Xilinx and CEA Join The SPIRIT Consortium

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 24, 2007 – The SPIRIT Consortium has added two new members---Xilinx, a major FPGA vendor, and CEA, a European technological research organization--to its ranks, bringing The Consortium’s roster to 64 members.  Xilinx, as a Reviewing Member, will help validate ALPHA and BETA versions of specifications provided by The SPIRIT Consortium, while CEA is The Consortium’s latest Associate Member. 
 
The Consortium is driving critical technology alignment for more efficient SoC design today by making IP re-use in multi-vendor tool flows practical through the adoption of its proposed standard, IP-XACT™.  The IP-XACT specification for documenting IP using XML meta-data and interfacing tools using APIs that access design meta-data descriptions of complete system designs is currently under IEEE review.  The Consortium tunes the specifications it delivers to the requirements of the industry, and it is focused on enabling technologies for the efficient design of electronic systems from concept to production.  By incorporating commercial IP into FPGAs, companies can more easily address fast-moving markets, short product life cycles, and the need to keep design costs low.  The Consortium is also increasing its investment in innovation by ensuring that leading academic and non-profit research organizations can get access to early-release specifications. This ensures that IP-XACT will be used as the basis for future design-flow integration as well as meeting the needs of industry today.
 
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.