Cadence Introduces Industry's First Integrated IC Packaging Design and Signal Integrity Solution.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2003

APE-3D with Proven 3D Field Solver Technology from Optimal

Corporation Offers Complete Solution for Early Exploration,

Implementation and Validation of IC Package Design

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CDN) today announced the industry's first integrated IC packaging design and signal integrity analysis solution: the Cadence(R) Advanced Packaging Engineer 3D (APE-3D), a tight coupling of the industry-leading Cadence Advanced Package Engineer (APE) with Optimal Corporation's 3D field solver engine. APE-3D is an electrical and physical design system that enables IC buffer designers and PCB system designers to explore, design, implement and verify interconnect topologies and electrical constraints through simulation. It also enables these users to create full or partial IC package simulation models to optimize systemwide interconnect performance.

Designers will need a 3D field solver to accurately model package interconnect elements such as non-orthogonal traces, vias, wire bonds and solder balls, and to take into account the non-ideal ground planes prevalent in advanced IC package designs. With APE-3D, advanced IC package design engineers can quickly and accurately perform cost versus performance trade-off analysis and produce more cost-effective packages in less time.

"We have successfully matched the Optimal PakSi-E simulated data to actual TDR-measured data to within 5 percent," said Daniel Kim, package engineer from Xilinx. "The software's ability to run RLC extraction on the entire package gave us time to work on other projects."

As a leading solutions provider for advanced IC packaging design, Cadence strongly supports partnerships that integrate best-in-class technology into its market-leading design solutions. Cadence has formed an OEM relationship with Optimal, a privately held company and leading provider of signal integrity analysis software serving the IC packaging industry. Optimal's PakSi-E 3D is faster and more accurate than similar products currently on the market and can extract entire IC package simulation models in a timely fashion. With the proven 3D field-solver technology from Optimal's PakSi-E coupled with APE, Cadence APE-3D offers the best-integrated technical solution for IC package design and analysis in the industry.

New Product Brings New Benefits

-- APE-3D provides exceptional value to advanced IC packaging

engineers through its completely integrated design and

analysis environment. Poor package design can put up to 50

percent of the performance of an advanced high-speed IC at

risk. An integrated design and analysis environment eliminates

time wasted in translations, and/or the re-entering of design

data that is required by standalone analysis tools today, thus

leaving the design engineer free to focus on optimizing the IC

package's performance and cost.

-- The first release of APE-3D contains an embedded Optimal

PakSi-E 3D engine and the ability to extract signal

interconnect for simulation or characterize the entire IC

package as a simulation model. This includes true 3D

characterization of solder bumps, wire bonds and solder balls,

as well as 3D modeling of complex ground and power planes.

Coupled or single line package models for either the entire or

partial design can be output as a Cadence SPECCTRAQuest(R) DML 

model, SPICE RLGC matrix or as an IBIS package model for use

by IC designers or PCB system designers.

-- APE-3D is the only solution on the market that enables true

package-board co-design. APE-3D enables package- and PCB-level

trade-offs through solution space analysis for sweeping

multiple parameters and converging on an optimal solution that

meets the performance and cost objectives of the package.

In an environment in which IC providers constantly feel the pressure to manage package performance, cost and design-cycle time, APE-3D provides an integrated design and analysis solution that helps IC package engineers and IC IO buffer designers meet the increasing market demands put on them.

"Designers really benefit from the new Advanced Packaging Engineer 3D and its embedded PakSi-E field solver," said Charles Giorgetti, corporate vice president and general manager of the Printed Circuit Board Systems Division at Cadence. "Together they provide a unique solution that enables users to focus 100 percent of their time on design and analysis tasks by eliminating complex design translators and cumbersome, time-consuming, standalone IC package analysis and modeling tools."

Pricing and Availability

Advanced Packaging Engineer 3D will be available in Q4, 2003, on Windows and Sun Solaris. Subsequent releases will support HP, IBM and Linux platforms. A one-year license is available in North America starting at US$63,000. For availability and pricing outside of North America, please contact your local Cadence office or distributor. A complete list of Cadence PCB regional sales office and value-added resellers (VARs) can be found at www.cadencepcb.com/contacts/globalnetwork.asp.

About Cadence

Cadence is the world's leader in electronic design technologies, methodology services, and design services. Cadence solutions are used to accelerate and manage the design of semiconductors, computer systems, networking and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, and a variety of other electronics-based products. With approximately 5,000 employees and 2002 revenues of approximately $1.3 billion, Cadence has sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CDN. More information about the company, its products and services is available at www.cadence.com.

Cadence, the Cadence logo and SPECCTRAQuest are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.