FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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SAN JOSE, Calif., May 17, 1999—Xilinx Inc., (NASDAQ:XLNX) today announced that version 2.1i of the Foundation Series software delivers the industry's fastest compilation times while improving typical system clock speeds. The Foundation Series software has also been improved by embedding the Synopsys’ FPGA Express v3.2 and the popular Xilinx CORE Generator tools. The seamless integration of this suite of design tools into the software's intuitive project management system enables drop-in 64 bit, 66 MHz PCI design. Demonstrations of Foundation Series version 2.1i software will be available at the Design Automation Conference in Xilinx booth #2532. Runtime improvements as a corporate focus "Two years ago, our designers were excited with place-and-route times on the order of 10,000 gates per hour," said Rich Sevcik, senior vice president of software, cores, and support. "Today with Virtex, they are implementing 100,000 system gates in less than one minute. These advancements, coupled with the ability to drop-in high-level system functions, are driving the phenomenal increase in the programmable content of many digital systems." Through an extensive Xilinx customer benchmarking program, Xilinx tracks a consistent trend over the last several years of increasing average clock speed or performance, while also halving the design compilation time with each successive release. These improvements significantly contribute to the ability to iterate a Xilinx design in minutes, which increases the time-to-market advantages of programmable logic. Advanced synthesis capabilities Today, many designers are using hardware description languages (HDLs) to simplify their design flows. Xilinx has worked closely with OEM partner Synopsys to improve the inference and optimization capabilities of the FPGA Express synthesis tool for high-performance results through push-button flows for HDL designs. Foundation Series v2.1i products embed the new FPGA Express synthesis technology within its design environment. Advances in the synthesis and optimization of a variety of functions, including multiplexors, are yielding results that run twice as fast and occupy 50 percent of the area when compared to the current Foundation Series product. The combined performance and runtime improvements of FPGA Express with Xilinx v2.1i implementation tools deliver the most powerful, ready-to-use HDL development environment in the industry. In addition to performance and runtime improvements, FPGA Express also delivers new, advanced HDL design capabilities like Integrated Schematic Viewing and Static Timing Analysis (Vista), and TCL-based scripting. These powerful HDL development tools, along with the other value added HDL design tools assist Foundation Series customers in their creation of HDL designs that are optimal for Xilinx programmable logic devices. Drop-in PCI design The Foundation Series v2.1i software features seamless integration of the Xilinx CORE Generator tool, which simplifies the use of advanced Intellectual Property (IP) or cores. The improved design flow links the schematic capture and HDL editor tools directly to the CORE Generator tool which allows designers to implement core functions with guaranteed performance. The tool generates custom, optimized design files, based on user parameters, with predictable timing and VHDL or Verilog simulation models. In addition, the Foundation Series tools enable customers to create a 64-bit, 66 MHz PCI interface in a Virtex device or a 32-bit/33 MHz PCI interface in a SpartanXL device—both customizable and fully compliant with guaranteed timing. The Virtex-based PCI solution is the industry's first general-purpose 64-bit/66 MHz PCI solution. The Spartan-based solution enables designers to complete a PCI bridge at a component cost below $5.00. Other ease-of-use capabilities in the Foundation Series new version include advanced error and timing navigation, design wizards, intuitive GUIs, and powerful synthesis scripting capabilities. Pricing, platform, and availability The Foundation Series 2.1i software supports the design of all Xilinx programmable logic device families, including Spartan/XL, Virtex, XC4000X, XC4000XV, XC3100A/L, and XC5200 FPGAs, plus the XC9000 series of flash based CPLDs. Xilinx development systems are available for PC and workstation platforms and operating systems, including PCs running Windows95, Windows98, and Windows NT; Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Windows; and workstations running Solaris and HP-UX. The Foundation Series software will be available this summer with pricing starting at $95. Evaluation software is also available for qualified users at no cost. 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 headquarters in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and commands more than half of the world market for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to significantly reduce the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunication, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at www.xilinx.com. Xilinx is a registered trademark of Xilinx, Inc. All XC-prefixes,
Foundation, Virtex, Spartan, SpartanXL LogiCORE, and CORE Generator are
trademarks of Xilinx. Other brands or product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
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