Mentor Graphics Upgrades Verification and Analysis Tools for High-Speed Printed Circuit Board Design

Business Wire, August 28, 2001

Business Editors/Technology Writers

LONGMONT, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2001

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT), the market leader in printed circuit board (PCB) design software, today announced the latest product releases of two of its PCB design solutions, Tau(R) 2.4, the Mentor Graphics(R) board-level timing verification tool, and ICX(TM) 2.5, the interconnect synthesis design and verification environment.

Used in conjunction, the new versions of Tau and ICX address market requirements for high-speed board design, with enhanced ease-of-use and improved analysis functions to achieve designs that are electrically-correct the first time. Through the enhancements in the most recent release of the Expedition(TM) Series, WG2000.5, Expedition users now have access to ICX and Tau for advanced signal integrity analysis and timing verification options.

"Today PCB designers face the dual challenges of ever-increasing complexity combined with shrinking size requirements of the end product. For example, a PCB for an average cell phone includes as many as 500 components on a board smaller than a business card," said Henry Potts, general manager and vice president, Systems Design Division, Mentor Graphics. "These factors are making signal integrity and timing issues more important than ever, driving the need for improved timing verification and analysis tools like ICX and Tau."

Expanded Capabilities of ICX 2.5

ICX combines the electrical and physical aspects of the design, providing an integrated environment for signal integrity analysis during layout. ICX 2.5 features additional simulation controls to provide users with greater flexibility during analysis. Expanded analysis capabilities, such as self-coupling, have been added for even greater accuracy. The new version also includes support for definition and routing of advanced topologies to allow users more options when solving signal integrity and timing problems during the physical implementation of the design.

Enhanced Features in Tau 2.4

Tau, Mentor's board-level timing solution, is used to perform timing analysis and verification on either a schematic database, or a PCB layout database. Tau 2.4 includes several ease-of-use enhancements for model creation and analysis. This version allows users to import industry standard Timing Design Mark-up Language (TDML) files as part of the model creation process. Tau 2.4 also provides additional information to users during analysis within the graphical block diagram views, as well as the text output files, for improved trouble-shooting capability.

Integration with Expedition Series

WG2000.5, the latest release of the Expedition Series, offers users access to ICX and Tau for analysis and verification of designs. This is enabled through the integration of ICX with Expedition PCB, and the integration of Tau with the DesignView(TM) environment.

Pricing and Availability

Tau 2.4 and ICX 2.5 are available immediately from Mentor Graphics. Pricing begins at $15,000. More information is available at www.mentor.com/icx.> About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of more than $600 million and employs approximately 2,975 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Ore. 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

Mentor Graphics and Tau are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. ICX, Design View and Expedition are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.