Nassda and Virage Logic Partner to Optimize Verification of Embedded Memory

New Initiative Addresses Memory Timing and Power Analysis for System-on-Chip Designs

Santa Clara, CA - May  13,  2002, Nassda Corporation (Nasdaq: NSDA), a leader in full-chip circuit verification and analysis, and Virage Logic Corporation (Nasdaq: VIRL), a global leader in embedded memory intellectual property (IP), today announced the integration of Nassda's HSIM(tm) timing, power and signal-integrity analysis software into Virage Logic's Embed-It!(tm) software, an embedded memory design platform. The solution accurately provides the performance characteristics of memory IP needed by System-on-Chip (SoC) designers, and thereby increases their confidence in achieving first-time silicon success. Nassda is also a member of Virage Logic's Memory Alliance Program.

With embedded memory increasingly dominating chip area, designers developing chips for applications in high-end LAN/WAN, wireless, networking, and portable digital electronics must accurately model the performance and power of embedded memories used in the chip. Virage Logic's Embed-It! memory compilation and characterization software, together with Nassda's HSIM circuit simulator, produces embedded memory IP that more closely reflects actual silicon. This simulation and analysis helps designers achieve their requirements for power and timing performance on the chip.

"Design engineers can hardly keep up with the large number of process choices from the different foundries," said Raymond Leung, vice president of engineering at Virage Logic. "They need a way to quickly and accurately characterize their new memory designs to insure that performance matches specification when a different process is used. By working closely with Nassda, we have created a solution that automatically and accurately measures memory performance and characterizes design data."

Targeted for applications as varied as low-voltage, low-power digital hearing aids to very high performance Internet routing and search engines, Virage Logic embedded memories must meet widespread customer requirements. In addition, the wide proliferation of process variations from the different foundries has prompted a need for rapid characterization, making accurate circuit simulation even more critical. HSIM, integrated into Virage Logic's AutoChar(tm) instance-based characterization product, provides rapid timing characterization for process variations

"As SoC designers increasingly use multiple embedded memories, they need rigorous circuit simulation and analysis to see the impact of different operating conditions on circuit performance," said Sang Wang, CEO at Nassda. "By working closely with Virage Logic, the leader in the development of embedded memory, we have created a solution that enables designers to accurately characterize their memories across a range of process, voltage, and temperature conditions. By taking into account important post-layout effects, this analysis has increased accuracy which helps designers achieve their timing and power budgets for the entire chip."

About HSIM

HSIM provides detailed circuit-level analysis of timing and power behavior and signal integrity effects. It solves the critical issue of analyzing circuit behavior while taking into account the electrical and parasitic effects of nanometer-scale silicon. Before the availability of HSIM, design teams were unable to analyze these effects with a tool that had the speed, accuracy and capacity needed for full-chip verification.

About Virage Logic

About Nassda