ProDesign introduces CHIPit Platinum Plus Edition to it's family of Hardware -Assisted Platforms

A verification & validation platform for high level ASIC and SoC development

Wilsonville, Oregon – May 11, 2004 – ProDesign, the proven source for hardware-assisted verification platforms for ASIC and SoC development today announced the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition to its family of hardware-assisted platforms. The CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition provides ASIC & SoC designers a platform specifically for high-end verification systems with capacity, interface and interconnectivity issues.

ProDesign’s CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition replaces the large, costly emulator, with a flexible and cost-effective solution for developing a new wireless SoC or a new networking ASIC. The CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition can be effective for algorithm validation, IP verification, system integration, hardware/software co-development, software verification and validation, and silicon bring up.

Major Features and Benefits Its compact, modular and scalable concept, which allows maximum possible performance (>100 MHz), at the same time as permitting a scaleable system (up to 10M ASIC gates). Several different extension board formats for a fast, powerful, and fully customizable solution.
The “3D Switching Technology”, which enables the connection of up to 18 FPGAs (Xilinx Virtex II 8000) in an almost infinite number of different star and/or chain configurations. This can be changed by software at any time - as soon as more than 2 FPGAs are needed to verify a design, which is an indispensable requirement in order for the system to be re-usable for other projects.
The ease with which the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition can be integrated into existing design flows without the need for new, complicated software packages. This was achieved by designing the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition to allow the use of commonly available tools for implementation (Synthese).

The patented UMRBus® Communication System enables design visibility during operation and provides the means for communication between the emulation platform and the host.
· The biggest improvement of the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition System is “HDL-Bridge“ and the “Signal-Tracker” for visibility and better debugging and co-simulation possibilities of the ASIC & SoC design.

The HDL Bridge is a powerful tool that further enhances and automates hardware-assisted verification methodologies. In is basic function it provides the link between a simulation environment (RTL or gate level) to part or the whole DUT (design under test) that is loaded in any of ProDesign’s rapid prototyping systems (CHIPit Silver, CHIPit Gold or CHIPit Platinum Edition), with exactly the same user environment.
The `Signal Tracker' is a hardware debugger solution using the readback functionality of Xilinx Virtex and Virtex-II FPGAs as an enhancement for the HDL-Bridge. Thus, the internal signals of the `Design under Test' (DUT) that is being co-emulated on the CHIPit platform will be visible in the simulator also.

With the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition, ProDesign has created a cost effective and flexible approach by offering methodologies that can be used in each case where hardware-assisted verification is needed. Whether this is in the initial phases of your algorithm creation, during your basic IP development and debugging, or when early hardware platform availability for software development and verification, the CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition is the best solution.
The CHIPit® Platinum Plus Edition, will be available the beginning of July 2004 with prices starting at $128,000 for a system with 9 FPGA and goes up to $250,000 for a system with 18 FPGAs.
To learn more about ProDesign and the CHIPit family of hardware-assisted platforms, please visit us at the Design Automation Conference (DAC 2004) booth 1220, at the San Diego Convention Center, June 7-11, 2004.

About ProDesign Electronics Corporation
ProDesign is creator of the CHIPit family of hardware-assisted verification platforms for the SoC and ASIC development community. CHIPit provides an integrated set of tools with debug capabilities that provide a dual solution for hardware and software verification and validation. The CHIPit product line has been designed leveraging 22 years of experience in the system solutions business and is recognized for its high speed, reliability, flexibility and expandability. For more information, please visit ProDesign at www.prodesign-usa.com.