Design Strategies: Model Technology Opens E-Commerce Site, Plans To Move Beyond Simulation

Electronic News,  Jan 25, 1999  

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By ann steffora Portland, Ore.-In order to meet the needs of all HDL designers, Model Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mentor Graphics Corp. is hard at work developing the HDL Designer Series of tools to expand its product line beyond HDL simulation. Model Tech executives recently unveiled the company's strategy to include graphical capture, design management and visual debugging capabilities as part of its tool solution, supplemented by the ability to purchase those tools through Model Tech's new E-commerce website, available beginning today. Model Tech has been known for its HDL simulation tools, where it is among the industry's top market share holders. Current tools support both ASIC and FPGA designers, regardless of language or platform. In expanding its tool offerings, performance and capacity issues will be addressed through RTL performance, code coverage and performance analysis features in tools to be announced later this year, noted Kevin Curtis, general manager of Model Tech. The upcoming tool suite will encompass capabilities of both high-end point tool solutions, including hand coding, mixed language and graphical design, along with low-end point tools in an integrated environment(see accompanying diagram). Three levels of users will be addressed in the designer series, with availability scheduled for 3Q99, Curtis explained, with the high end tools featuring RTL performance, performance analysis and code coverage solutions.

E-Commerce Site Opened To Reach More Users Although Model Tech's users include both ASIC and FPGA designers, distributing tools to those users has traditionally fall under two scenarios. In the ASIC design space, where Cadence and Synopsys hold the majority of market share, tool distribution is done mainly through a direct sales model, since tool prices tend to be higher, but this has also caused channel problems because the direct sales model doesn't fit all users. However, in the FPGA design space, tool prices are typically lower than ASIC design tools, thereby making a telesales or other non-direct sales model more viable. By expanding its multi-tier distribution network to include E-commerce, Model Technology is making its single kernel technology available to designers of less complex designs with prices beginning at $4,495.

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