast Zero Power (FZP^TM) technology with ultra-low stand by power and high device performance. This new family brings added device features and functionality to the CPLD user at 1/1000^th the standby power level of any competitive CPLD. Targeted at all low power, portable systems, such as portable PCs, personal electronic companions (PDAs), and wireless devices, this unique combination of high speed and ultra low power provides designers with the best programmable logic solution available today.

Xilinx and IDT Internet Audio Solution

Based upon the recently announced Xilinx Spartan-II family, Xilinx and IDT, (Santa Clara, Calif.) have teamed up to develop a comprehensive application brief for the development of a next generation Internet audio player. Driven by a high-performance IDT RC32364 RISC processor and complemented by the latest generation Spartan-II FPGA, this application note provides the blueprints for building an internet audio player at the lowest possible cost while providing the capability and flexibility to accommodate the new emerging encryption and compression standards and value added features. 

"The infancy of the MP3 player market implies rapid and radical changes," said Ian Ferguson, IDT technical marketing manager for the RISC processor division. "The IDT/Xilinx solution couples a highly scalable RISC CPU at an aggressive price and performance point with the low-cost Spartan-II FPGA providing the designer with a highly flexible, field upgradable solution with the ability to adapt to new technologies that we envision will appear in the future."

"With the introduction of our Spartan-II low-cost family of devices, FPGAs are now at a price point capable of participating in cost-sensitive, consumer applications," said Robert Bielby, Xilinx director of strategic applications. "The Spartan-II FPGA offers the right mix of feature sets and flexibility to make this a perfect match for portable Internet player technology. This is just one of many hot new applications that will be enabled by Spartan-II technology."

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-powered 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 Select I/O technology supporting over 16 high-performance interface standards; all of this in a device that offers unlimited programmability and can be upgraded in the field.

Additional information on the CoolRunner/Micronas evaluation platform and the Spartan-II / IDT application brief can be found at www.xilinx.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.