Adaptive Silicon Software Environment Optimizes Industry's First Embedded Programmable Logic Core.Business/High Tech Editors Design, Automation and Test in Europe Conference 2001 MUNICH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2001 New Millennium PLC(TM)Software Includes Powerful, Easy-to-Use Suite of Tools for Embedding 1. (mathematics) embedding - One instance of some mathematical object contained with in another instance, e.g. a group which is a subgroup. 2. (theory) embedding - (domain theory) A complete partial order F in [X -> Y] is an embedding if MSA (Metropolitan Service Area) An urban area with at least 50,000 people plus surrounding counties. There are 306 MSAs and 428 RSAs (rural service areas) in the U.S. MSAs and RSAs are used to allocate cellular licenses. 2500(TM)Programmable Logic Core in System-on-Chip Designs Adaptive Silicon, Inc. (ASi) today unveiled its Millennium PLC(TM) Software to support its new MSA 2500(TM) Programmable Logic See PLD. Core(TM) for application-specific integrated circuit (hardware) Application-Specific Integrated Circuit - (ASIC) An integrated circuit designed to perform a particular function by defining the interconnection of a set of basic circuit building blocks drawn from a library provided by the circuit manufacturer. (ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. ) and application-specific standard product (ASSP (Application Specific Standard Part) An ASIC chip that is designed as a generic device for a particular market. Whereas an ASIC is typically used only by its creator, ASSPs are used by many different companies in the design of their products. See ASIC. ) system-on-chip (SoC) designs. The Millennium PLC Software is made up of a powerful, easy-to-use suite of tools that provides a complete environment, allowing RTL (Register Transfer Level) A high-level hardware description language (HDL) for defining digital circuits. The circuits are described as a collection of registers, Boolean equations, control logic such as "if-then-else" statements as well as complex event sequences; designs to be optimized for PLC implementations. Millennium PLC Software for the MSA 2500 PLC includes: - A set of optimized synthesis libraries for efficient translation of RTL with Synopsys' Design Compiler synthesis engine - A technology mapper to efficiently map the synthesized design into PLC programmable structures - A timing-driven placement tool to implement synthesis engine constraints on the technology-mapped design - A multi-engine suite of routing algorithms to complete the physical implementation - A comprehensive set of tools for delay extraction to generate files for whole-chip timing closure - A programming byte-stream generator to complete the process. Modes of Use Millennium PLC Software is used in three basic operating modes. During early phases of the design process, the mapping tools and some companion tools are used to size the PLC array and estimate performance. Each step is a single command operation. Once the array is sized and the RTL is firm, the production design is mapped, placed and routed, and the programming byte stream In computer science, a byte stream is a bit stream, in which data bits are grouped into units, called bytes. In computer networking the term octet stream is sometimes used to refer to the same thing; it emphasizes the use of bytes having the length of 8 bits, known as created. Maximum-sized designs are typically mapped from RTL into the MSA 2500 PLC in less than an hour. Timing extraction tools use models based on accurate timing characterization of the PLC implementation in each qualified process technology. This generates the files for complete timing closure for the primary design implementation process. A set of timing constraints is generated from the initial reference design so that once the parts are completed and the initial design is implemented, users can modify the design and re-map and re-program the PLCs using Millennium PLC Software, even after parts are shipped. Advantages of Embedded Programmable Logic Embedded programmable logic permits high-risk blocks of an SoC device to be modified after first silicon is produced. Consequently, such devices may be fabricated fab·ri·cate tr.v. fab·ri·cat·ed, fab·ri·cat·ing, fab·ri·cates 1. To make; create. 2. To construct by combining or assembling diverse, typically standardized parts: earlier in the development process without risking modification to the overall design or re-spinning the silicon. Embedding programmable logic also provides the flexibility to modify devices once they are shipped to customers. As a result, algorithms can be upgraded and changes in standards or protocols can be accommodated in applications like communications and image processing image processing Set of computational techniques for analyzing, enhancing, compressing, and reconstructing images. Its main components are importing, in which an image is captured through scanning or digital photography; analysis and manipulation of the image, accomplished . By architecting a family of products with embedded programmable logic, it is possible to produce a number of different silicon products from a single die, avoiding the increasing costs of masks, prototype silicon and parallel engineering development efforts. About the MSA 2500 PLC The ASi intellectual property (IP) is an advanced multi-scale array (MSA) technology built upon a programmable ALU-based array architecture. The key to this unique architecture is that it provides much more efficient mapping of datapath functions than traditional PLD (Programmable Logic Device) Refers to a variety of logic chips that are programmable at the customer's site, the customer being the vendor of the finished chip, not the end user. architectures. ASi is licensing its embeddable programmable logic technology to ASIC manufacturers and semiconductor companies, and plans to qualify the technology on leading foundry processes for fabless semiconductor companies A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices implemented on semiconductor chips. It achieves an advantage by outsourcing the fabrication of the devices to a specialized semiconductor manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry or "fab. . The MSA 2500 licensable cores represent the first commercially available silicon IP for programmable logic. The MSA 2500 technology has been fabricated on test chips and is available today in LSI LSI: see integrated circuit. (Large Scale Integration) Between 3,000 and 100,000 transistors on a chip. See SSI, MSI, VLSI and ULSI. Logic's 0.18-micron G12 process. Test chips will be qualified on TSMC's 0.18-micron process in the second quarter of 2001. Applications Embedded programmable logic is ideal for implementing sections of high-risk control logic in networking, wireless, multi-processor computer and image processing applications. For designs like networking products and wireless base station applications, which are marked by evolving standards, embedded programmable logic allows the design to be completed and the silicon built while changes are being made. What's more, changes are possible right up until the product is finally released to customers. For applications like network processor chips, where custom processors are often implemented, co-processor or instruction-level functions can be implemented to complement the primary processor functions. About Adaptive Silicon, Inc. Adaptive Silicon, Inc. (ASi) is a privately financed silicon intellectual property (IP) company. ASi licenses a Programmable Logic Core (PLC) that semiconductor and systems companies embed into large system chip ASSPs and ASICs. ASi is located in Los Gatos, California “Los Gatos” redirects here. For the Argentine rock band, see Los Gatos (band). Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,592 at the 2000 census. , and may be reached at 408/335-2700, or via the World Wide Web at info@adaptivesilicon.com or www.adaptivesilicon.com. ASi, the ASi logo, Programmable Logic Core, PLC, MSA 2500, Millennium PLC are trademarks of Adaptive Silicon, Inc. |
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