GUC Adopts Magma's RTL-to-GDSII Design Flow to Meet Customer Demand.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Magma(R) Design Automation Inc. (Nasdaq:LAVA), a provider of semiconductor design software, today announced GUC (Global Unichip Corp.), a leading system-on-a-chip (SoC) design foundry, has validated and adopted Magma's RTL-to-GDSII solution and has integrated it into GUC's SoC chip implementation platform.

The validation process included implementing three complex, multimillion-gate, 90-nm test designs: a high-performance block, one hierarchical design and an integrated circuit with precise sign-off criteria. Results demonstrated Magma software's compatibility to interface through a commonly used data format and its ability to provide integrated power and signal integrity analysis and optimization to meet GUC's design requirements. Magma's Sign-off in the Loop(TM) technology provided direct access to sign-off-level analysis during the implementation process, which accelerated turnaround time and delivered correct-by-construction results.

"We believe the Magma software delivers a high-performance-design timing closure solution," said Jim Lai, president and COO of Global Unichip Corp. "After adopting Magma's integrated RTL-to-GDSII design implementation flow, GUC will have additional confidence in achieving silicon success."

"GUC's detailed evaluation and validation of our tools proved that this is a company we want to work with," said Kam Kittrell, general manager of Magma's Design Implementation Business Unit. "Its commitment to excellence and high-quality products neatly matches our corporate goals."

About Magma's Integrated Implementation and Sign-off Flow

Each component of the Magma system is based on a unified data model and uses the same timing, power and signal integrity and yield analysis and optimization engines. Blast Create is a next-generation front-end solution that enables logic designers to synthesize, visualize, evaluate and improve the quality of their RTL code, design constraints, testability requirements, floorplan and placement.

Blast Fusion is an advanced netlist-to-GDSII chip implementation system for high-performance, high-complexity and low-power designs being implemented in 130-nanometer (nm) and finer process geometries. With tight integration and advanced capabilities, Magma's integrated RTL-to-GDSII solutions enable designers to concurrently address deep submicron design challenges during the flow to deliver complete design closure with better timing, smaller area, lower power, higher yields and faster turnaround time than conventional point-tool flows.

Blast Power(TM) and Blast Noise(R) work in conjunction with Blast Create and Blast Fusion. With Blast Power, low-power analysis and optimization engines are integrated with, and applied throughout, the entire RTL-to-GDSII flow. Advanced capabilities are also provided, such as MTCMOS switch insertion. Blast Noise is Magma's complete integrated signal integrity analysis and prevention solution. Blast Noise works concurrently throughout the implementation flow to automatically analyze and adjust a chip design to avoid crosstalk noise, crosstalk delay and signal electromigration (EM) problems.

Magma's Sign-off in the Loop technology consists of three products: Quartz(TM) RC, Quartz Time and Blast Fusion QT. Quartz RC is a full-chip sign-off extraction product that operates in both integrated and standalone modes. Quartz Time provides sign-off verification for timing and noise. Blast Fusion QT adds advanced sign-off-level timing analysis and optimization capabilities to Blast Fusion and offers a unique concurrent multi-mode, multi-corner and OCV analysis and optimization capability to deliver complete sign-off-quality design closure with better timing, faster turnaround time and higher capacity than conventional point-tool flows.

About Global Unichip Corp.

Global Unichip Corp. (GUC), a dedicated one-stop, full service SoC (System On Chip) Design Foundry, was founded in 1998 at Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan. GUC provides total solutions from silicon-proven IPs to complex time-to-market SoC design, production, and testing services. With state of the art EDA tools, advanced methodologies, and experienced technical team, GUC ensures the highest quality and lowest risks to achieve first silicon success. Besides, GUC delivers a one-stop turnkey solution via its partnerships with TSMC and world-class assembly and testing houses. GUC has established a global customer base throughout Greater China, Japan, Korea, North America, and Europe. Its track-record in complex SoC designs has brought benefits to customers in time to revenue at the lowest risk. With TSMC as the major shareholder, GUC has close and complimentary relationships with other key packaging and testing partners to be further committed to presenting the most advanced and the best price-performance silicon solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.globalunichip.com.

About Magma

Magma's software for integrated circuit (IC) design is recognized as embodying the best in semiconductor technology. The world's top chip companies use Magma's electronic design automation (EDA) software to design and verify complex, high-performance ICs for communications, computing, consumer electronics and networking applications, while at the same time reducing design time and costs. Magma provides software for IC implementation, analysis, physical verification, characterization and programmable logic design, and its integrated RTL-to-GDSII design flow offers "The Fastest Path from RTL to Silicon"(TM). Magma is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with offices around the world.

Magma's stock trades on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol LAVA. Visit Magma Design Automation on the Web at www.magma-da.com.

Magma, Blast Fusion and Blast Noise are registered trademarks and Blast Create, Blast Noise, Blast Power, Quartz and "The Fastest Path from RTL to Silicon" are trademarks of Magma Design Automation. All other product and company names are trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements about GUC's business; that Magma software delivers better timing, smaller area, lower power, higher yields and faster turnaround time; and about the features and benefits of Magma software are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to GUC's and Magma's abilities to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, the companies' decisions to continue working together and the companies' products' abilities to produce desired results. Further discussion of these and other potential risk factors may be found in Magma's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Magma undertakes no additional obligation to update these forward-looking statements.