Technology Leadership and Unmatched Support Were Key Criteria in Expanding Partnership

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Synopsys, Inc. , a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, today announced that Wolfson Microelectronics plc, a leading supplier of mixed-signal semiconductors for consumer electronic products, has signed an expanded business agreement to establish Synopsys as its primary EDA partner. Under the multi-year agreement, Wolfson plans to consolidate on Synopsys' Discovery™ verification platform, especially analog mixed-signal, and its Galaxy™ design platform in order to improve engineering productivity as the company focuses on broadening its product portfolio. Wolfson based its decision on Synopsys' ability to adapt to changing needs and offer outstanding support while delivering products that are proven to increase productivity.

"Wolfson and Synopsys have maintained a successful relationship for a number of years, resulting in a number of innovative products for the consumer electronics market," said Mike Hickey, chief executive officer for Wolfson Microelectronics. "As a key partner, Synopsys provides us with a portfolio of technology that is essential to our designers and enables them to continue to develop high-quality mixed-signal products. I see our continued cooperation leading to exciting opportunities for both companies as we focus on increasing our market reach by developing new products."

The latest agreement between the two companies expands Wolfson's use of solutions and services across Synopsys' comprehensive portfolio. Wolfson Microelectronics has also adopted Synopsys' SpiceExplorer transistor-level debugging environment as the basis for its new analog/mixed-signal (AMS) design analysis and debug flow, enabling Wolfson designers to automatically screen a vast array of simulation runs and find and fix design problems quickly.

"Basing our new flow on Synopsys' SpiceExplorer solution gave us a tremendous boost in capability and throughput," said Jean-Louis Cols, vice president of Development at Wolfson. "SpiceExplorer's rich feature set and easy extensibility allow us to quickly deploy the new automation capabilities our AMS designers need to stay productive. We expect to deploy the SpiceExplorer-based flow for all new design starts beginning in May of 2009."

"To be successful today, companies need to be flexible in how they respond to the changing environment, and they need to have partners who can adapt to new requirements," said John Chilton, senior vice president of Marketing and Strategic Development at Synopsys. "Wolfson and Synopsys share this understanding and are working together to continue to improve engineering productivity and develop new products that bring digital technology to life."

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is the 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, software-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/.

About Wolfson Microelectronics

Wolfson Microelectronics plc is a leading global provider of high performance, mixed signal semiconductors to the consumer electronics market.

Wolfson is renowned for its high performance audio and ultra low power consumption, its devices are at the heart of many high profile consumer electronics products, including mobile phones, mp3 players, flat panel TVs and in-car infotainment systems. Wolfson technology enables exciting new end-user experiences by connecting the digital world to the human senses.

Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, Wolfson has sales and engineering offices in the USA, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and India. Wolfson Microelectronics plc is listed on the London stock exchange.

For more information about Wolfson Microelectronics, please visit: www.wolfsonmicro.com or sign up for Wolfson eNews at: www.wolfsonmicro.com/enews

Synopsys, Discovery and Galaxy are registered trademarks or trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. Any other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

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

    Investor Contact:
    Lisa Ewbank
    Synopsys, Inc.
    650-584-1901

SOURCE: Synopsys, Inc.

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