Synopsys Announces Support for AMD64 Architecture-Based Processors With Its Galaxy Design and Discovery Verification Platforms
Synopsys' Continued Leadership in Compute Platform Support Demonstrates Commitment to its Customers
PRNewswire-FirstCall
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.

Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), the world leader in semiconductor design software, today announced that its Galaxy™ Design and Discovery™ Verification Platforms will support AMD64 architecture-based processors running the Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Version 3 operating system. Synopsys' core tools on both the Galaxy Design and Discovery Verification Platforms will run on the AMD64 instruction set, including AMD Opteron™ and AMD Athlon™ 64, delivering the higher performance and increased capacity engineers need to implement and verify complex system-on-chip designs. Synopsys was the first major electronic design automation (EDA) software company to make its tools available on the Linux open source operating system, and is committed to meeting its customers' needs for Linux and AMD64 solutions.

Key implementation products in the Galaxy Platform being ported to the AMD64 compute platform include Astro™, Design Compiler®, DesignWare Library®, Hercules™, the Milkyway™ design database, Physical Compiler®, Power Compiler™, PrimeTime®, Star-RCXT™ and TetraMAX®. Key verification products being ported in the Discovery Platform include Formality™, HSPICE®, NanoSim™, VCS™ and Vera®.

"Synopsys' support for the AMD64 architecture will help accelerate market momentum in moving from proprietary 64-bit computing environments to the scalability and value of x86-based technology," said Marty Seyer, vice president and general manager of AMD's Microprocessor Business Unit. "The AMD64 architecture combined with Synopsys' Galaxy implementation and Discovery verification tools allows our mutual customers to reap the benefit of 64-bit computing."

Leading-edge companies are designing intricate chips with up to 100 million transistors of synthesized logic and more than 100 million transistors in memory. Designers at these companies are demanding 64-bit compute platforms for sophisticated design tools like those on Synopsys' Galaxy and Discovery Platforms to deliver significant design cycle throughput.

"Newisys has already seen significant performance improvements in Synopsys' 32-bit tools running on AMD64 over any other platform," said Richard Oehler, chief technology officer, Newisys, Inc. "We look forward to the arrival of the 64-bit tools from Synopsys, which will help us take fuller advantage of the AMD Opteron processor and which are essential to the continued development of our custom ASICs designed for building large, scaleable Symmetrical Multi-Processor (SMP) Opteron systems."

"Agere Systems provides our customers the best overall experience by delivering first-pass success on chip designs for the world of personal broadband," said Jon Fields, vice president of Agere's design platform organization. "Our complex, feature-rich designs require 64-bit computing power coupled with the best design tools available. Synopsys' plans to make their tools available on the AMD64 architecture will help us provide the best service through faster design cycles."

"It is Synopsys' responsibility to address challenges within the EDA community and the IC design industry. This is a key reason we are announcing that Synopsys products will support the AMD64 architecture," said Karen Bartleson, director of interoperability at Synopsys. "We pay close attention to customer feedback on their experiences and needs in the area of compute platforms and what they tell us has a definite impact on our roadmap and support plans."

Availability

Beta release of core Galaxy and Discovery products supporting the AMD64 architecture-based processors running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3 is scheduled for calendar Q4 2003, with the production release scheduled to occur in calendar Q1 2004.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is the world leader in electronic design automation (EDA) software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading semiconductor design and verification platforms to the global electronics market, enabling the development of complex systems-on-chips (SoCs). Synopsys also provides intellectual property and design services to simplify the design process and accelerate time-to-market for its customers. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California and has offices in more than 60 locations throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at www.synopsys.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the expected benefits and dates of availability of certain Synopsys software tools running on AMD64 architecture-based processors running the Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Version 3.0 operating system. These statements are based on Synopsys' current expectations and beliefs. Actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these statements as a result of unforeseen difficulties in porting such Synopsys software tools to the AMD64 architecture-based processors, uncertainties attendant to any new product offering and the other factors contained in Synopsys' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2003.

NOTE: Synopsys, Design Compiler, DesignWare Library, Formality, HSPICE, Physical Compiler, PrimeTime, TetraMAX and Vera are registered trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. Astro, Discovery, Galaxy, Hercules, Milkyway, Power Compiler, Star-RCXT and VCS are trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. AMD, AMD Athlon™ and AMD Opteron™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Synopsys, Inc.

CONTACT: media, Eileen Hunt of Synopsys, Inc., +1-650-584-5374, or
elhunt@synopsys.com; or Pushpita Prasad of Edelman, +1-650-429-2723, or
pushpita.prasad@edelman.com, for Synopsys, Inc.

Web site: http://www.synopsys.com/