ZAiQ Technologies and ProDesign Integrate High Speed Transaction-Based Verification System

Versatile CHIPit(R) ASIC and SoC Verification Systems Offer SCE-MI 1.0 Interface Compatibility, Accelerated Performance and Co-Simulation Support

WOBURN, Mass. & SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005-- ZAiQ Technologies, Inc., provider of Electronic System Level (ESL) design and verification solutions, and ProDesign USA, the leading supplier of FPGA-based high-speed ASIC prototyping and SoC verification platforms, today announced that they will integrate ZAiQ's SYSTEMware(TM) verification software and IP and ProDesign's CHIPit platforms to provide a transaction-based verification platform. ZAiQ and ProDesign have entered into an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement that allows customers to order the integrated platform directly from ProDesign and to use off-the-shelf, standard transactors from ZAiQ's library of SYSTEMware Verification Components (SVCs). ProDesign will offer the new systems in North America, Europe and Asia.

"The combination of transaction-based verification capabilities with the leading platform performance and visibility features provides an additional accelerated solution for high-performance verification and co-simulation," said Joseph Rothman, head of U.S. operations for ProDesign USA. "ZAiQ's proven SYSTEMware and synthesizable standards-based verification IP provide a common and easy to use verification environment, and ProDesign's FPGA-based CHIPit family provides the flexibility and speed of reconfigurable or targeted hardware."

"True electronic system level (ESL) verification requires a transaction-based approach which is retargetable from simulation to emulation," said Rich McAndrew, executive vice president and general manager of ZAiQ's SYSTEMware Products Group. "By tightly integrating the transactors and retargetability features in SYSTEMware with the performance of the CHIPit family through the SCE-MI 1.0 interface, customers will have a high-performance verification system which can be used for simulation acceleration, emulation or silicon virtual prototyping."

About CHIPit hardware-assisted verification platforms

The CHIPit product line provides an integrated set of tools with debug capabilities that provide a dual solution for hardware and software verification and validation throughout the project life cycle. Based on FPGAs, modular CHIPit platforms give design engineers unprecedented speed and flexibility to validate algorithm performance, verify hardware implementation, and assist in hardware/software co-development and co-verification. The CHIPit platforms can handle capacities up to 10 million ASIC gates and run at system speeds of up to 200 MHz. More than one hundred CHIPit systems are installed worldwide at customers including ST Microelectronics, Philips, and Sony.

About SYSTEMware verification products

SYSTEMware provides designers with a pre-configured, rapidly usable transaction-based system level verification environment for complex designs, along with an extensive library of verification intellectual property (IP) to comprehensively and efficiently test those designs. It offers a transaction-based verification environment running on the CHIPit system utilizing the Accellera standard -- Standard Co-Emulation Modeling Interface (SCE-MI). ZAiQ's verification IP, called SYSTEMware Verification Components (SVCs), supports the SCE-MI standard down to the synthesizable Bus Functional Model (BFM) level. SVCs are available for standard interfaces and protocols such as AMBA, USB and Ethernet.

Pricing and Availability

U.S. pricing for a CHIPit platform with transaction support starts at $25,000. The integrated platforms will be shipping in the early second quarter of 2005.

About ProDesign

ProDesign USA is dedicated to the sales and support of the complete family of CHIPit hardware-assisted verification platforms for ASIC and SoC developers in North America. The parent company, ProDesign Electronics Corporation, has headquarters in Munich, Germany. The privately held company was founded in 1981 and has over 80 employees, with facilities for research, design, and sales in Germany, France and the U.S. The company's products and services include the CHIPit family of hardware-assisted verification tools, hardware and software development, and image processing solutions. For more information, visit www.uchipit.com.

About ZAiQ Technologies, Inc

Headquartered in Woburn, Mass., ZAiQ Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of verification solutions for companies that develop complex telecommunications, networking and computer products. Its innovative domain-specific design methodologies enable the creation and integration of reusable IP. As a result, customers are able to achieve breakthroughs in the time-to-market while substantially reducing the development costs of complex systems. Information about ZAiQ and its products and services are available by phone at (781) 932-2442, by e-mail at info@zaiqtech.com or on the Internet at http://www.zaiqtech.com