VSIA announces new version of the Quality IP Metric

• QIP proves industry acceptance with over 450 downloads
• Hard IP work will enter Beta soon
• QIP Pillar seeks participants interested in developing Verification IP

Wakefield, MA. – April 11, 2006 – The VSI Alliance (VSIA), the SoC and IP standards body for the electronics industry, today announced an update to the QIP Metric released January 9, 2006. The updates included improvements to the scoring mechanism. VSIA is also pleased to announce that there has been more than 450 downloads of the Metric since it was first released.

Other efforts within the IP Quality Pillar include collaboration with the Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA) on the development of the Hard IP Metric that will go into Beta later this year. Additionally, the Pillar has begun work on Verification IP and is seeking participation from companies or universities interested in helping create the verification standard. Those who are interested can contact Kathy Werner, QIP Chairperson at: kathy.werner@freescale.com.

“We knew that IP quality was an issue that was hampering design schedules, reuse and cost effectiveness of integrating either third-party or in-house developed IP. The industry needed a solution and several leading companies came together to successfully create the QIP Metric,” said Kathy Werner, QIP Chairperson, VSIA. “The need for this solution has been confirmed by the strong adoption from world-leading companies.”

To further drive adoption of the QIP Metric, it is available for download at no charge on VSIA’s website http://www.vsia.org/QIPDownload/. Non-members can benefit from QIP branding by joining VSIA at a specifically created QIP membership level of $5,000. This membership level allows non-VSIA members to use the VSIA QIP Rated and VSIA QIP Metric Adopter logos in marketing materials and highlight the company’s commitment to IP Quality. More information on the VSIA QIP Metric logo usage rights is available online at: http://vsi.org/pillars/quidelines.htm.

QIP Metric Membership Level: Dues, $5,000

This membership category is open to companies and universities of any size. Companies that join the VSI Alliance at this level will have access to the VSI Alliance's QIP Metric, our executable, self-scoring spreadsheet, and the right to use the VSI Alliance QIP Metric logo and publicly promote their QIP Metric score in their corporate materials.

About VSIA QIP Metric

The VSIA QIP Metric is a tool that can aggressively reduce the time typically required to make an IP purchase decision and to integrate the core. The Metric helps the IP vendor and IP consumer communicate based on an objective foundation. Besides setting up the basis for measuring a core’s characteristics against an industry-approved list of attributes, the metric provides a view of the IP vendor’s general approach to IP development. This enables a continuous improvement mechanism, and in turn, levels the playing field for vendors and allows an integrator to evaluate similar cores from competing vendors.

In Version 2.0, the QIP Metric is easier to use than its predecessor and is more streamlined. This version also has simpler IP-qualification metrics covering documentation, deliverables, and information specific to the IP integrator as well as IP development practices. The VSIA QIP Metric 2.0 includes the newly added vendor assessment, and the requirements for Soft IP have been restructured and revisited.

For more information on the VSIA, go to www.vsi.org

About VSIA

The VSI Alliance (VSIA) is an open, international organization that includes representatives from all segments of the SoC industry: System houses, Semiconductor vendors, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) companies, and Intellectual Property (IP) providers. VSIA’s mission is to dramatically enhance the productivity of the SoC design community by providing leading edge commercial and technical solutions and insight into the development, integration and reuse of IP. VSIA has wide industry participation with more than 70 member companies from around the world. Membership is open to any company with an interest in the development and promotion of business solutions and open standards used in the design of System-on-Chip. For more information, visit the VSIA web site at www.vsi.org, or e-mail to info@vsi.org.