Celoxica Agility Compiler Delivers Higher Levels of Design Abstraction; Improved C++ Support In SystemC Synthesis Tool

Business Wire, July 26, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -- Celoxica (AIM:CXA) has enhanced C coding support in its Agility Compiler high level design tool, raising the level of design abstraction above SystemC for designers who need to boost productivity and for programmers less familiar with hardware design. By using the C coding style developers can more easily exploit the productivity gains and simulation benefits of C level design without compromising area or timing optimization.

The Agility Compiler addresses the middle ground between the unfulfilled promise of push-button design and the register transfer level (RTL). Agility gives support for C classes, templates and inheritance that provide powerful abstractions to shield low level detail from the core algorithm. Communication between objects can be done using C member function calls or FIFO's, and the need to use internal SystemC ports and port mapping for object hierarchy has been removed.

To retain the use of standard C datatypes, data width reduction automatically trims variable widths. Agility's support for thread processes means better ease-of-use for programmers and architects familiar with modern processors and avoids reliance upon low-level sc_methods.

"Customers demand a quality-of-results performance directly linked to a level of design abstraction that delivers measurable productivity gains, but with the necessary accuracy and control," said Jeff Jussel vice president of marketing and general manager of the Americas for Celoxica. "Using Agility you can dive into the low level implementation detail, but it isn't mandatory. A simple C function call can be used to turn a C array into a RAM, or you can instantiate RAM blocks by hand and manually implement a low level RAM driver."

The Agility Compiler is a part of Celoxica's family of electronic system level (ESL) design solutions that address the issues of time-to-market, design complexity and high-performance computing. Agility automatically generates RTL descriptions from high-level C/ C / SystemC source for popular ASIC/ SoC synthesis flows and gate-level EDIF netlists for high density programmable logic devices.

"Our roadmap for Agility lays out the path to untimed synthesis, but the skill of the designer remains the critical component in a design flow and we've built Agility around them," added Jussel.

For further information about the Agility Compiler or to arrange a demonstration contact your local Celoxica sales office or visit the Celoxica booth, #3951 in the North Hall of the Design Automation Conference, Moscone Center, San Francisco.

About Celoxica

A leader in electronic system level design (ESL), Celoxica is enabling the next generation of advanced electronic products by producing tools, boards, IP and services that turn software into silicon. Celoxica technology raises design abstraction to the algorithm level, accelerating productivity and lowering risk and costs by generating semiconductor hardware directly from C-based software descriptions. Adding to a growing installed base, Celoxica provides the world's most widely used C-based behavioral design and synthesis solutions to companies developing semiconductor products in markets such as consumer electronics, defense and aerospace, automotive, industrial and security. Celoxica is a publicly traded company on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol CXA. For more information, visit: www.celoxica.com

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