Xilinx Spartan-3 Devices Enable High Performance DSP Functions at Breakthrough Low Cost Price Points

SAN JOSE, Calif., December 10, 2003 - Representing a major milestone in the FPGA-based DSP space, Xilinx Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced revolutionary low cost price points for high performance DSP functions. DSP functions used in communications subsystems such a FEC 32-channel Viterbi decoder core** can now be implemented in a Spartan-3 FPGA (XC3S1000) for an effective price of $0.14 per channel. Digital up and down conversion (DUC and DDC) running at 100 MSPS - common functions used to modify the received/transmitted frequencies in wireless base stations - can also be implemented for an effective price of $2.22* per channel.

The low cost Spartan-3 family - the first and only FPGA using a 90nm process - is the only FPGA in its class with dedicated DSP functionality. Combined with pre-verified IP cores for implementing complex DSP algorithms, the Spartan-3 family is driving down the cost of high performance DSP used in a wide range of digital video technology, digital consumer, computing and wireless systems.

"Given the Spartan-3 family's unrivalled cost structure and architecture tuned for DSP applications, designers now have a low-cost programmable logic option when implementing DSP functions," said David Squires, director of the DSP Center of Excellence at Xilinx. "Embedding DSP functions in a low cost FPGA at these price points opens up a whole new range of applications for programmable logic in the exploding markets for digital consumer and wireless applications."

Xilinx benchmarks also show that functions commonly used by DSP system designers such as a 1024 point FFT*** (with 20 s transform time) can be implemented in a Spartan-3 device at an effective price of $2.72*. A single channel, 64-tap FIR filter**** running at 8.1 MSPS can be implemented for an effective cost of $0.36*. These are common DSP functions that are used in a wide range of applications such as plasma displays, medical imaging, base-stations and wireless infrastructure products.
Recognizing the prevalence of DSP functions in today's systems, Xilinx designed the Spartan-3 architecture with features that enable customers to implement DSP functions efficiently and cost effectively within the FPGA fabric - allowing higher integration and lower system costs. Some of the unique features of the Spartan-3 architecture include:

• Up to 104 18x18-bit embedded multipliers. These can be used to implement compact DSP structures such as MAC engines, FFTs, and fully parallel FIR filters.
  
• SRL16 shift register logic for implementing shift registers and multiple channel functions.
  
• Distributed memory for building compact DSP structures such as FIFOs and filters.
  

Xilinx provides an extensive library of intellectual property cores that enable designers to implement complex DSP algorithms, such as FEC codecs, filters and transform fucntions for digital communication and imaging applications. All DSP cores are designed to yield the fastest and smallest implementations in the FPGA industry. Many of these IP cores are included in the Xilinx System Generator for DSP system level tool for implementing DSP on FPGAs. A free XtremeDSP Software Evaluation CD Kit, which includes the System Generator for DSP tool, is available at: www.xilinx.com/dsp/eval_software.htm.

Spartan-3 - World's Lowest Cost FPGA Platform
The combination of the advanced process and staggered I/O pad technology, gives Spartan-3 devices the lowest cost per logic cell (CPL) as well as the lowest cost per I/O (CPI); making them essential in developing leading-edge systems at affordable pricing. Starting at $2.95*, the Spartan-3 family addresses customer demand for low cost solutions and significantly expands the total available FPGA market. The Spartan-3 platform builds upon the proven success over four generations of Spartan Series solutions. Since its 1998 introduction, the company has shipped more than 60 million Spartan Series devices.

Pricing and Availability
The 3S50, 3S200, and 3S400 Spartan-3 devices with 50,000, 200,000, and 400,000 system gates respectively, sells for less than $6.50*. The 3S1000 Spartan-3 device with 1 million system gates also sells for under $12.00*. The entire Spartan-3 family will be available in volume production in early 2004 from distributors worldwide or direct from Xilinx at www.xilinx.com/spartan.

Xilinx Global Services
Designers can learn how to effectively implement DSP functions while taking advantage of the other features available within Spartan-3 through several Xilinx Education Services courses, including two specifically focused upon DSP design. In addition, a variety of other services ranging from consultative, dedicated, to technical support services and tools for DSP are available today. For more information, please visit the DSP Services and Training section of DSP Central www.xilinx.com/dsp. For additional information on Xilinx Global Services, reference www.xilinx.com/services.

* Based on volume pricing for 250K units, end of - 2004
** Parallel mode Viterbi Decoder core (traceback 42, constraint length 7, 32 channel, 1.9 MSPS per channel)
*** 1024-point complex FFT core (20 micro-second transform time, burst I/O, 16-bit input, and phase factor)
**** Single channel 64-tap FIR filter core (MAC implementation, 16-bit data and coefficients, 8.1 MSPS)