Magma's Blast Yield TX and Quartz DRC Qualified as TSMC DFM Compliant; Integrated CMP Modeling, CAA and LPC Capabilities Provide Better Yields, More Robust Designs and Simplified Sign-Off.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Magma(R) Design Automation Inc. (Nasdaq:LAVA), a provider of semiconductor design software, today announced that TSMC has qualified Magma's Blast Yield(TM) TX and Quartz(TM) DRC products as DFM compliant. TSMC has worked with leading electronic design automation (EDA) vendors to develop the DFM-compliant Design EcoSystem for advanced technologies. The TSMC-qualified Blast Yield TX and Quartz DRC are ready for deployment and customer use.

Blast Yield TX integrates TSMC's virtual chemical-mechanical polishing (VCMP) modeling engine, TSMC critical-area analysis (CAA) and Quartz DRC lithography process check (LPC) capabilities into the Magma IC design flow. With TSMC's world-leading processes, Magma's advanced implementation system and DFM analysis and optimization capabilities, designers can achieve acceptable yields on their nanometer ICs. Additionally, Quartz DRC can be used as the sign-off tool for both lithography and design rule checks for TSMC's advanced processes.

"The Magma tools have been qualified by TSMC and available for our customers to use," said Ed Wan, senior director of Design Service Marketing at TSMC. "Magma has been able to provide an implementation flow that includes integrated DFM capabilities. This shows the successful migration of DFM to the designer's desk top, enabling designers to analyze and optimize the design for manufacturability."

"Magma is pleased to officially be part of TSMC's Reference Flow 7.0 and to have Blast Yield TX and Quartz DRC qualified by TSMC as DFM compliant," said Kam Kittrell, Magma's general manager of the Design Implementation Business Unit. "As customers move to TSMC's 65-nm process they can be confident that Magma's implementation flow includes the DFM features recommended by TSMC."

About Blast Yield TX

Blast Yield TX consists of a comprehensive suite of integrated DFM capabilities that address both random and systematic yield loss. The DFM compliance program extends the TSMC base yield capabilities in the areas of CMP, CAA and LPCs. This program ensures that Magma's RTL-to-GDSII design implementation flow is aligned with TSMC's manufacturing process, improving yields and creating more robust designs.

Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) -- The TSMC VCMP simulation utility has been integrated into Blast Yield TX ensuring that CMP effects are accurately taken into account during the implementation process. The result is improved quality of dummy metal fill insertion and more accurate RC extraction, which translates into better timing accuracy and less margining for process variation. Additionally, designers can analyze and verify compliance to TSMC-specific CMP and layer-density rules from within the implementation tool without having to perform a separate external step.

Critical-Area Analysis (CAA) -- The critical-area analysis capability within Blast Yield TX correlates with TSMC's Critical Area model. Blast Yield TX can perform CAA-driven wire spreading and widening based on the correlated TSMC Critical Area model and defect density profile resulting in a more complete and accurate implementation flow. Since the same models and metrics are used during the implementation process, the handoff to fabrication is simplified and streamlined.

Lithography Process Checks (LPC) -- Blast Yield TX integrates the lithography modeling that is part of Quartz DRC to identify potential hot spots that are then targeted for elimination through optimization. The result is that the Blast Yield TX LPC capability provides automatic and immediate feedback to the designer ensuring compliance to TSMC's lithography and process requirements.

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 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 the company's 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 is a registered trademark and Blast Yield, Quartz and "The Fastest Path from RTL to Silicon" are trademarks of Magma Design Automation Inc. All other product and company names are trademarks or 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 that Blast Yield TX and Quartz DRC-Litho provide better yields, more robust designs, and simplified sign-off and generally about the features and benefits of Magma software and TSMC process technology 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 Magma's and TSMC'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.