NEC licenses 32-bit RISC core to Synopsys for design library use

NEC licenses 32-bit RISC core to Synopsys for design library use
By Semiconductor Business News
October 2, 2001 (12:40 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011002S0077

TOKYO -- NEC Corp. announced it has licensed its 32-bit V850E RISC processor core to Synopsys Inc. for inclusion in a design library of intellectual property (IP) functions. Synopsys said it plans to release the V850E IP core in its DesignWare library during the fourth quarter of 2002.

"NEC aims to increase the adoption of the V850E core by making it accessible to the large number of LSI designers currently using the DesignWare IP library," said Shinichi Iwamoto, senior manager of the Microcomputer Division at NEC in Japan. "Providing a reusable microprocessor core through Synopsys' program will enable designers to easily develop a range of SoC [system-on-chip] solutions for various target applications and quickly bring these products to market," he said.

The 32-bit V850E RISC core will have a high-performance interface to ARM Ltd.'s Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA). NEC said the V850E microprocessor is already widely used i n a range of applications, including mobile communications, magnetic disk drives, and automotive electronics.

The new V850E central processing unit core will provide designers with "plug-and-play reusability" for SoC designs, said the company, and it conform to the design reuse guidelines and methodology defined by the Reuse Methodology Manual (RMM), which was co-authored by Synopsys and Mentor Graphics Corp.

Terms of the V850E licensing agreement were not released.