Hitachi and Denali Collaborate to Deliver CE-ATA Simulation Models for Microdrive 3K8

-- Denali Software and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced the availability of advanced CE-ATA simulation models for Hitachi's 8 GB "Mikey" hard drive, officially known as Microdrive 3K8. Chip designers can use the software to simulate the detailed interaction between CE-ATA product designs and Microdrive-based devices at the pre-silicon stage of chip development. The models enable designers to improve product design quality and speed time-to-market for new consumer electronics devices. The simulation models are available now to select customers at: http://www.denali.com/hitachi-CEATA or http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/micro/design.htm.

"Hitachi's goal is to provide customers with leading-edge hard drives and the support they need to deliver innovative consumer electronics devices," said Larry Swezey, deputy general manager, Mobile Hard Drive Business Unit, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "This CE-ATA simulation model will enable Microdrive 3K8 customers to streamline development and testing processes and accelerate their time-to-market."

The new Hitachi Microdrive 3K8 is a 1.0-inch hard drive, featuring a dramatically reduced footprint and power consumption for integration into mobile phones and other ultra-miniature consumer electronic devices. The drive has a maximum capacity of 8GB, and is available exclusively for embedded applications. It features a ZIF connector supporting PATA, CE-ATA, or ATA on MMC interfaces. CE-ATA is a new standard interface for small-form-factor hard drives that addresses the requirements of the handheld and CE market segments, including low pin count, low voltage, power efficiency, cost-effectiveness and integration-efficiency.

"We are seeing a tremendous increase in demand for specialized storage solutions for mobile consumer electronics," said Kevin Silver, Vice President of Marketing for Denali. "Hitachi is clearly demonstrating leadership in this space with its new 1.0-inch Microdrive 3K8, and we are excited to work with them on design enablement tools for these devices. The availability of advanced simulation models, or verification IP, for the Hitachi Microdrive enables chip designers to accelerate product development, and optimize their designs even before an actual drive is available. This collaborative effort is consistent with our goal to provide customers with high-quality verification IP that speeds design and verification of their products."

About Simulation Models for Microdrive 3K8

The simulation model for Hitachi's Microdrive 3K8 is available through Denali's PureSpec™ verification IP product line, an industry standard modeling solution for other devices and interfaces including DDR-SDRAM, Flash, Serial ATA, PCI Express, and USB 2.0/OTG.

The Denali 3K8 simulation model, available to Hitachi customers, includes a fully configurable bus functional model (BFM), protocol monitor, and complete assertion library for the CE-ATA specification and the Microdrive 3K8. The model covers all the behavior and timing of the Microdrive 3K8 with a CE-ATA interface, including basic hard drive functions such as read and write commands, cache operations, access times and error processes.

PureSpec model of the Microdrive 3K8 is compatible with all popular electronic design automation (EDA) languages and verification environments, including: C/C++/SystemC, Verilog/SystemVerilog, VHDL, Specman e, OpenVERA and others. For more information this and other PureSpec verification IP products, visit: http://www.denali.com/purespec.

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies was founded in 2003 as a result of the strategic combination of Hitachi's and IBM's storage technology businesses. Hitachi GST is the industry's second largest hard disk drive manufacturer in revenue.

The company's goal is to enable users to fully engage in the digital lifestyle by providing access to large amounts of storage capacity in formats suitable for the office, on the road and in the home. The company offers customers worldwide a comprehensive range of storage products for desktop computers, high-performance servers and mobile devices. For more information on Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachigst.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com.

About Denali

Denali Software Inc. is the world's leading provider of Engineering Design Automation (EDA) tools and Intellectual Property (IP) solutions for chip interface design, integration and verification. Its Databahn™ IP products offer fully configurable controllers for Flash, DRAM, and hard disk drives. Dataplex™ is an integrated subsystem of Databahn IP cores that provides optimal dataflow from external memory and storage to system designs. Denali's PureSpec™ and MMAV™ verification IP support all complex interfaces, including DRAM, Flash, PCI Express, ASI, AMBA, USB, Ethernet, CE-ATA, and Serial ATA. Denali's Blueprint product is an ESL product for on-chip register design and management. More than 400 companies worldwide use Denali's tools, technology, and services to design and verify complex chip interfaces for communication, consumer, and computer products. For more information, visit Denali at http://www.denali.com, call (650) 461-7200.