Core Concepts

Electronic News, Nov 22, 1999 by Tom Murphy

Antrim Introduces Commercial Mixed Signal Technology

Antrim Design Systems Inc., Scotts Valley, Calif., announced a commercial design software tool for mixed signal synthesis. The tool, called Antrim-MSS, is designed for the capture and reuse of expert designer knowledge for the creation of mixed signal intellectual property. Antrim-MSS was devised to increase analog designer creativity by automating tedious steps in the development of analog circuits and saving creative steps to enable analog design reuse. Antrim also said the tool provides a system for top-down design of mixed signal systems, allowing system engineers to implement designs without having significant analog design expertise. Antrim believes that one of the greatest barriers in mixed signal synthesis is the complexity involved in optimizing designs at the circuit level. Antrim-MSS is intended to perform optimization of mixed signal functions directly from behavioral models that match circuit-level characteristics. Designers may be able to develop models for their circuits by using Antrim's proprietary characterization and modeling technology. The goal of the synthesis tools is greater reusability and reduced time. Antrim-MSS has been released by the company's technology partners and will become available in the first quarter of 2000.

Cadence Builds IP Reuse Infrastructure for OKI Electric

Cadence Design Systems Inc. said it will make its intellectual property (IP) infrastructure development service available and create an IP infrastructure at Oki Electric Industry Co. Ltd., of Japan. The infrastructure is designed as a hub of an integration-driven IP reuse system and, combined with the silicon platform architecture, Oki's System LSI development methodology, could increase Oki design productivity for new and derivative system-on-a-chip designs. Oki plans to use the system to design IP and to share it with other design groups.