Mentor Graphics and Avery Design Team to Deliver Comprehensive PCI Express and Serial ATA IP Solutions

-- Avery Design Systems and Mentor Graphics today announced a cooperative effort to deliver comprehensive design and verification IP solutions for PCI Express® (PCIe®) and Serial ATA (SATA-IO) IP standards. Under the terms of the agreement, Mentor Graphics and Avery Design will conduct joint promotion of their comprehensive solutions to customers. Additionally, Mentor Graphics has licensed Avery’s PCI-Xactor and SATA-Xactor verification solutions for internal development.

“Avery is excited to team with Mentor Graphics to promote a cohesive design IP and core-to-chip-level verification solution for our customers,” said Chilai Huang, president of Avery Design. “Working with IP vendors has always been a cornerstone in Avery’s ability to continue to offer leading edge, comprehensive verification solutions. Working closely with Mentor Graphics on meeting shared goals for robust compliance and interoperability provides our customers the benefits of higher quality designs while minimizing design time and risk.”

”Avery’s verification IP provides Mentor Graphics a solid foundation to develop our PCI Express and SATA IP cores. With Avery we have been able to rapidly validate our cores using their compliance, error, and stress tests and go for compliance sign-off with confidence,” said Bill Martin, general manager for the Intellectual Property BU of Mentor Graphics. “Our mutual customers know that their chip and system-level verification is streamlined by leveraging the same robust verification IP as their IP core provider.”

About PCI-Xactor for PCI Express

The PCI-Xactor for PCI Express Verification Solution is a complete verification solution consisting of Bus Function Model (BFM), protocol checkers, and test suites and verification frameworks for functional verification of PCI Express components. The PCI-Xactor allows design and verification engineers to quickly and extensively test the entire functionality of their PCI Express compliant devices. Verification frameworks form complete testbench environments for root complex, endpoint, and switch designs. Verification engineers just need to replace an Avery BFM with their design and begin running comprehensive verification tests. Engineers can also write custom, chip-level testcases using the robust BFMs and protocol checkers in their own testbench environment. The PCI-Xactor environment leverages advanced verification techniques of Avery’s TestWizard product supporting complex data structures, transaction database, random generation, temporal property checking, and coverage analysis.

About SATA-Xactor for Serial ATA

The SATA-Xactor for Serial ATA Verification Solution is a complete verification solution consisting of Bus Function Model (BFM), trackers for transaction, link and PHY, specification protocol assertion checking, and compliance test suites and verification frameworks for functional verification of Serial ATA components. The SATA-Xactor allows design and verification engineers to quickly and extensively test the entire functionality of their Serial ATA compliant devices. Verification frameworks form complete testbench environments for Host and Device controller designs. Verification engineers just need to replace an Avery BFM with their design and begin running comprehensive verification tests. Engineers can also write custom, chip-level testcases using the robust BFMs and protocol checkers in their own testbench environment. The SATA-Xactor environment leverages advanced verification techniques of Avery’s TestWizard product supporting complex data structures, transaction database, random generation, temporal property checking, and coverage analysis.

About Avery Design Systems

Avery Design Systems Inc. is a supplier of functional verification products and service that enables dramatic productivity improvements of the ASIC-based systems and SOC verification process. Additional information about Avery Design Systems is available at http://www.avery-design.com.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT - News) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing 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 over $825 million and employs approximately 4,300 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.