Actel Enhances Libero Tool Suite to Boost Performance and Support for ProASICPLUS FPGAs
PALACE Physical Synthesis Tool From Magma Delivers Average 20 Percent
Performance Improvement; Libero IDE Silver and Gold Editions Now Support
300,000 Gate Devices
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., December 08, 2003 —
Demonstrating its commitment
to delivering development tools that optimize FPGA performance, Actel
Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL) today announced it has enhanced its Libero
Integrated Design Environment (IDE) to include Magma Design Automation's
PALACE™ (Physical And Logical Automatic Compilation Engine) physical
synthesis tool. Through a new OEM agreement with Magma®, the PALACE
software, which can provide an average of 20 percent higher performance
for ProASICPLUS FPGAs, is available from Actel as a standalone
tool or bundled with Actel's Libero IDE. In addition, Actel announced
that the Silver and Gold Editions of the Libero v5.1 IDE now provide
device support for up to 300,000 gates, delivering support at little
or no cost for many of Actel's larger gate count devices.
"Now integrated as part of Actel's development tools portfolio,
the PALACE physical synthesis tool from Magma offers a simple interface
that requires little user intervention. This is extremely important to
FPGA designers who typically value ease of use," said Saloni Howard-Sarin,
director of tools marketing at Actel. "In addition, we're excited
that customers will be able to use Actel's Libero Silver and Gold Editions
to access larger gate count devices at a very affordable price point."
Seamlessly integrated with Actel's Libero IDE, Magma's PALACE physical
synthesis tool provides fast timing closure and predictability while
reducing design costs and design cycles. The simple-to-use tool accepts
an interpreted netlist and makes optimal placement decisions based on
constraints and detailed design and interconnect modeling. The Magma
PALACE tool provides further benefit to the user by quickly achieving
performance requirements without modifying the HDL or schematic design
source. The combination of technologies from Actel and Magma provides
a compelling advantage to designers of ASICs or complex FPGAs who want
to leverage programmable logic in an ASIC design flow. The PALACE software
initially supports Actel's ProASICPLUS family of FPGAs.
"We are happy to bring the benefits of our unique physical synthesis
technology to Actel and look forward to further expanding this relationship
in the future,"
said Behrooz Zahiri, director of marketing, Magma Design Automation. "Together,
we've seen 20 percent average performance improvements on a wide range
of applications over existing solutions. Through this relationship, Actel's
will now provide its customers with seamless access to the best physical
synthesis technology the industry has to offer."
The new Libero v5.1 IDE also features support, from synthesis through
place and route, for up to 300K gates, a 6x increase in gate count coverage
over the previous Libero Gold offering. Actel customers can use the Actel
version of Synplicity's industry-leading Synplify Lite synthesis software,
included with the Libero IDE, to optimize their FPGA designs. Demonstrating
Actel's commitment to provide cost-effective FPGA design solutions to
its customers, the upgraded software ensures free or low-cost support
for Actel's larger gate count devices.
About the Libero Integrated Design Environment
Actel's Libero v5.1 IDE offers the latest and best in class tools from
such EDA powerhouses as Mentor Graphics, SynaptiCAD, Synplicity, Magma
Design Automation and custom developed tools from Actel integrated into
a single FPGA development package. Actel offers not only one-stop shopping
for its customer's EDA tools needs, but also a powerful design manager
that keeps track of design files and seamlessly manages all the interoperability
issues that typically arise when using tools from different vendors.
The Libero tool suite supports mixed-mode design entry input, giving
designers the choice of mixing either high-level VHDL or Verilog HDL
language blocks with schematic modules within a design.
Pricing and Availability
The Actel Libero v5.1 IDE is available now in four editions: Platinum
PS (physical synthesis), Platinum, Gold and Silver. Libero Silver may
be used by qualified designers for one year free of charge via the Actel
Web site. Pricing for the Platinum PS version, including the Actel edition
of Magma's PALACE tool, begins at $3495.00 for a one-year license. An
evaluation version of Libero Platinum PS may be used by qualified designers
for 45 days free of charge. Pricing for the Gold version starts at $595.
A one-year standalone version of the PALACE software for use with Actel's
Designer is available from Actel for $1795. For further information about
pricing and availability, please contact
Actel.
About Actel
Actel Corporation is a supplier of innovative programmable
logic solutions, including field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based
on antifuse and flash technologies, high-performance intellectual property
(IP) cores, software development tools and design services targeted
for the high-speed communications, application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) replacement and radiation-tolerant markets. Founded
in 1985, Actel employs approximately 500 people worldwide. The Company
is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ACTL and is
headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA, 94043-4655.
Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835). Internet: http://www.actel.com.
Contact: Ferda Mehmet, A&R Edelman, 415.308.7877
