Verisity, Novas Facilitate Standardization and Extend Debug Interoperability for Advanced Chip and System Verification

Debug leader Novas joins the e standardization effort through the LicenseE program, Verisity brings more verification support to Novas' Harmony program

SAN JOSE, Calif., December 2, 2002—Verisity Ltd. (Nasdaq:VRST), the leading supplier of essential technology and methodology for functional verification, and Novas Software, Inc., the leader in debug systems for complex chip designs, today announced that long-standing Verisity Interoperability Partner (VIP™) Novas has joined Verisity's LicenseE™ program. As a member of the LicenseE program, Novas will implement support for Verisity's defacto standard e verification language in its popular debug systems, as well as participate in the e language standardization efforts. Verisity has also announced that it will join Novas' Harmony program to further promote best-in-class verification methodologies and tool interoperability.

Verifying today's advanced integrated circuit, system-on-chip (SoC) and system designs requires an environment made up of a variety of tools. While high-level design (HDL) languages, such as Verilog and VHDL, have traditionally been used to drive verification tools, they are no longer sufficient for complex, system-level verification tasks. Verisity's e verification language was created especially for verification and is a proven, mature format. In addition, engineers are now demanding solutions that allow them to stay in the same design and debug environment for both logic design (e.g., using an HDL), as well as, testbench development (e.g., using e).

"Novas is a long-time Verisity VIP partner and we are glad to see them furthering their commitment to Verisity and the e verification language through their membership in the LicenseE program," said Dave Tokic, director of strategic marketing for Verisity. "Enhancing the integration of Novas' Debussy® with e verification language support will provide our mutual customers with significant productivity gains during verification, and address their need for greater interoperability during design and debug."

Expanded Coverage for System Design & Testbench Debug
By joining Verisity's LicenseE program, Novas will build on the existing data transfer integration between Specman Elite™ and the Debussy Knowledge-Based Debug System, and work toward providing more integrated support of the e language in conjunction with HDL-based design debug.

The cooperation between the two companies aims to provide users of Novas' debug systems including Debussy, and the new Verdi™ Behavior-Based Debug System, with the ability to analyze system-level testbench structures written in e for Specman Elite. This will allow designers to work at higher levels when developing test strategies for system designs, and seamlessly trace between e and HDL source code to debug designs that utilize both.

"More engineers are leveraging the capabilities of Verisity's e verification language and methodologies to more thoroughly and efficiently verify their designs," said George Bakewell, director of technical marketing for Novas. "It is important that they can stay in the same environment to debug the design and also the testbenches they are developing. We applaud Verisity's support for open integration, and look forward to providing our mutual customers with a much more fluid way to explore, analyze and debug their system designs."

Novas and Verisity will also work on innovative ways of utilizing the Novas Knowledge Database (KDB) and Verisity's e language for enhanced interoperability across block, chip and system hierarchies. This is in support of Novas' previously announced technology roadmap, one component of which is expansion of its system architecture to address the need for integrated design and testbench exploration and debugging, In addition to providing a cohesive system for design and testbench debug, this approach will also leverage the ability of Novas' systems to facilitate a deeper and faster understanding of unfamiliar design elements such as third-party IP used in SoCs, an important benefit when implementing verification and design IP reuse strategies.

Interoperability Programs
Verisity's LicenseE program was created to facilitate verification tool interoperability and standardization. Program members receive open access to the e language, including a stand-alone e parser, and participate in the e Steering Committee. The Steering Committee's purpose is to drive the future direction of the language to better serve the verification market. All companies on the Steering Committee have equal say, including Verisity.

The Novas Harmony program consists of more than 30 complementary design tool suppliers, and underscores the company's commitment to developing open, interoperable debug systems.

About Verisity
Verisity, Ltd. (Nasdaq: VRST), is the leading supplier of essential technology and methodology for the functional verification market. The company addresses customers' critical business issues with its market-leading software and intellectual property (IP) that effectively and efficiently verify the design of electronic systems and complex integrated circuits for the communications, computing, and consumer electronics global markets. Verisity's flagship verification solution, Specman Elite™, automates manual processes and detects critical flaws in hardware designs enabling delivery of the highest quality products and accelerating time to market. The company's strong market presence is driven by its proven technology, methodology, and solid strategic partnerships and programs. Verisity's customer list includes leading companies in all strategic technology sectors. Verisity is a global organization with offices throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Verisity's principal executive offices are located in Mountain View, California, with its principal research and development offices located in Rosh Ha'ain, Israel. For more information, visit www.verisity.com.

About Novas
Novas is the pioneer of knowledge-based debug systems that reduce the functional verification costs for complex IC designs. Building upon the strength of its market-leading Debussy® Knowledge-Based Debug System, Novas' second-generation Verdi™ Behavior-Based Debug System further improves the efficiency of designers in the system-on-chip era with advanced design exploration and debug capabilities. These allow design teams to better understand and analyze complex or unfamiliar design behavior, and cuts by half or more the time it takes to locate, isolate and understand the root causes of design problems. There are more than 7,000 Novas systems in use today at customer sites worldwide. Novas is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with offices in Europe, Japan and Asia-Pacific. For more information visit www.novas.com or send email to info@novas.com

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Verisity, Specman Elite, LicenseE and VIP are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Verisity Design, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Debussy is a registered trademark and Verdi is a trademark of Novas Software, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.