New Division Combines Processor Cores, Software and IP Development to Accelerate Customer Success with Platform FPGA Embedded Systems
SAN JOSE, Calif., September 6, 2004 - Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced the formation of a new Embedded Processing Division that combines the Company's domain expertise and comprehensive offering of embedded systems solutions with its leading-edge portfolio of multiple processor cores, embedded intellectual property (IP) blocks and embedded development tools. The new structure reinforces the programmable logic leader's commitment to the increasingly diverse, changing embedded systems market, in which Xilinx already has more than 10,000 customers since launching the FPGA industry's first embedded products two years ago.
This corporate development is the evolution of three years of embedded experience that includes delivery of the MicroBlaze , PicoBlaze and immersed IBM PowerPC processor cores for Xilinx FPGAs; acquisition of Triscend Corp., a pioneer of configurable embedded microcontroller technology; and now the creation of a new division dedicated to driving the Xilinx embedded business. Leading the Embedded Processing Division is industry veteran Mark Aaldering, who has more than 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, including the past five years managing the IP Division at Xilinx.
"In today's world, just about everything involves some form of processing, and Xilinx has all the elements required for a complete and robust range of embedded solutions," said Rich Sevcik, executive vice president, Programmable Logic Solutions Group at Xilinx. "The Embedded Processing Division brings the talent and technology together in an organization driven by a common vision and mission. With these focused resources, we can accelerate development of an even wider range of embedded system solutions that optimize the full capabilities of our silicon architectures at multiple performance and price points."
In his role as vice president of the Embedded Processing and IP Divisions, Aaldering is chartered with executing a leadership strategy that will further strengthen the Company's position and offerings in the embedded marketplace. Prior to Xilinx, Aaldering held a range of positions in the development of silicon and software for microprocessors and programmable logic families for Philips Semiconductors, Cypress Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.
"We've worked hard over the last few years to ensure that Xilinx customers have access to the broadest, most powerful range of solutions to meet their processing needs. These efforts have paid off with the highest performance FPGA embedded cores and the most complete development environment available today in the FPGA industry," said Aaldering. "I'm excited about the opportunities for Xilinx in the embedded systems marketplace, and look forward to taking our strategy and processing platform to the next level."
Industry-Leading Architectures
The Embedded Processing Division is focused on driving the rapid adoption and successful deployment of embedded processor solutions across an expanding range of low cost, high-volume and high performance applications. It is also responsible for defining, developing and delivering infrastructure IP, peripheral cores, as well as software development and debug tools to support its processing architectures. These currently include the:
- PowerPC 32-bit RISC hard core which is immersed in the Virtex-II Pro and Virtex-4 Platform FPGAs to deliver the highest processor performance;
- Xilinx MicroBlaze 32-bit soft core, a configurable and general-purpose processor that can be used with both Spartan and Virtex FPGAs depending on cost and performance requirements;
- Xilinx PicoBlaze 8-bit soft microcontroller, which can be used with the Spartan FPGA family as well as with the CoolRunner family of CPLDs for the most cost-effective solution.
Complete Embedded System Design
Xilinx provides a common flexible design and support infrastructure that enables designers to scale their embedded processing platforms to different performance requirements without extensive engineering work or additional learning curve. The Xilinx Platform Studio (XPS) and Embedded Developer Kit (EDK) provide all the design and debug capabilities needed by both hardware and software designers to develop platforms targeting PowerPC hard processors or MicroBlaze soft processor cores within a single environment. The Xilinx embedded solution also features an extensive library of peripherals IP, reference designs, development boards, internal and third party tools, and the most widely used operating systems. A variety of optional embedded design services and training are also available to help companies jumpstart their designs and ensure first-time design success.
About Xilinx Xilinx is the worldwide leader in complete programmable logic solutions. For more information, visit
www.xilinx.com.
