Ansoft Announces First Electromagnetic Simulation Software to Utilize the Power and Large Memories of 64-Bit RISC-Based Workstations.

Business & High-Tech Editors

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2002

Ansoft Corporation (Nasdaq:ANST) today announced the release of HFSS(TM) 8.5, the latest version of its full-wave, finite-element, electromagnetic simulator, which now employs 64-bit code.

HFSS 8.5 strips away the limitations posed by 32-bit code to deliver a tenfold increase in the size and complexity of the structures HFSS can simulate. For the first time, designers can utilize the power and huge memories of 64-bit Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)-based UNIX computing platforms to analyze large, complex structures, such as multiple-array antenna systems and high-speed IC packages.

All previous commercial EM simulators use 32-bit code, which limits memory size to approximately 2 Gbytes and restricts their ability to handle the most complex structures. With its new capabilities, HFSS lets designers tackle highly complex three-dimensional, high-frequency structures, such as microwave filters, connectors, waveguides, IC packages, and antennas. HFSS 8.5 implements key sections of code using 64-bit features, increasing its accessible memory space to accommodate the large memories typical of high-end workstations, up to about 16 Gbytes. Ansoft will implement this same capability in its other design software in upcoming releases.

This new version of HFSS also can consider the frequency variation of any arbitrary material property and uses a significantly improved method for importing geometries from mechanical design packages, such as Pro/ENGINEER(R) and AutoCAD(R).

The 64-bit Challenge

More and more designers today are limited by the 2-Gbytes of 32-bit EM codes. For example, the memory limitation posed by 32-bit code may support analysis of a complex antenna but may preclude the possibility of analyzing this antenna as part of a four-element array. In addition, someone designing a 40 Gb/s OC-768 optical communications system would be limited by 32-bit EM code to characterize only a small number of critical nets. With HFSS 8.5, more traces and irregularly shaped power/ground planes may be considered for more complete prediction of signal integrity for rise times of less than 25 ps.

Frequency-Dependent Material Properties

HFSS 8.5 also has the ability to automatically consider the broadband frequency variation of material properties, such as dielectric constant and loss. As HFSS computes the frequency-dependent response of a structure, designers can easily consider arbitrary variations of any material property with respect to frequency. These spectral effects are then automatically considered in the time-domain response subsequently produced by Ansoft's Full-Wave Spice(TM) tool for broadband SPICE model generation. For example, these new capabilities let designers determine whether they can use the inexpensive circuit-board material FR4 in a high-frequency design, or whether they must employ more stable (and more expensive) microwave laminates.

Integrating Design Flows

Many microwave components begin their design in a mechanical-engineering CAD package or three-dimensional solid modeling code. While HFSS can directly import files from many CAD tools, the project files often have duplicate points, misaligned edges, or incorrect surface normal vector definitions that make it impossible to create an adequate definition of geometry for EM simulation. HFSS 8.5 automates the ability to detect and fix these issues through a process called "healing." If the conditions are beyond repair by the multiple healing techniques implemented in HFSS 8.5, a description of the solid objects and their condition is provided to support modification in the source mechanical engineering CAD code.

Direct Project Importation

HFSS 8.5 is the first version of the product to support a seamless transition to the Ansoft HFSS drawing environment from projects created with HFSS previously offered by Agilent Technologies. Ansoft licensed the Agilent version of HFSS software with the goal of supporting Agilent's existing customers while gradually integrating them into Ansoft HFSS. To simplify this integration, HFSS 8.5 streamlines this process while retaining conventions familiar to users of Agilent HFSS.

Pricing and Availability

Ansoft's new HFSS 8.5 electromagnetic simulation software is priced from $41,900 and will be available Q2 2002.

About HFSS

Introduced in 1990, HFSS was the first commercial software tool that could simulate complex, three-dimensional geometries for microwave/RF frequencies using the finite-element method (FEM). Since then, Ansoft has continually upgraded the software, which can now solve problems more than 15,000 times faster and address open-region problems for very complex shapes. In addition, HFSS can perform fast frequency sweeps for wideband simulation and can create Full-Wave Spice models to account for all frequency effects in time-domain SPICE circuit simulators. For more information, please visit www.ansoft.com/products/hf/hfss.

About Ansoft

Ansoft is a leading developer of high-performance electronic design automation (EDA) software. Engineers use Ansoft software to design state-of-the-art electronic products, such as cellular phones, Internet-access devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits (ICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), automotive electronic systems, and power electronics. Ansoft markets its products worldwide through its own direct sales force and has comprehensive customer-support and training offices throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. For more information, please visit www.ansoft.com.

Full-Wave Spice, HFSS, and Optimetrics are trademarks of Ansoft

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