Xilinx and Applied Telecom Announce Inverse Multiplexer ATM Solution for Virtex-E FPGAs

IP News

SAN JOSE, Calif.----Nov. 15, 1999--Xilinx Inc., (Nasdaq:XLNX) and Applied Telecom, Inc. today announced the availability of a 32-channel Inverse Multiplexer for ATM (IMA32) core for use in the new Xilinx® Virtex(TM)-E FPGAs. Applied Telecom is the newest member of the Xilinx AllianceCORE program(TM) and brings a wealth of expertise in ATM, SONET, telecommunications, and networking applications.

The new IMA32 core, developed, sold, and supported by Applied Telecom, targets network access systems such as adapters, multiplexers, and switches. Several leading manufacturers, including Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia, and Nortel, are already using Applied Telecom's Xilinx-based IMA technology in production systems.

The IMA32 core has been field proven and has been refined and validated by multiple rounds of intensive testing at the InterOperability Lab of the University of New Hampshire, which is used by telecom vendors to verify the interoperability of their products.

Virtex-E FPGAs Enable System Integration

A typical IMA implementation requires banks of per-channel state information and data buffering FIFOs. In the past, Applied Telecom used Xilinx XC4000XLA devices to create 4-, 8-, and 16-port IMA solutions, by instantiating hundreds of small, distributed SRAM blocks -- many of them dual-port memories, in earlier Xilinx FPGA architectures). But the XC4000XLA architecture required external dual-port memories to implement multi-channel FIFOs. The new Virtex-E devices have allowed Applied Telecom to build on the past design and integrate external memories, for FIFOs, into the Virtex-E FPGA.

``Dual port memory is the heart of the high speed FIFOs required in many ATM applications,'' said Jim Beatty, President of Applied Telecom, Inc., Lisle, Illinois. ``The flexibility and scale of the BlockRAM in Virtex-E device help us to achieve phenomenal system integration, creating a cost-effective, high-performance solution for our customers.''

Complete IMA Solution

An effective IMA solution combines strict adherence to the ATM Forum specification and compatibility with available standard chip physical layer products, with an efficient hardware-software partitioning. The IMA32 core successfully addresses these design considerations in a single Virtex-E FPGA by handling all the real-time IMA protocol functions. When combined with the DRV-IMA software package, also available from Applied Telecom, designers can implement a complete IMA-compliant subsystem.

The IMA32 core is implemented in a BG432 package for the Virtex-E FPGAs and in a BG352 package for Xilinx XC4000XLA devices. The core also incorporates a microprocessor interface for use with standard Intel and Motorola microprocessors.

``Applied Telecom has been delivering advanced, Xilinx-based solutions to the telecommunications and networking industry for over five years,'' said Mark Bowlby, AllianceCORE Program manager at Xilinx. ``As the leading supplier of high-density programmable logic to the communications industry, Xilinx is excited to add Applied Telecom's technology and expertise to our portfolio of core solutions.''

Availability and Pricing

The IMA32 core is available immediately for use in Virtex-E and XC4000XLA FPGAs. An evaluation board and the DRV-IMA software are also available now. All IMA products can be purchased directly from Applied Telecom. The datasheet can be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center (www.xilinx.com/ipcenter), a comprehensive resource for system-level intellectual property and services.

About Applied Telecom

Applied Telecom, Inc. is a leading supplier of embedded communications products and technologies that meet the needs of communications equipment and semiconductor device manufacturers. The technical focus includes but is not limited to communications standards such as SONET/SDH, PDH, and ATM. Software and hardware products from Applied Telecom provide vital standards-compliant system functions and are designed with well defined interfaces and features to work in many different system architectures and applications. For more information, visit the Applied Telecom website at www.apptel.com

About Xilinx

Xilinx is the leading innovator of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfills more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at www.xilinx.com.

Other brands or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.