CAST Steps up to Platform IP for ARM and AMBA Systems

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. -- Oct. 28, 2005 -- Longtime semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of ready-to-use IP subsystems for designers working with ARM® processors and the AMBA bus architecture.

The new Pre-integrated IP(TM) (PiP) products give system-on-chip (SoC) designers a head start by providing the basic hardware and software infrastructure needed for an ARM-based SoC.

Each PiP includes several essential IP cores -- bus controllers, timers, interrupt controllers, UARTs, SRAM controllers, I/O interfaces, and more -- plus all the device drivers and boot code needed to start developing application software right away. They also include embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) support, and a comprehensive test suite that features an ARM7 bus functional simulation model.

The ARM-based PiPs are developed by new CAST partner SoC Solutions LLC, a Georgia-based embedded products company and one of only three US firms with Approved Design Center Certification from ARM, Ltd. These and other IP products are already used in production or design-phase projects by a number of SoC Solutions customers.

"We're excited to bring SoC Solutions' impressive systems development expertise and great platform products to our hundreds of IP core customers," said Hal Barbour, president of CAST. "The coupling of SoC's proven ARM- compatible IP with our own successful distribution and support organization gives designers a powerful, cost-effective new alternative to other approaches."

The pre-verified PiPs can save considerable design and test time versus acquiring and integrating all the separate elements. Pre-integration by SoC Solutions' ARM system experts also makes each PIP smaller and more efficient than typical systems built from individual commercial cores, which often include features not needed in the ARM-based SoC.

Two PiP products are available now for use with ARM's low-power, 32-bit RISC microprocessors:

The CAST PIP7-TDMI works with the ARM7 processor family and uses the native ARM7TDMI(TM) system bus. For details, see: http://www.cast-inc.com/pips/pip7-tdmi.

The CAST PIP-AMBA works with the ARM7 and ARM9 processors families, and uses the AHB system bus and APB peripherals bus. For details, see: http://www.cast-inc.com/pips/pip-amba.

The cores in each PiP are available in synthesizable HDL or optimized FPGA netlist formats. Designers can readily add custom logic or additional IP cores if needed, quickly developing an SoC for applications such as factory automation, automotive systems, hand-held devices, motor controls, or intelligent toys.

About SoC Solutions LLC

Founded in March 2000, SoC Solutions is a team of embedded system engineers from VLSI Technologies, Philips, Motorola, Boeing, Rockwell and other companies with ARM-based experience going back to the ARM2 in 1986. Today they help customers get products to market faster through IP products, hardware/software co-development tools, and systems design and verification consulting. See their web site for more information, http://www.socsolutions.com.

About CAST, Inc.

CAST provides over 100 popular and standards-based IP cores for ASICs and FPGAs. Privately owned and operating since 1993, CAST has established a reputation for high-quality IP products, simple licensing, and responsive technical support. The company is headquartered near New York City, partners with IP developers around the world, and works with select sales consultants and distributors throughout Europe and Asia.