IEEE Forms Study Groups to Explore Creation of Standards Based on VSI Alliance Technology

Study Groups to Focus on VSIAs Quality IP Metric Standard and Encryption Activities 

PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA -- July 26, 2007 --  The IEEE has formed two study groups to explore the creation of IEEE standards based on work done at the VSI Alliance (VSIA).  The groups, which will evaluate VSIAs existing Quality IP (QIP) Metric standard and its encryption activities, grow out of VSIAs recent announcement that it will cease operations and donate key products to the IEEE.  Both groups are sponsored by the IEEE Design Automation Standards Committee (DASC).  

The VSIA QIP Metric standard gives companies a way to evaluate intellectual property (IP) from internal groups or third parties for the components used to construct integrated circuits.  VSIAs encryption work, which began earlier this year, is based on a document contributed by Simplicity and aims to provide a standard to safeguard semiconductor IP cores.  

 Im pleased to be working with VSIA to transition their technology into the IEEE, said Victor Berman, DASC chair and president & CEO of Improv Systems, Inc.  Their technology complements many IEEE system-on-chip design standards, so adding it to our standardization activities will benefit the electronics industry and extend IEEEs expertise into areas of increasing importance to the industry.

The study groups will make their recommendations on whether or not to proceed with formal standards development in the next 90 days.  Before doing so, they will explore each possible standard from such perspectives as market potential, compatibility with related standards, differences from other projects, and whether a viable pool of volunteer leadership and participants exists.

 We are pleased that the IEEE has formed study groups to investigate developing standards based on our QIP and encryption work, said Kathy Werner, president of the VSI Alliance.  These areas represent thousands of man-hours of engineering work donated by leading electronics companies.  We have brought them to the IEEE because it has become the home for SoC design standards.

The QIP Metric standard has been downloaded by hundreds of companies.  We believe the credibility of having it associated with the IEEE will generate further adoption worldwide.  The encryption work will benefit from having the IEEE advance this concept and write an appropriate standard.

Companies participating in the Quality IP Study Group include Freescale, LSI, EDAcentrum, Mentor Graphics, and Cadence.   It is chaired by Kathy Werner, IP strategy and business manager, Freescale.

Companies participating in the Encryption Study Group include Synplicity, Altera, LSI, Synopsys, Mentor, and CAST.   It is chaired by Gary Delp, distinguished engineer, LSI.

The IEEE and the DASC invite all interested parties to participate in these study groups.  For further information on the Quality IP Study Group, contact Kathy Werner at kathy.werner@freescale.com.  For further information on the Encryption Study Group, contact Gary Delp at Gary.Delp@lsi.com.  

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of industry together.  These standards set specifications and procedures based on current scientific and technological consensus.  The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 870 active standards and more than 400 standards under development.  For information on IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.  
 
About the IEEE

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) is the worlds largest technical professional society. Through its more than 370,000 members in 160 countries, the organization is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the worlds literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards. The organization also sponsors or co-sponsors over 450 international technical conferences each year.  Additional information about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.