Cadence Leads EDA Into New Era of ''Enterprise VPA'' Linking Design and Verification Specialists; Comprehensive Verification Solutions Support e, SystemVerilog and SystemC.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The newly formed Verification Division of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NYSE:CDN) (Nasdaq:CDN) today outlined its strategy for "enterprise" verification process automation (VPA). Cadence's enterprise VPA strategy will manage and link design and verification specialists and offer users an optimal blend of e, SystemVerilog and SystemC languages. The strategy mirrors market-tested approaches established by leading enterprise software companies such as SAP and Oracle.

To support this strategy, Cadence will develop a layered set of verification capabilities optimized for various market segments. Each layer will include unique process-automation capabilities that link and manage the activities of multiple design and verification specialists from plan to closure across block, chip and system levels.

"With the recent acquisition of Verisity, Cadence will now offer enterprise-level verification solutions based on a comprehensive methodology," said Ari Cohen, vice president of Hardware Engineering and Operations, Silverback Systems. "Ever-increasing complexities combined with shrinking schedules and spec changes are forcing us to automate the entire process. Cadence delivers the foundation we need today while setting the stage for tomorrow."

"Cadence understands that market pressures brought on by complexity require new ways of thinking," said Moshe Gavrielov, executive vice president, Cadence Verification Division. "Typically in EDA, we get caught up at the technology level and tend to lose sight of how to apply it and fundamentally improve the way we do things. The growth of the enterprise business-software market proves that broadening your view beyond databases and software for functional silos can create tremendous value for the customer and accelerate growth within an industry."

Incisive Verification Platform

The Incisive(R) functional verification platform will include tightly integrated products and methodologies. This will include full integration of the vManager(TM) plan and metric-driven verification into the entire Incisive portfolio, teaming the Incisive Unified Simulator (IUS) with Specman Elite(R) testbench automation, integrating IUS with Xtreme(R) acceleration, and combining advanced coverage technology into the most comprehensive "total" coverage environment.

The Incisive platform will be the only solution available that allows specialists to optimally mix e, SystemVerilog, and SystemC languages. More importantly, these offerings will automate each specialist's processes by pairing the user's preferred language or mix of languages with the most comprehensive set of methodologies, technology and verification IP available. Finally, Cadence has outlined plans to further accelerate the e language standardization process as part of the IEEE P1647 working group, with balloting expected as soon as September '05.

"We've been in the crosshairs of language wars and an obsession with engines for years now, so it's nice to see something fresh and focused on solving the real problems," said Sergey Nemanov, verification group manager, SanDisk. "Cadence's plan and metric-driven verification-management approach adds the project-level accountability we need to deliver with confidence, while each specialist has optimized, yet linked solutions for their unique needs."

Vertical Markets Approach

Like enterprise business software, the new Incisive offerings will be tailored to the unique demands of various vertical markets. This will improve time to bring-up, maximize the productivity between diverse teams, establish a level of predictability, and improve quality -- from both a hardware and software perspective. This tailoring will be offered in conjunction with other components of vertical "kits" approach from Cadence.

The fully integrated Incisive functional verification platform and enterprise-wide offerings will be rolled out in phases through the end of this year.

About Cadence

Cadence enables global electronic-design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today's integrated circuits and electronics. Customers use Cadence software and hardware, methodologies, and services to design and verify advanced semiconductors, consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, and computer systems. Cadence reported 2004 revenues of approximately $1.2 billion, and has approximately 4,700 employees. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world to serve the global electronics industry. More information about the company, its products, and services is available at www.cadence.com.

Cadence, the Cadence logo, Palladium, Specman Elite, and Xtreme are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems in the United States and other countries. Incisive,SpeedBridge and vManager are trademarks of Cadence Design Systems. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.