CoWare Expands its Platform-Driven ESL Strategy into Device Software Development

CoWare Embraces Embedded and Application Software Market Opportunity with Technology and Expertise Based on Extensive R&D and Customer Engagements

San Jose, Calif.--March 27, 2006--CoWare, Inc., the leading supplier of platform-driven electronic system-level (ESL) design software and services, announced a major strategic move into the embedded and application software development market for electronic devices. Platform-driven ESL design is used in the development of electronic devices in markets such as consumer, mobile and wireless, networking, and automotive. With more than one half million software developers focused on embedded and application software for devices (according to Gartner Dataquest, San Jose, Calif.), this expansion represents a significant opportunity for CoWare to grow and deliver new solutions to electronics companies.

Also, today CoWare launched its new solution for the device software development market. (See March 27 press release entitled “New CoWare Virtual Platform Product Family Provides Unprecedented Capabilities For Device Software Development” at www.coware.com/news). The CoWare Virtual Platform product family supports the creation, distribution, and use of virtual hardware platforms for the development of complete device software stacks. It offers new technologies and methodologies to deliver device software more efficiently.

 “Entering this market with new solutions that address real customer development challenges is a major element of CoWare’s strategy for continued growth,” said Alan Naumann, CoWare president and CEO.  “After investing 18 months in customer-collaborative R&D, we’re now delivering the market’s first standards-based, platform-driven ESL solution for software development. CoWare serves all 20 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies and 16 of the top 20 systems companies worldwide, and we’re excited to provide them with new solutions for gaining competitive advantage.” 

The Market Opportunity
Multimedia convergence, especially in the consumer electronics markets, drives the need for increasingly complex product architectures. At the same time, the software content of such devices has been growing exponentially. Electronics companies are being forced to change their product development strategies to successfully address the increasing market demands. Their focus has shifted from individual products to product platforms that define the basic architecture of a product and can be used to derive multiple products over a period of time.

The design of product platforms places a new set of requirements on the design tools and methodologies. The traditional electronic design automation (EDA) design flow is no longer sufficient. The platform architecture must be captured at a higher level of abstraction so that all the elements of that platform can be modeled in a manner that allows the execution of real software applications on the platform model. In addition, the development must take into account the enablement of suppliers, partners, and customers. This is precisely what CoWare is providing to customers and the customers are responding with enthusiasm.

“As companies continue to develop embedded devices with increasingly sophisticated chip architectures and more complex software applications, the importance of comprehensively testing systems earlier in the design process is critical to reducing project risk,” said Matt Volckmann, senior embedded software analyst at Venture Development Corporation (VDC), Natick, Mass. “CoWare’s platform-driven ESL approach and latest expansion into the software development market will allow the company to offer additional value to both semiconductor companies and device manufacturers.”

CoWare is the leading supplier of system-level electronic design automation (EDA) software tools and services. CoWare offers a comprehensive set of electronic system-level (ESL) tools that enable SoC developers to "differentiate by design" through the creation of system-IP including embedded processors, on-chip buses, and DSP algorithms; the architecture of optimized SoC platforms; and hardware/software co-design. The company's solutions are based on open industry standards including SystemC. CoWare's customers are major systems, semiconductor, and IP companies in the market where consumer electronics, computing, and communications converge. CoWare's corporate investors include ARM Ltd. [(LSE:ARM);(Nasdaq: ARMHY)], Cadence Design Systems (NYSE:CDN), STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), and Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE). CoWare is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information about CoWare and its products and services, visit http://www.coware.com.