Mentor Graphics Introduces First Industry-Standard 8-bit Processor Core With On-Chip Debug

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 26 -- Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq: MENT) today announced the M8051E-Warp, the highest-performance, user-programmable 8051-based 8-bit microcontroller currently available. It is the first 8051 core to offer a built-in, on-chip debug feature. The capability allows customers to perform at-speed, pre- and post-silicon validation of their system-on-chip (SoC) design concurrently with application development.

Right the First Time -- Every Time with Concurrent Engineering

The M8051E-Warp uses on-chip instrumentation (OCI(TM)) technology, developed in collaboration with First Silicon Solutions (Beaverton, Oregon) to provide a JTAG-based debug solution. The OCI, working in concert with in- circuit emulation tools, enables in-situ, at-speed validation of a SoC and application program. Application developers can perform simultaneous application development and validation on a hardware platform based on multiple third-party IP. In addition, application developers gain comprehensive real-time control of the processor from a PC-based interface with access to step, trace, soft breakpoints, hardware triggers and read/write control of registers and memory.

``With the release of the M8051E-Warp core, Mentor Graphics® adds unique on-chip debug capabilities to the industry's leading 8051 architecture,'' said Mick O'Brien, general manager of the Inventra(TM) Intellectual Property Division for Mentor Graphics. ``It is IP innovations such as these implemented in the M8051E-Warp architecture that solidify our market position as the most trusted provider of third-party IP. We allow our customers to implement third- party IP with confidence, enabling them to focus their resources on product differentiation and exceeding performance and time-to-market goals.''

Infineon Technologies (NYSE: IFX) is the first to adopt the new architecture for its next generation of customer-programmable products. ``The debug technology in the M8051E-Warp was a critical determining factor in our decision to work with Mentor Graphics,'' said Dr. Bernd Burchard, Head Speech Interface Product Group, Infineon Technologies AG. ``Our challenge was to provide a programmable product based on a high performance 8051 controller and a standard 16-bit DSP core that allows our customers to use standard C-code for the application software. We prefer a standard JTAG test interface for debugging the 8051 controller and the M8051E-Warp matches these requirements. The M8051E-Warp soft core was easy to work with, providing our design team with excellent code quality.''

One Hundred Percent Legacy Compatible

The M8051E-Warp is also one hundred percent legacy tool and application code compatible, allowing users to use standard 8051 tool suites for development purposes. The device does not use instruction set extensions nor exotic clocking mechanisms that require extensive expert hand editing of design tools. As a result, capital investments made on legacy development tools are preserved.

User Programmability and Performance Drive Product Differentiation

Today's customers need customizable IP solutions to differentiate their products in a competitive marketplace. To meet these requirements, Mentor's M8051E-Warp soft core provides extensive user configuration programmability and performance through synthesis options.

The M8051E-Warp can surpass 50-million instructions per second (mips) performance reliably. Unlike competitive offerings, the M8051E-Warp has a frequency scaleable state machine and is silicon proven at 120MHz using 0.18- micron process technology. Using only 2 clocks per instruction cycle, the M8051E-Warp achieves six times the performance of a standard 8051 core at the same power consumption, while maintaining full functional compatibility with legacy devices.

Price and Availability

The M8051E-Warp soft core is shipped with sample synthesis and scan insertion scripts, functional test bench (with over ninety-nine-percent coverage) and complete product documentation. Mentor Graphics licensees also benefit from global, web-based technical support.

The M8051E-Warp soft core is available now. Please contact your nearest Mentor Graphics Sales representative for more information, or visit http://www.mentor.com

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corp. is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products and consulting services for the world's largest electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of more than $500 million and employs approximately 2,600 people worldwide. Company headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com.

Mentor Graphics is a registered trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation. Inventra is a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation. On-Chip Instrumentation (OCI) is a trademark of First Silicon Solutions. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Patti Atkins, Public Relations of Mentor Graphics, 503-685-1665 or patti_atkins@mentor.com; or, media, Jeremiah Glodoveza of Benjamin Group/BSMG Worldwide, 408-559-6090 or jeremiah@benjamingroup.com, for Mentor Graphics.