MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, announced that TSMC, SpringSoft and Ciranova have received Synopsys' eighth annual Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award for advancing the IPL (Interoperable PDK Libraries) Alliance. Working alongside Synopsys, the trio was instrumental in the creation and promotion of standards for Process Design Kits (PDKs) that accelerate innovation for analog and custom design.

The IPL Alliance was founded in April 2007 to address interoperability issues in the analog design flow. Interoperable PDK libraries work with any design tool that supports the OpenAccess database, thereby reducing PDK development and support costs, and providing designers building analog design flow options. Since its inception, the IPL Alliance has made tremendous progress in solving PDK interoperability. A free IPL reference library and an online interoperability demonstration are available for download at http://www.iplnow.com/, the IPL Alliance web site.

"We are honored to accept the Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award and we applaud the other recipients," said S.T. Juang, senior director of Design Infrastructure Marketing at TSMC. "This standard improves PDK development efficiency and reduces support costs."

"SpringSoft's commitment to standards and interoperability is absolute. The ability for users to easily link best-of-breed tools and plug them into existing flows is vital to the rapid design and verification of today's complex ICs and systems," said Martin Lu, CEO of SpringSoft. "We are honored to be recognized with the Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Award and consider it a clear measure of teamwork in driving open collaboration in the industry."

"Ciranova's objective is to offer productivity and IP portability to the analog IC design community. Interoperable PDKs advance both goals," said Eric Filseth, CEO of Ciranova Inc. "We are pleased to work with other companies to make the IPL Alliance a success. You can expect to see more progress in these areas from the IPL Alliance in the future."

"The IPL Alliance is an important industry effort that brings the benefits of interoperability and innovation to the world of custom and analog designers," said Rich Goldman, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Strategic Market Development at Synopsys. "This can only come to fruition through the teamwork of many companies, and we look forward to the IPL Alliance's future success."

About the Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award

The Tenzing Norgay EDA Interoperability Achievement Award was established by Synopsys to recognize EDA providers who collaborate on interoperable design flows that benefit the user community. The award is presented annually to companies that have surpassed common levels of interoperability, have contributed to overall industry advancement and have helped provide a new view of the future for EDA interoperability. Named for the crucial role that Sherpa Tenzing Norgay played in the first successful attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, the EDA Interoperability Achievement Award recognizes achievements that are critical to a designer's success.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to- silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has more than 60 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

Synopsys is a registered trademark of Synopsys, Inc. Any other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

   Yvette Huygen
   Synopsys, Inc.
   650-584-4547
   yvetteh@synopsys.com

   Ellen Van Etten
   MCA
   970-778-6094
   evanetten@mcapr.com

SOURCE: Synopsys, Inc.

CONTACT: Yvette Huygen of Synopsys, Inc., +1-650-584-4547,
yvetteh@synopsys.com; or Ellen Van Etten of MCA, +1-970-778-6094,
evanetten@mcapr.com, for Synopsys, Inc.

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