LATEST TECHNOLOGY:SYNOPSYS

Synopsys Rolls Out Galaxy Custom Designer

Enters mixed-signal implementation market

Saturday, September 27, 2008: Synopsys, Inc. has rolled out its Galaxy Custom Designer solution -- which it claims is the industry’s first modern-era mixed-signal implementation solution. Architected for productivity, Galaxy Custom Designer leverages Synopsys™ Galaxy Design Platform to provide a unified solution for custom and digital designs, thereby enhancing designer efficiency.

Galaxy Custom Designer delivers a familiar user interface while integrating a common use model for simulation, analysis, parasitic extraction and physical verification. It is the first-ever implementation solution built natively on the OpenAccess database for legacy designs as well as a new componentised infrastructure offering openness and interoperability with process design kits (PDKs) from leading foundries.

Our customers have long requested a modern alternative to the custom design solutions currently on the market,” said Aart de Geus, chairman and CEO, Synopsys. “By starting with a state-of-the-art, open architecture and tightly coupling it to the Galaxy Design Platform as well as our analogue/mixed-signal verification and IP solutions, Synopsys aims to do for custom design what we have done for digital implementation.

In addition to facilitating innovation with the open architecture, Galaxy Custom Designer enhances productivity by bridging the gap between the worlds of digital and custom design. Galaxy Custom Designer enables complete data transparency with Synopsys™ IC Compiler physical implementation solution, allowing the exchange of vital information during floorplanning, placement, routing and final chip editing to reduce time-consuming design iterations.

Built from the ground up, Galaxy Custom Designer was architected for productivity. Key modules include a schematic editor featuring on-canvas editing and dynamic net highlighting. The simulation environment provides a common use model allowing access to Synopsys simulators, including HSPICE, HSIM XA, NanoSim XA and WaveView Analyzer. The layout editor features a real-time preview of P-Cell parameter changes. In addition, the results from Hercules DRC/LVS and Star-RCXT parasitic extraction are available within Galaxy Custom Designer.Galaxy Custom Designer is available now.