MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), a world leader in semiconductor design software, today announced that it has won IBM's prestigious PartnerWorld Beacon Award as "The Best Common Platform Technology Ecosystem Solution." The IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Award recognizes the Synopsys reference flow for Common Platform 65-nanometer (nm) and 90-nm process technologies as critical to the success of the Common Platform technology effort between IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung Electronics.

Synopsys was recognized for its production-ready reference design flow that supports the full range of 65-nm design and implementation needs. Synopsys coordinated detailed technical development and validation efforts between its flow development team, process experts from IBM, Chartered and Samsung and IP developers at ARM, to provide a complete, robust design solution. The 65-nm Synopsys reference flow was the first flow available for Common Platform technology customers worldwide, and has been available from Synopsys since July 2006.

"IBM -- together with our Common Platform collaborators Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung -- have introduced the semiconductor industry to a new business and manufacturing model based on close collaboration of technology leaders across the semiconductor industry. Synopsys, one of our leading ecosystem partners, has played a significant role in this effort by providing a complete EDA solution that supports and complements our advanced process technologies and enables our clients to meet their manufacturing needs," said Steve Longoria, vice president, Common Platform, for IBM. "IBM's evaluation and our customers' use of this reference flow have shown it to be complete and production-ready, allowing designers to quickly realize the benefits of the advanced 65-nm Common Platform process technology. IBM applauds Synopsys for its efforts in support of the Common Platform technology and winning the first Beacon award for the Common Platform Ecosystem."

The reference flow from Synopsys is a comprehensive, production-ready design flow derived from Synopsys' Pilot Design Environment using the Galaxy™ Design Platform, Discovery™ Verification Platform and Synopsys' Design for Manufacturing (DFM) tools. The reference flow helps design teams transform RTL into GDSII that can be manufactured at IBM, Chartered or Samsung. The reference flow provides an integrated, easy-to-use design flow to address 65-nm design challenges like low-power design, signal integrity, design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-testability (DFT) while also addressing timing closure and performance optimization. It is delivered with source scripts, allowing design teams to modify and extend the flow to best address project-specific needs. Synopsys Professional Services provides flow deployment services to assist chip developers with adopting and customizing the flow for their specific production design environment. More information about Synopsys' offerings for the Common Platform technology is available on- line at https://www.synopsys.com/community/interoperability-programs.html .

"IBM and the Common Platform have brought 90-nm and 65-nm process technologies to market to provide new advantages to the design community," said Rich Goldman, vice president of Strategic Market Development at Synopsys. "Synopsys recognizes the importance of continuous innovation and is committed to supporting these efforts through collaboration with our partners. Recognition of our contribution by IBM is gratifying and reinforces our commitment to the Common Platform effort."

The Beacon Award entries were judged by a panel of senior IBM managers and technical specialists from the industry. The panel considered innovation, reduction in time-to-market, maintaining high customer satisfaction and improving the Common Platform alliance's value proposition while making the award decision. Over 650 entries were considered for Beacon Awards. This is the second consecutive year Synopsys has been recognized by IBM, having won the Beacon award for "Best IBM Power Architecture™ Solution" in 2006.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is a world leader in EDA software for semiconductor design. The company delivers technology-leading semiconductor design and verification platforms and IC manufacturing software products to the global electronics market, enabling the development and production of complex systems-on-chips (SoCs). Synopsys also provides intellectual property and design services to simplify the design process and accelerate time-to-market for its customers. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California and has offices in more than 60 locations throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Asia. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

About Common Platform Technology

IBM, Chartered and Samsung Electronics have broken new ground in the semiconductor industry with a unique collaboration focused on leading-edge, jointly developed digital CMOS process technologies and advanced manufacturing. The Common Platform model is further supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of design enablement and implementation business partners from the EDA, IP and design services industries. This ecosystem allows foundry customers to potentially source their chip designs to multiple 300mm foundries with unprecedented flexibility and choice. The Common Platform model is currently in production with 90nm and 65nm technologies.

NOTE: Synopsys is a registered trademark and Galaxy and Discovery are 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

  Ellen Van Etten
  MCA, Inc.
  970-778-6094
  evanetten@mcapr.com

SOURCE: Synopsys, Inc.

CONTACT: Yvette Huygen of Synopsys, Inc., +1-650-584-4547, or
yvetteh@synopsys.com; or Ellen Van Etten of MCA, Inc., +1-970-778-6094, or
evanetten@mcapr.com, for Synopsys, Inc.

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