Avant! Announces Hercules 2.1 Physical Verification System; Industry Verification Tool of Choice Expands Market and Adds Features for Increased Efficiency, Automation and DSM Checking.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 1997--Avant! Corporation (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AVNT) today announced the release of Hercules Version 2.1, the industry's only production-proven hierarchical physical verification Physical verification A procedure auditors use to ensure that inventory recorded in the book is correct by actually checking out the physical inventory. system that addresses the special challenges of deep-submicron (DSM 1. DSM - Data Structure Manager. An object-oriented language by J.E. Rumbaugh and M.E. Loomis of GE, similar to C++. It is used in implementation of CAD/CAE software. DSM is written in DSM and C and produces C as output. ) integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for design. Hercules Version 2.1 was designed to meet the increased needs of the 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 products (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. ) market for DSM physical verification tools. Key improvements in Hercules 2.1 aimed at these markets include increased user efficiency, a further automated design flow and DSM checking. "The abundance of .35-micron foundry capacity has resulted in an increased number of standard products and ASICs using DSM geometries," said Dan Page, vice president of Avant!'s Verification Products Division. "Additionally, the use of larger microprocessor cores and memories employed on standard products increase design complexity and are stretching the limits of traditional verification tools." The new 2.1 release of Hercules has been enhanced to meet the additional demands of the ASIC and ASSP markets. Hercules can now plug into existing design flows by translating the files necessary to perform verification from the existing environments. Hercules has also eliminated the additional data files it once required to perform hierarchical LVS LVS Linux Virtual Server LVS Live Vaccine Strain LVS Las Vegas, New Mexico (Airport Code) LVS Low Voltage Switchgear LVS Logistical Vehicle System LVS Laser Vibration Sensor LVS Logistics Vehicle System , simplifying integration into existing environments. In addition, Hercules 2.1 performs automatic hierarchy optimization in order for all customers to achieve the best possible runtimes without user intervention. Hercules 2.1's more efficient Boolean operations retain additional hierarchy, reducing memory usage and the length of time for subsequent operations. Improved operation on non-hierarchical data has decreased run times on all designs, particularly ASIC methodologies which predominately have two levels of hierarchy. LVS device extraction now supports full hierarchical operation, simplifying runset generation and automatically determining where devices are created. Highly symmetric circuits are now automatically detected and resolved by new LVS algorithms, eliminating the need for user intervention. Hercules 2.1 includes new geometric functions that allow spatial relationships to be verified between interacting polygons. These spatial relationships are designed to accept multiple sets of values, and allow special exceptions to be easily coded into the checking rules. New vector generation and checking functions allow additional flexibility in coding advanced rules. Hercules 2.1 is available today and pricing starts at $90,000. Hercules provides a single environment for cell-level, block-level and full-chip verification. In addition to the Hercules family of hierarchical physical verification tools, Avant!'s solution for high-performance deep-submicron design includes the Aquarius family of place and route tools; the Planet family of floorplanning tools; the Solar family of synthesis-oriented layout refinement tools; and the Star family of simulation, timing, analysis and RC extraction tools. About Avant! Avant! (pronounced ah VANH tee) Corporation develops, markets, and supports integrated circuit design automation (ICDA ICDA abbr. International Classification of Diseases, Adapted for Use in the United States ) software for the layout, verification, and analysis of deep submicron ICs including microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific standard products (ASSPs) and complex application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale ([sʌniveil]) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 131,760. . Telephone: 408-738-8881. Fax: 408-738-8508. Worldwide Web: http://www.avanticorp.com . -0- Note to Editors: Hercules, Aquarius, Planet, Solar and Star are trademarks of Avant! Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners and should be treated as such. CONTACT: Avant! Corp., Sunnyvale Don Davis The name Don Davis may refer to one of the following people:
don_davis@avanticorp.com or Vic Kulkarni, 408/328-8681 vic_kulkarni@avanticorp.com |
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