Synopsys DesignWare IP for 5.0 Gbps PCI Express Enables First-Pass Silicon Success for PMC-Sierra's High-Performance SoC

DesignWare Bridge IP for PCI Express Gen II to AMBA 3 AXI First to Achieve Silicon Success

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 5, 2007 -- Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, today announced that PMC-Sierra, a global provider of broadband communications and storage semiconductors, was able to achieve first-pass silicon success for their high-performance design using Synopsys' DesignWare® Bridge IP for PCI Express 2.0 (Gen II) to ARM® AMBA® 3 AXI(TM) and the DesignWare interconnect fabric for AMBA 3 AXI. The DesignWare Bridge IP for PCI Express 2.0 to AMBA 3 AXI operating at 5.0 Gbps, is the first PCI Express 2.0 IP solution to achieve silicon success. As the leading provider of PCI Express IP, Synopsys provides system-on-chip (SoC) designers with silicon-proven PCI Express IP and AMBA 3 AXI interconnect fabric solutions that accelerate time-to-market and lower integration risk for advanced systems.

Synopsys continues to be at the forefront of delivering IP solutions that enable designers to integrate complex protocols into their SoCs. Developing a bridge between two widely used interconnect specifications such as PCI Express and AMBA 3 AXI can be challenging due to the complexities of mapping the respective bus protocols. The complexity increases when the bridge supports multiple system performance objectives and configuration options. By working closely with early adopters such as PMC-Sierra, Synopsys was able to validate the optimum feature set that meets the needs of designers integrating a PCI Express to AMBA 3 AXI bridge IP solution into their SoCs. This collaboration enabled PMC-Sierra to achieve first-pass silicon success and Synopsys to be the first IP provider to deliver a silicon-proven 5.0 Gpbs PCI Express 2.0 to AMBA 3 AXI Bridge IP solution to the market.

"We worked closely with Synopsys early in our development cycle to help ensure the DesignWare Bridge IP for PCI Express to AMBA 3 AXI would work the first time with our required features and performance objectives," said Dale Mosher, director of product development at PMC-Sierra. "Synopsys delivered a high-quality IP solution that was straightforward to integrate into our SoC. They also provided valuable technical support that helped us meet our performance goals."

"PMC-Sierra's first-pass silicon success underscores Synopsys' ability to deliver high quality IP that enables designers to reduce their project risk and achieve their time to market goals," said John Koeter, senior director of marketing for IP and Services at Synopsys. "As the leading provider of PCI Express IP solutions, Synopsys continues to provide products that include advanced features and technology that allow designers to incorporate the latest specifications defined by the PCI-SIG into their products early in the design cycle."

About DesignWare IP

Synopsys offers a broad portfolio of high-quality, silicon-proven digital, mixed-signal and verification IP for system-on-chip designs. As a leading provider of connectivity IP, Synopsys delivers the industry's most complete solutions for widely used protocols such as USB, PCI Express, SATA, Ethernet and DDR. In addition to connectivity IP, Synopsys offers SystemC transaction level models to build virtual platforms for rapid, pre-silicon development of software. When combined with a robust IP development methodology, extensive investment in quality and comprehensive technical support, DesignWare IP enables designers to accelerate time-to-market and reduce integration risk. For more information on DesignWare IP, visit http://www.synopsys.com/designware.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading system and semiconductor design and verification platforms, IC manufacturing and yield optimization solutions, semiconductor intellectual property and design services to the global electronics market. These solutions enable the development and production of complex integrated circuits and electronic systems. Through its comprehensive solutions, Synopsys addresses the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, including power management, accelerated time to yield and system-to-silicon verification. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has more than 60 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.