Skip to main content

Fujitsu

Global

Archived content

NOTE: this is an archived page and the content is likely to be out of date.

Fujitsu and Synplicity Join Forces to Deliver Customized Amplify Product for Fujitsu AccelArray™ Structured/Platform ASICs

Customized Optimization Speeds Time-to-Market and Offers Optimal Performance

Fujitsu Limited,Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc.,Synplicity, Inc.

Sunnyvale, CA, September 21, 2004 and Tokyo, September 22, 2004

Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. (FMA) and Synplicity, Inc., a leading supplier of software for the design and verification of semiconductors, today announced a joint development and marketing agreement to develop a custom physical synthesis product for Fujitsu AccelArray™ structured/platform ASIC devices. Fujitsu and Synplicity will work closely to produce an optimized version of Synplicity's Amplify® physical synthesis software, specifically targeting the AccelArray architecture and enabling greater performance and faster overall timing closure for Fujitsu's devices.

"Synplicity's established expertise in deep synthesis technology and its excellent track record in the structured/platform ASIC market were key factors in our decision to choose the company as a recommended EDA synthesis supplier," said Yoji Hino, general manager of ASIC, Network and Communication Products Division at Fujitsu Limited's LSI group. "We believe Synplicity's customized tool will set a new standard for designer productivity and will help our customers fully exploit the inherent benefits of our AccelArray devices, as well as achieve the performance and timing closure previously unattainable with other physical synthesis solutions."

"AccelArray leverages Fujitsu's decades of ASIC design expertise and can help significantly reduce the customer's total cost of ownership," said Keith Horn, vice president of marketing at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. "With its extensive sets of IPs such as embedded processor cores and high-speed SerDes, AccelArray's innovative and versatile design platforms are appropriate for a wide range of applications."

Under the terms of this agreement Fujitsu and Synplicity will jointly define and Synplicity will develop the customized Amplify software for the AccelArray physical synthesis product. Upon its completion, Fujitsu will offer the Amplify software as the preferred physical synthesis solution to AccelArray customers. Fujitsu and Synplicity believe that bundling the Amplify physical synthesis software with the AccelArray platform will provide customers with a more complete ASIC solution.

According to market research firm Gartner Dataquest, the structured/platform ASIC market will experience substantial growth in the next four years. In the company's recent report entitled "Platform ASICs Jump-Start Market," Bryan Lewis, research vice president and chief semiconductor analyst, contends that: “ASIC platforms have the potential to jump-start the ASIC industry because they can now serve an increasing number of customers that had been left behind because of the rapidly rising design costs of traditional ASICs." In addition, Gartner Dataquest predicts there will be more than 1,000 structured ASIC design starts by 2007, representing 25 percent of all ASIC design starts.

"This bright outlook from the analyst community on the industry confirms Synplicity's strategy to fully support the structured ASIC market," said Joe Gianelli, vice president of Business Development at Synplicity. "We are honored to work with such a well-respected company like Fujitsu and are excited that our support of its cell-based ASIC and AccelArray technologies is now expanding into the joint development of an AccelArray-optimized product. We believe this latest agreement aligns Synplicity with every major structured/platform ASIC vendor in the industry, further builds Synplicity's momentum in the structured/platform ASIC market, and enhances our reputation as the preferred EDA synthesis tool vendor for this emerging design platform."

Availability

Fujitsu and Synplicity expect its customized physical synthesis product will be available for AccelArray customers in the first quarter of 2005.

About AccelArray

AccelArray is an innovative semiconductor "structured platform" and design environment that addresses the design challenges in 0.11um technology by offering a high-performance customized solution. The technology is an alternative to the 0.11um standard-cell ASICs with the fast time-to-market and customization benefits of FPGAs. AccelArray takes advantage of the extensive, proven ASIC design techniques reducing design risks, costs and time-to-market with a fast turn around and a low upfront NRE cost.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace-setting technologies, highly reliable computing and communications platforms, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver comprehensive solutions that open up infinite possibilities for its customers' success. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$45 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004.
For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/

About Fujitsu Microelectronics America

Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. (FMA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, leads the industry in innovation. FMA provides high-quality, reliable semiconductor products and services for the networking, communications, automotive, security and other markets throughout North and South America. For product information, visit the company web site at http://www.fma.fujitsu.com/Accel
For more information, please see: http://www.fma.fujitsu.com/Accel

About Synplicity

Synplicity® Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNP) is a leading supplier of innovative synthesis, verification and physical implementation software solutions that enable the rapid and effective design and verification of semiconductors. Synplicity's high-quality, high-performance tools significantly reduce costs and time-to-market for FPGA, Structured/Platform ASIC and cell-based/COT ASIC designers. The company's underlying Behavior Extracting Synthesis Technology® (BEST™), which is embedded in its logical, physical and verification tools, and has led to Synplicity's top position in FPGA synthesis, now provides the same fast runtimes and quality of results to ASIC and COT customers. The company's fast, easy-to-use products support industry standard design languages (VHDL and Verilog) and run on popular platforms. Synplicity employs over 280 people in its 20 facilities worldwide. Synplicity is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information visit http://www.synplicity.com
For more information, please see: http://www.synplicity.com

Press Contacts

Dick Davies
IPRA

Phone: Phone: 415-777-4161
E-mail: E-mail: ipra@mindspring.com
Company:Fujitsu Microelectronics America PR Contact

Customer Contacts

Emi Igarashi

Phone: Phone: 408-737-5647
E-mail: E-mail: emi.igarashi@fma.fujitsu.com
Company:Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc.

Press Contacts

Public and Investor Relations
Inquiries

Company:Fujitsu Limited

Customer Contacts

ASIC Design Service
Network LSI Design Dept.
LSI Group, Electronic Devices Group

E-mail: E-mail: edevice@fujitsu.com
Company:Fujitsu Limited

Press Contacts

Steve Gabriel
Porter Novelli

Phone: Phone: 408-369-1500 x627
E-mail: E-mail: steve.Gabriel@porternovelli.com
Company:Synplicity PR Contact

Customer Contacts

Joe Gianelli

Phone: Phone: 408-215-6000
E-mail: E-mail: joeg@synplicity.com
Company:Synplicity, Inc.


AccelArray is a trademark of Fujitsu Limited. Synplicity, Amplify, Behavior Extracting Synthesis Technology and Synplify ASIC are registered trademarks of Synpilcity Inc. BEST is a trademark of Synplicity Inc. All other names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements regarding the viability of the Structured ASIC market, Synplicity’s position and reputation in the Structured ASIC market and the performance, achievements and benefits of Synplicity's customized tool for Fujitsu. In some cases, you will be able to identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "believes" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including the performance and benefits of Synplicity's technology relative to relevant industry methods or standards, design flaws, design difficulties or other problems with Synplicity's customized tool, the growth and changing technical requirements in the Structured ASIC market and others factors that may limit the growth of the Structured ASIC market, such as a continued economic downturn. For additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Synplicity, see its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other periodic reports filed with the SEC from time to time, including its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Although Synplicity believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Synplicity cannot guarantee the future performance or achievements of its software. In addition, neither Synplicity nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of these forward-looking statements. Synplicity disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement.

Date: 22 September, 2004
City: Sunnyvale, CA, September 21, 2004 and Tokyo
Company: Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc., Synplicity, Inc., , ,