Mentor Graphics Enhanced XRAY® Debugger Available Immediately For The Tensilica® Xtensa® Microprocessor

Update: Cadence Completes Acquisition of Tensilica (Apr 24, 2013)

Comprehensive Multi-Core Debugging Environment Now Available  For All Xtensa Processor Configurations

June 17, 2002, Santa Clara, CA. &nbspTensilica Inc., the configurable and extensible microprocessor pioneer, today announced the immediate availability of the Mentor Graphics® XRAY® Debugger for Tensilica's Xtensa IV processor core. The tool provides a comprehensive debug environment for the thousands of unique processor configurations that are possible using Tensilica's powerful Xtensa processor architecture. Using the XRAY Debugger, designers can simultaneously verify and debug the application and system software running on one or more Xtensa cores in their embedded system-on-chip (SOC) designs, as well as other industry-standard cores supported by the XRAY debugger environment.

"The configurability and extensibility of Tensilica's architecture is enabling customers to integrate multiple, unique Xtensa cores on an SOC as an alternative to complex and costly custom logic," said Larry Przywara, director of strategic alliances at Tensilica. "The integration of Mentor's XRAY Debugger into the Xtensa development environment provides a common interface for all stages of the embedded development process, from simulation to on-chip debug, all built on XRAY technology. Designers benefit from this industry standard tool through improved productivity, reduced development risk and faster time-to-market."

"Multiple processor debug has been a hallmark feature of the XRAY debugger," said Robert Day, director of marketing, Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics. "Utilizing Tensilica's Xtensa architecture, designers gain the advantage of quickly integrating application optimized processors in their single and multi processor SOCs and now have the full support of XRAY."

XRAY Debugger Integration and Features

Mentor's XRAY debugger tool is tightly coupled with Tensilica's Xtensa development environment, providing a consistent feature-set and user interface for instruction set simulation, hardware/software co-verification and on-chip debugging. It supports all possible configurations and extensions of the Xtensa processor without modification. Key features include the ability to simultaneously connect multiple Xtensa processors through a single instance of the debugger; control of the target using hardware, software, complex macro-based and synchronized multi-core breakpoints; and a C-like macro language, with an integrated macro editor, to customize debugging sessions. XRAY supports both the Xtensa XCC and GCC compilers.

XRAY Debugger in the SOC Design Flow

One of the key productivity advantages of the XRAY Debugger for Xtensa Processors is the consistent software development interface across all phases of SOC development. Application development can proceed before hardware is available by using the XRAY debugger with an Instruction Set Simulator.

Through the Mentor Graphics Seamless® Co-Verification Environment (CVE)™, the XRAY debugger module for Seamless can be used to develop software and hardware in parallel, allowing users to verify system-level software, such as startup code and device drivers, against a gate-level simulation of the target hardware. And when hardware is available, connection can be made to the targets via a JTAG interface with the XRAY Debugger providing complete control over the processor, with zero target intrusion, ensuring rapid project completion and shortened time to market.

Pricing and Availability

The XRAY Debugger for Xtensa processors is available for both Sun® Solaris and Microsoft® Windows NT/2000 platforms and can be licensed immediately from Tensilica. Pricing starts at $6,000 for a single seat. XRAY will be delivered through Tensilica's web-based Xtensa Processor Generator.

About Xtensa
Xtensa is Tensilica's proven configurable and extensible microprocessor architecture that provides a powerful, integrated hardware and software development environment with thousands of configuration options and enables customers to add an unlimited range of user-defined instructions. As a result, designers can carefully tune the processor for specific functionality. With an easy-to-use graphical interface, designers can take advantage of Tensilica's processor generator to create customized MPU solutions with specialized functions and instructions. Because these instructions are recognized as "native" by a complete set of software development tools, developers can simultaneously tune both application software and processor hardware to meet specific speed, power and feature goals.

About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $600 million and approximately 3,500 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

The Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division is a leading supplier of embedded software development tools, Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOSs) and services to more than 50,000 users worldwide. The company's software development tools include optimizing Microtec® C and C++ Compilers and the XRAY Debugger. Mentor also provides the robust Nucleus Real-Time Operating System and code|lab Embedded Development Suite. Mentor Graphics provides the industry's most technically advanced solution for RTOS-aware software debugging for the major processor families and cores used in embedded systems.

About Tensilica, Inc.
Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the fast-growing market for configurable processors and software development tools for high volume, embedded systems. Using the company's proprietary Xtensa Processor Generator, system-on-chip (SOC) designers can develop a processor subsystem hardware design and a complete software development tool environment tailored to their specific requirements in hours. Tensilica's solutions provide a proven, easy-to-use, methodology that enables designers to achieve optimum application performance in minimum design time. The Company has over 140 engineers engaged in research, development, and customer support from its offices in in Santa Clara, California; Burlington, Massachusetts; Princeton, NJ; Austin, Texas; Raleigh, NC; Oxford, U.K.; Stockholm, Sweden; Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.; and Yokohama, Japan. Tensilica is headquartered in Santa Clara, California  (95054) at 3255-6 Scott Boulevard, and can be reached at (408) 986-8000 or via www.tensilica.com on the World Wide Web.

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Editors' Notes:

• "Tensilica" and "Xtensa" are registered trademarks belonging to Tensilica, Inc. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are property of their respective owners.
• Mentor Graphics and XRAY are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners. .
• Tensilica's announced licensees are Avision, Berkeley Wireless Research Center, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Conexant Systems, FUJIFILM Microdevices, Fujitsu Ltd., Hughes Network Systems, IC4IC, Ikanos Communications, JNI Corporation, Marvell (Galileo Technology), Mindspeed Technologies, National Semiconductor, NEC Networks, NEC Solutions, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), Olympus Optical Co., ONEX Communications, OptiX Networks, Osaka & Kyoto Universities, TranSwitch Corporation, Victor Company of Japan (JVC) and ZiLOG.