Hier Design Adds NVIDIA to Growing Customer List; PlanAhead Used as ASIC Prototyping Tool

Business Wire, April 26, 2004

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2004

Hier Design Inc., the electronic design automation (EDA) company enabling field programmable gate array (FPGA) design closure, today said NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, has been added to its growing customer list.

NVIDIA is a fabless semiconductor company whose products are used in a wide variety of desktop computer applications, internet-enabled appliances, wireless communication devices, and high-definition digital video and television. It is using Hier Design's PlanAhead(TM) hierarchical floorplanning and analysis software to prototype its application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs.

"Hier Design's PlanAhead will play a key role in our product development environment," says Chris Malachowsky, NVIDIA's vice president of engineering and co-founder. "By locking the placement within timing critical blocks, it enables us to quickly and reliably attain the fastest ASIC prototypes."

The PlanAhead software shortens the design cycle by providing a faster, less iterative path from logic synthesis through physical design while increasing design performance. Its advanced analysis capability enables designers to more easily comprehend, modify, verify and implement their designs.

"NVDIA enjoys the reputation of being on the cutting edge of design," remarks Craig Robbins, vice president of sales for Hier Design. "The fact that it has purchased the PlanAhead software reinforces its value for companies needing high-performance ASIC prototypes."

About Hier Design

Founded in 2001, Hier Design Inc. is an electronic design automation (EDA) industry newcomer creating the next EDA beachhead by helping fuel the movement from application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to high-speed, high-complexity field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Its investors include ITU Ventures, Xilinx(R) Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX), Cadence Design Systems Inc. (NYSE: CDN), Innotech Corporation, Lanza Tech Ventures and private investors. Corporate headquarters is located at: 2350 Mission College Boulevard, Suite 850, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054. Telephone: (408) 982-8240. Facsimile: (408) 982-3838. Email: info@hierdesign.com. More details can be found at the Hier Design website located at: http://www.hierdesign.com.

PlanAhead is a trademark of Hier Design Inc. Hier Design acknowledges trademarks or registered trademarks of other organizations for their respective products and services.