Actel's Libero IDE Delivers Industry's Best Mix of Design Tools, Superior Functionality and Ease-of-Use
In Company's Highest Performing Tool Suite Offered to Date, Synplicity's
Synplify AE Software Now Included for Free; Magma's Physical Synthesis
for PLDs Seamlessly Integrated
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 14, 2004 —
Actel Corporation (NASDAQ:
ACTL) today introduced its most flexible and comprehensive tool suite
to date, the Libero Integrated Design Environment (IDE) version 6.0.
The streamlined IDE seamlessly integrates the industry's best third-party
design tools and delivers unprecedented flexibility and efficiency for
today's complex, time-sensitive field-programmable gate array (FPGA)
designs. Providing enhanced functionality and performance, all editions
of Libero 6.0, including its free Silver edition, now include Synplify® Actel
Edition (AE) software, Synplicity's industry-leading synthesis tool specially
optimized for Actel's flash- and antifuse-based FPGAs.
"Actel's latest Libero IDE stands as a testament to the company's
commitment to building strong relationships with cutting-edge EDA tool
vendors," said Saloni Howard-Sarin, tools marketing director at
Actel. "As FPGAs continue to push the envelope in terms of performance,
we recognize that third-party software companies like Synplicity and
Magma Design Automation possess the expertise to provide top-notch front-end
design tools. By joining forces with these companies, Actel is able to
leverage this superior technology and offer customers the best mix of
design tools the industry has to offer."
Also, for the first time, Libero customers may purchase Synplicity's
high-end synthesis tool, Synplify Pro® AE, directly from Actel at
a significant cost savings. In addition, users can access a full version
of Magma Design Automation's PALACE (Physical and Logical Automatic Compilation
Engine) physical synthesis tool directly from the Libero 6.0 interface.
The design environment also boasts new ease-of-use improvements and additional
updates to other industry-leading third-party tools.
Seamless Integration of Best-in-Class Tools
Now available for free with all versions of Libero 6.0, Synplicity's
Synplify AE software includes Synplicity's SCOPE Editor, which allows
users to add timing and other constraints through a GUI. In addition,
Actel Libero Silver and Gold users now have access to other features
not previously enjoyed, such as the Hierarchical Netlist Browser, batch
or command line mode (for floating licenses), and interface to the HDL
Analyst.
Choosing the Synplify Pro AE software as an add-on to Libero 6.0, users
can incrementally design Actel FPGAs using Synplicity's MultiPoint™ technology.
The technology creates interface logic models (ILMs) based upon user-defined
compile points, allowing parts of a design to remain unchanged while
others are synthesized, resulting in better quality of timing and area
results, faster runtime and the advanced handling of large designs. Also
included in the Synplify Pro software is Synplicity's HDL Analyst® tool
that automatically generates an RTL graphical view and post-map schematic
view of the design for fast code analysis and debug. Other performance
enhancement features such as re-timing/register balancing are also available
in the Synplify Pro software.
"Like Actel, Synplicity is committed to improving designer productivity,"
said Jeff Garrison, Synplicity's director of marketing for FPGA products. "Synplicity's
intuitive, easy-to-use technologies, such as MultiPoint and HDL Analyst,
and our industry-leading quality of results combined with the Libero
IDE provides an Actel-optimized solution that can enable faster timing
closure and fewer costly design iterations for all Actel customers."
Bridging synthesis and place-and-route to improve timing and performance
for Actel's flash-based ProASICPLUS devices, Magma's PALACE
software is now bundled with Libero Platinum 6.0 and can be summoned
directly from the Libero 6.0 interface. Magma's PALACE is fully compatible
with any synthesis tool, including Synplicity's Synplify and Synplify
Pro tools, further contributing to its seamless operation within Libero
6.0.
SynaptiCad's WaveFormer Lite 9.6 has also been upgraded to support a
reactive test bench, which compares test bench models against actual
output results, greatly simplifying analysis of simulation timing results.
With Verilog Change Dump (VCD) import, WaveFormer Lite enables the import
of IEEE 1364 standard waveforms. Further, Libero 6.0 includes an enhanced
version of Mentor Graphics' ModelSim HDL simulation environment.
Ease-of-Use Enhancements
Multiple ease-of-use features enhance Libero's highly intuitive IDE.
For instance, an update to Actel's Project Manager allows users to build
and test revisions to their design by saving multiple trial implementations.
Improvements to Actel's MultiView Navigator include a new active messaging
system that standardizes and streamlines messages and design flow; logic
cones, which extend netlist viewer functionality; and an enhanced netlist
mapper and prelayout checker. Additionally, Actel's ACTgen supports significant
GUI menu-driven enhancements, further improving usability and speeding
timing closure. Addressing the growing base of Linux users, Actel's Designer
expands UNIX support to Red Hat Linux 8, Red Hat Linux 9 and Solaris
9.
Pricing and Availability
Libero 6.0 IDE is available in three editions: Platinum, Gold and Silver.
Libero Platinum is a complete solution with unlimited design capacity
and customer support and is priced at $2495. For users designing system-level
devices of 300k gates or less, Actel offers its Libero Gold edition,
which is priced at $595. The Libero Silver edition may be used free of
charge via Actel's Web site. The Synplify Pro AE add-on, which can be
used with any Libero or Designer edition, is priced at $3500 annually
and requires a separate license. For more information, 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 more than 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: Stephanie Mrus, Actel Corporation, 650.318.4614
