Sonics integrates SMART Interconnect IP with Cadence and Coware Electronic System-Level (ESL) design-for-verification flow

— Sonics, Inc., a leading provider of SoC (system-on-chip) architectures and SMART Interconnect IP products that reduce the time, cost and risk of developing complex SOC devices, announced today that the company has joined Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CDN) and CoWare, Inc. in supporting the Cadence/CoWare integrated, seamless flow for electronic system-level (ESL) design through verification for complex SoC designs. The flow is based on tight integration between CoWare’s SystemC-based ConvergenSC™ SoC design tools, the ConvergenSC Model Library and the Cadence Incisive™ functional verification platform. Into this flow, Sonics adds its SMART Interconnect IP™ that integrates multiple IP blocks into working silicon and its SonicsStudio™ interconnect IP configuration tool. This completes the concept-to-silicon vision with tight integration to a wide array of hardware IP. >

Time to verification and time to global timing closure are the two issues delaying rapid development of complex SOCs. The CoWare/Cadence ESL design flow reduces the time to verification by 50%. The addition of Sonics IP reduces the time to global timing closure by 50%.

System Timing Closure

Today, critical timing paths within complex SoCs are not known until the physical prototyping stage, when actual interconnect becomes available. Only from this point can timing closure be addressed, often resulting in complete architectural redesign. Using Sonics Interconnect IP brings those physical timing constraints to the system design level and, using SonicsStudio, injects them into the Cadence/CoWare ESL flow.

The link between SonicsStudio and the Cadence/CoWare design-to-verification flow is through the exchange of automatically generated SystemC transaction level models of the entire SoC including configured interconnects.

Sonics Closes Links to the Physical Domain

Further integrating the ESL flow to the physical domain, Sonics has enabled the importation of LEF/DEF files from Cadence’s Encounter™ digital IC design platform. This enables the designer to directly compare the floor plan connections with the physical connections of the SMART Interconnect IP. This abstracted, but physically accurate view of the SoC now gives the designer the ability to find and correct architectural flaws in the first days or weeks of design instead of the final months.

Sonics provides an essential link to the myriad of third party and internally developed IP blocks that are needed to construct complex, multimillion gate SoCs. Its SMART Interconnect IP connects complex IP blocks such as microprocessors, DSPs, hardware accelerators such as MPEG, DMA or packet processors with any other IP block with a high degree of silicon efficiency and high data throughput.

“Our customers wanted a seamless flow from concept-to-silicon and the new Cadence/CoWare initiative is an important milestone for the industry,” said Grant Pierce, president and CEO of Sonics, Inc. “Our participation brings the advantage of a comprehensive, field-proven SoC interconnect architecture to this flow. This builds on our previously announced strategic partnerships with CoWare and Cadence. Sonics completes the CoWare and Cadence ESL design flow with hardware interconnect IP and SoC integration tools.”

“We are pleased to see IP vendors such as Sonics supporting the Cadence and CoWare ESL design-for-verification solution,” said Mitch Weaver, vice president and general manager, Systems and Functional Verification Division, Cadence. “This is part of our overall plan to encourage IP providers to join in this standards-based, SystemC-based integrated solution.”

"Our customers want a faster way to develop higher quality silicon and having Sonics on-board helps achieves this goal,” said Alan Naumann, president and CEO of CoWare. “Now our customers can easily integrate our system-level ConvergenSC environment with Cadence’s tools and Sonics’ SMART Interconnect IP to rapidly design differentiated, multi-million gate SoCs.”

Sonics and CoWare will streamline and optimize the interoperability between Sonics SMART Interconnect IP, SonicsStudio and CoWare’s ConvergenSC platform. Sonics Studio is a comprehensive suite of SOC integration, IP configuration, logic verification tools and utilities. Users of SonicsStudio and ConvergenSC will now share interoperable SystemC models and enjoy interoperability with the largest SystemC model library.

“Now, customers of Sonics, CoWare and Cadence can rapidly interact with their design at the ESL design level with confidence that their architectural decisions will be reflected directly down to the physical SoC integration level,” said James Colgan, director of marketing at Sonics, Inc.

About CoWare, Inc.

CoWare is the leading supplier of system-level electronic design automation (EDA) software tools and services. CoWare offers a comprehensive set of electronic system-level (ESL) tools that enable SoC developers to "differentiate by design" through the creation of system-IP including embedded processors, on-chip buses, and DSP algorithms; the architecture of optimized SoC platforms; and hardware/software co-design. The company's solutions are based on open industry standards including SystemC. CoWare's customers are major systems, semiconductor, and IP companies in the market where consumer electronics, computing, and communications converge. CoWare's corporate investors include ARM Ltd. [(LSE:ARM);(Nasdaq: ARMHY)], Cadence Design Systems (NYSE:CDN), STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), and Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE). CoWare is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information about CoWare and its products and services, visit www.coware.com.

About Sonics, Inc.

Sonics, Inc. is a leading provider of SOC architectures and SMART Interconnect Intellectual Property (IP) that accelerate the development of complex SOCs, reduce development costs and increase the reusability of IP. Major semiconductor and systems companies including Broadcom, Samsung, Texas Instruments and Toshiba have applied Sonics architectures, IP products and methodologies in SOCs used in leading products in the wireless, digital multimedia and communications markets. Sonics customers have experienced dramatic reduction in time to market, from years to months, while enjoying savings in design and manufacturing costs. Sonics is a privately held company funded by Investar Capital, Smart Technology Ventures, TL Ventures, Easton Hunt Capital Partners, L.P, Globespan Capital Partners, and H&Q Asia-Pacific. For more information, see www.sonicsinc.com.

SMART Interconnect IP and SonicsStudio are trademarks of Sonics, Inc

Cadence is a registered trademark and Incisive is a trademark of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

ConvergenSC is a trademark of CoWare, Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.