NTT Electronics Uses Denali’s Databahn Memory Controller Cores in World’s First Single-chip MPEG-2 HDTV CODEC

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 7, 2003-—Denali Software, Inc., the leading provider of semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) and electronic design automation (EDA) tools for chip interface design and verification, today announced that NTT Electronics Corp. (NEL) is now shipping an HDTV CODEC that incorporates the Databahn™ memory controller core. The single chip solution, jointly developed by NTT Cyber Space Laboratories and NEL, delivers advanced image processing capabilities to HDTV video applications based on MPEG-2 standards.

The NEL VASA (Versatile and Advanced Signal Processing Architecture) chip, the world’s first single-chip MPEG-2 HDTV CODEC, integrates Denali’s Databahn memory controller core, which enables the chip to interface with external DDR-SDRAM memory running at clock rates up to 200MHz (400MHz data transfers).

"We are very pleased with Denali’s Databahn Memory controller cores," said Dr. Ryota Kasai, General Manager, 1st Product Group, Electronics Business Group of NEL. "Image processing applications require high-performance memory systems. Using the Databahn core, we were able to quickly configure the optimal memory controller for our application, and focus on our core competencies. With Denali's help, we were able to meet our performance targets and get our product to market in record time."

"NEL’s success with Databahn in its VASA chips is another demonstration of the flexibility and performance capabilities of our Databahn cores," said Kevin Silver, vice president of marketing at Denali. "A single NEL VASA chip performs the work for what used to require several dedicated chips for processing HDTV video data. We are proud that NEL has chosen Databahn for the memory system in this very complex system-on-chip design."

About NEL’s VASA CODEC
The NEL VASA (Versatile and Advanced Signal Processing Architecture) chip is the world's first single-chip MPEG-2 HDTV CODEC. The 60-million-transistor VASA chip delivers advanced image processing capabilities to HDTV applications based on the MPEG-2 standard. Because huge volumes of calculations are required for processing video data, in the past, several dedicated chips had been used for encoding (compression) and decoding (decompression) HDTV video. NEL's new single-chip solution not only paves the way for smaller, and lower cost HDTV systems, but by using several of these chips, it will open the door for applications in digital cinema, stereo 3D TV, multi-angle TV, and a wide range of other large-screen video applications of the future.

About Databahn Memory Controller Cores
Licensed by over 35 leading semiconductor and system companies, Databahn is the industry leading memory controller IP solution. Databahn memory controller cores are configurable for a wide range of performance requirements and ASIC interfaces. To ensure compatibility with all the latest high-speed memory technologies, the configuration process is tightly integrated with Denali's database of memory component specifications, including all the latest DDRII-SDRAM, DDR-SDRAM, FCRAM, RLDRAM, and DDR/QDR-SRAM devices. Deliverables include: RTL and synthesis scripts, verification testbench, static timing analysis (STA) scripts, programmable register settings, and documentation. The silicon-proven Databahn IP is library independent and covers solutions from .18-micron to .08-micron technologies, and DRAM device frequencies from 100-400MHz (200-800MHz data rate).

About NTT Electronics
NEL was founded in June 1982. Number of employees: 1,000 as of April 1, 2002. Annual sales: US$292 million in Fiscal year 2002. In order to amply meet the needs of the multimedia society in the 21st century, NEL is engaged in technological development covering a wide range of areas in both hardware and software, including optical devices, high performance electronics devices, media processing technology for audio/image data, and network technology, and ultra high speed optical transmission systems. NEL leads the way in meeting ever-changing global communication demands. For more information, visit www.nel-world.com or www.nel.co.jp (Japanese).

About Denali Software, Inc.
Denali Software Inc. is the world’s leading provider of EDA tools and Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP) solutions for chip interface design, integration, and verification. PureSpec is the most robust interface verification solution for bus protocol interfaces. Denali’s Databahn product provides designers with the highest quality solution for producing memory controller cores for all of the new and emerging DRAM memory technologies. Denali’s MMAV product is the de facto industry standard for modeling and simulating memory during all phases of design and verification. Memory selection, memory controller configuration, and memory system performance analysis are supported through Denali’s online infrastructure at eMemory.com. 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, please visit Denali at www.denali.com or contact Denali directly at: 650/461-7200, or email: info@denali.com

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