VSIA Document Helps Clear Confusion About Platforms.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2003

-- Clarifies commonly used terms for platform developers and users

-- Defines classes of platforms and platform design styles

-- Identifies two platform design interfaces

The VSI Alliance (VSIA) today announced the Platform Based Design (PBD) Taxonomy 1.0 has entered Member Review. This is the first document brought to Member Review from the PBD Development Working Group (DWG), which was created in June 2002. The PBD taxonomy document defines appropriate terminology for the fundamental concepts in platform-based design and classifies platforms with respect to their levels of complexity and three basic design approaches. The overall goal of the PBD DWG is to allow both the platform-architecture developer and the design teams creating platform-derivative products to evaluate and select platform architectures and differentiating Virtual Components that are best for their application. PBD Taxonomy 1.0 will be in Member Review through December 12, 2003 and VSIA members are encouraged to download, review and comment on the document.

The PBD Taxonomy provides definitions of common terms and concepts used by platform developers and users. This taxonomy classifies platforms according to their complexity, as well as three platform design styles:

-- Bottom-up (or technology-driven) (e.g., an FPGA plus a processor core)

-- Middle-out (or architecture-driven) (e.g., a processor core plus an on-chip bus)

-- Top-down (or application-driven) such as a domain-specific family of SoCs (e.g. MXC, Nexperia, or OMAP)

The PBD Taxonomy also introduces the notion that platform-based products are designed in two phases. This leads to two basic design-team interfaces for platform based design:

-- A "Platform Interface" between the basic component building blocks such as buses and Virtual Components (also known as IP) and the "Architecture Platform"

-- And the "Derivative Interface" between the "Architecture Platform" and its "Application Derivatives"

Additionally, the Interface definitions set the stage for the next and critical contribution from the PBD DWG: Deliverables from the platform architecture developer to the platform derivative developer.

"There has been a great deal of confusion in the platform realm," said Bob Altizer, PBD Chair and President, BASYS Consulting. "In order to define platform classes and provide a common language, VSIA brought together some of the best engineering minds from key companies in the industry including Alcatel, ARM, Cadence, Infineon, Nokia, ST Microelectronics, Synopsys and Toshiba, among others. The result of the past year's work is a sound foundation upon which to develop vital specifications and standards."

Availability

The PBD Taxonomy document (PBD 1 1.0) is currently in Member Review and VSIA expects the approved specification to be available on the website at www.vsi.org in Q1 2004. Members can download the specification at no cost. Non-members can download the specification for a fee in Q3 2004.

About VSIA

The VSI Alliance (VSIA) is an open, international organization that includes representatives from all segments of the SoC industry: System houses, Semiconductor vendors, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) companies, and Intellectual Property (IP) providers. VSIA's vision is to dramatically improve the productivity of SoC development by specifying open standards and specifications that facilitate the integration of software and hardware Virtual Components from multiple sources. Many companies have adopted the use of VSIA specifications, standards and documents. VSIA has wide industry participation with more than 100 member companies from around the world. Membership is open to any company with an interest in the development and promotion of open standards used in the design of System-on-Chip. For more information, visit the VSIA web site at www.vsi.org, or e-mail to [e-mail].

Adoption of VSIA Specifications and Standards

Adoption and use of VSIA's documents, specifications, and standards is growing at many System-on-Chip companies. Some of the companies that have adopted VSIA specifications and standards include Alcatel; ARM; Cadence Design Systems, Inc.; Fujitsu Limited; Hewlett-Packard Company; Infineon Technologies Corp.; Intel Corp; LogicVision, Inc.; LSI Logic Corp; Mentor Graphics Corp.; Motorola SPS; Nokia Mobile Phones; Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.; Philips Semiconductor; sci-worx.; STMicroelectronics Ltd.; Synopsys, Inc.; and Virtual Component Exchange.

The VSI Alliance is a trademark of the Virtual Socket Interface Alliance. All other brands or trademarks are the property of their respective holders and should be treated as such.