Magma's Titan and FineSim Validated for TSMC's First Analog/Mixed-Signal Reference Flow for 28-nm Processes

Integrated Front-to-Back-End Solution Dramatically Improves Designer Productivity and Enables Analog Design Reuse

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 14, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magma® Design Automation (Nasdaq:LAVA), a provider of chip design software, today announced TSMC has validated the Titan™ Mixed-Signal Design Platform and FineSim™ SPICE and FineSim Pro circuit simulation products for TSMC's first Analog/Mixed-Signal (AMS) Reference Flow inclusion, targeting its most advanced 28-nanometer (nm) process technology. The TSMC AMS Reference Flow 1.0 aims to address advanced process effects to accelerate next-generation analog/mixed-signal IC designs. The combination of the AMS Reference Flow and Magma's Titan Mixed-Signal Design Platform and FineSim circuit simulator provide users with an integrated front-end and back-end analog design solution that accelerates time-to-market by improving designer productivity and enabling analog design reuse.

TSMC AMS Reference Flow 1.0 offers an advanced multi-vendor AMS design flow fully integrated with an innovative TSMC AMS design package to manage the growing complexity of process effects as well as design complexity in 40-nm and 28-nm process nodes.

Titan and FineSim provide a robust, integrated analog design and simulation platform that complies with the requirements of the TSMC AMS Reference Flow 1.0. Leveraging the fast, accurate FineSim circuit simulation tool, Titan performs analysis of yield, multi-process corners and noise effects. The Titan physical design capabilities include constraint-driven analog placement and routing technology for fast layout prototyping and semi-automatic rule-driven layout assistance.

"Innovation in analog/mixed-signal design has long lagged behind digital design," said Anirudh Devgan, general manager of Magma's Custom Design Business Unit. "By working with TSMC, Magma can further accelerate the evolution of analog/mixed-signal design and reuse and enable our customers to develop highly differentiated and more profitable mixed-signal systems on chip (SoCs)."

"Selecting Titan and FineSim for the AMS Reference Flow is another valuable result of our ongoing collaboration with Magma to enhance analog and mixed-signal design methodologies," said S.T. Juang, senior director of Design Infrastructure Marketing at TSMC. "We're pleased to continue to strengthen the relationship between the two companies for the benefit of our mutual customers."

Magma Analog/Mixed-Signal Product Support for AMS Reference Flow 1.0

The TSMC AMS Reference Flow 1.0 is supported by key Magma products.

FineSim Pro and FineSim SPICE work with Titan to enable SPICE-level simulation and post-layout simulation with extracted parasitics.

FineSim Pro provides circuit-level simulation, enabling the simulation of the most challenging analog mixed-signal design with SPICE accuracy and unprecedented performance.
FineSim SPICE leverages Magma's Native Parallel Technology (NPT) to provide the accuracy, speed and capacity needed to simulate the most challenging analog designs.
The Titan Mixed-Signal Platform includes the following products:

Schematic Editor (SE) is a complete and powerful schematic editor, facilitates quick schematic capture and editing, advanced search and replace, easy hierarchy traversal and design management. It has full support for buses and bundles, inherited connections and netlisting of various formats.
Analog Simulation Environment (ASE) is a specification-driven, test-based analog simulation environment, empowers organized design verification across different operating conditions. Pass-fail indicators locate the failing cases and indicate final signoff with respect to the specifications. Features such as simulator-independent tests and device under test (DUT)-based test mapping help migrate the test benches across different versions of the design.
Schematic-Driven Layout (SDL) enables the creation of a connectivity-aware layout using PCells. Cross-probing, flyline displays during move and wiring, check and update of design data and opens and shorts locator functions minimize the physical verification loop by ensuring a layout-vs.-schematic (LVS)-correct layout. Pattern-based device module generation accelerates the analog layout placement. Titan SDL also allows one instance to be bound to many instances between the schematic and layout.
Layout Editor (LE) provides a complete set of features to accomplish full-custom layout design in fewer clicks. Its high capacity and speed provides mixed-signal chip integration within a single environment. Titan LE also provides advanced features like live-DRC, automatic guard-ring creation, net tracing, PCell abutment and interactive wire creation that includes bus routing.
Analog Virtual Prototyper (AVP) includes a detailed device placement engine that produces a high-quality, DRC-clean layout. The powerful constraint-based placement can handle various placement styles including area, row and stack for new layouts.
Shape-Based Router (SBR) provides constraints such as shielding, differential pair routing, star and matched routing, enabling this shape-based router to achieve highly precise analog routing results.

More information on Titan, FineSim SPICE, FineSim Pro and the TSMC 28-nm AMS Reference Flow 1.0 will be available in Magma's booth 602 and the TSMC Open Innovation Forum booth 294 at the 47th Design Automation Conference (DAC) June 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. For information about Magma's activities at DAC, visit www.magma-da.com/DAC2010.

Availability

Titan and FineSim are currently in production release. The TSMC AMS Reference Flow 1.0 will be available in limited release and at no charge to selected customers early in the third quarter of 2010. General release is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2010. Customers may access the AMS Reference Flow 1.0 at the TSMC Online customer design portal http://online.tsmc.com/online/ or contact sales and support representatives for details.

About Magma

Magma's electronic design automation (EDA) software provides the "Fastest Path to Silicon"™ and enables the world's top chip companies to create high-performance integrated circuits (ICs) for cellular telephones, electronic games, WiFi, MP3 players, digital video, networking and other electronic applications. Magma products are used in IC implementation, analog/mixed-signal design, analysis, physical verification, circuit simulation and characterization. The company maintains headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and offices throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Magma's stock trades on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol LAVA. Follow Magma on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MagmaEDA and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Magma. Visit Magma Design Automation on the Web at www.magma-da.com.

Magma and Talus are registered trademarks and "Fastest Path to Silicon," FineSim and Titan are trademarks of Magma Design Automation Inc. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Forward-looking statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release including statements about the features and benefits of Magma software and TSMC's AMS Reference Flow 1.0 are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to Magma's and TSMC's abilities to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and the companies' products' abilities to produce desired results. Further discussion of these and other potential risk factors may be found in Magma's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Magma undertakes no additional obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACT:  Magma Design Automation Inc.
          Monica Marmie, Director, Corporate Marketing
          (408) 565-7689
          mmarmie@magma-da.com