Strategic Partnership Between Si2 and The SPIRIT Consortium to Facilitate Productivity Improvement for SoC Design Flow

AUSTIN, Texas & SAN JOSE, Calif.--July 24, 2006--The Silicon Integration Initiative (Si2) and The SPIRIT Consortium today announced a strategic partnership and cross-membership agreement to facilitate tighter collaboration designed to improve the productivity of the total system-on-chip (SoC) design flow. The two organizations will work together to coordinate technical roadmaps, targeting consistency of data shared among OpenAccess and Open Modeling efforts provided by Si2 and IP-XACT(TM) specifications provided by The SPIRIT Consortium. The organizations will also coordinate an integrated architecture that takes advantage of the highly complementary technology offerings. Technical details will be coordinated through the many common members of both organizations.

"We are discovering excellent synergy between the various projects on which both organizations are currently working," says Steve Schulz, president and CEO of Si2. "OpenAccess enables interoperable design tool flows, the IP-XACT specifications capture important data about designed blocks for reusable models, and the Open Modeling architecture supports generation of models for IP represented in OpenAccess."

A major initial focus of the partnership will be the definition and specification of synthesis and other associated physical design constraints for IP components which are used in the development of SoCs and SiPs (systems-in-package). Si2 will define constraint requirements that The SPIRIT Consortium will incorporate into the IP-XACT schema. This will result in tighter integration between front end design platforms operating at the RTL level and above, and physical implementation tools flows.

"Our complementary technical achievements and goals have been recognized by our common membership, so it makes sense for Si2 and The SPIRIT Consortium to start working together," said Ralph von Vignau, chair of The SPIRIT Consortium. "We see some areas for alignment that will bring immediate technical benefits to the industry, and I expect that the collaboration will deepen as the two organizations explore further opportunities to address the smooth integration of the complete SoC design flow."

About Si2

Si2 is an organization of industry-leading semiconductor, systems, EDA and manufacturing companies focused on improving the way integrated circuits are designed and manufactured in order to speed time-to market, reduce costs, and meet the challenges of sub-micron design. Si2 is uniquely positioned to enable collaboration through a strong implementation focus driven by its member companies. Si2 focuses on developing practical technology solutions to industry challenges. Si2 represents over 100 companies involved in all parts of the silicon supply chain throughout the world. For more information, see www.si2.org.

About The Consortium

The SPIRIT Consortium is a global organization focused on establishing multi-faceted IP/tool integration standards that drive sustainable growth in electronic design. It is comprised of leading EDA, IP, system integration, and semiconductor companies dedicated to the adoption of a unified set of specifications for configuring, integrating, and verifying IP in advanced SoC design tool sets. For more information on The SPIRIT Consortium and its goals, please visit www.spiritconsortium.org.