Handshake Solutions partners with Mentor Graphics to extend commercial testing for clockless ICs

OpenDoor agreement with Mentor Graphics enables highly compact test patterns, fast testing and short time-to-market

December 13, 2006 -- Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Handshake Solutions, a line of business within Royal Philips Electronics, today announced an agreement with Mentor Graphics Corporation that extends options for high-performance testing of Handshake Technology IC designs. Customers can now use Mentor Graphics’ market-leading automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) tool FastScan to test clockless IC designs created in TiDE, Handshake Solutions’ clockless design environment. This allows designers to generate very compact test patterns, enabling fast testing of fabricated ICs, which reduces time-to-market.

“Handshake Solutions is committed to providing an overall solution that ensures the highest test quality for their customers," said Greg Aldrich, Director of Marketing, Design-for-Test product line, Mentor Graphics. “Our agreement with Handshake Solutions, and the integrated flow with FastScan™, helps our joint customers cut their time-to-market while maintaining the highest quality of test, which in turn supports their market growth acceleration efforts.”

 “Handshake Solutions is the only company to date to have completely solved the issues surrounding the testing of clockless circuits. Using familiar, commercially available tools, we obtain the same level of coverage as for synchronous designs,” said Ad Peeters, Chief Technology Officer of Handshake Solutions. “By enabling designers to test Handshake Technology designs with FastScan – the industry’s most popular ATPG tool from Mentor Graphics – we’re helping customers bring lower-power solutions to market fast, without compromising on testing.”

In a reciprocal arrangement, Handshake Solutions becomes part of Mentor Graphics’ OpenDoor™ program while Mentor Graphics joins the Handshake Technology Ecosystem. This will allow the companies to continue working closely together to further improve testing solutions for clockless IC designs.

The agreement makes it even easier for customers using FastScan and TiDE to access the benefits of clockless IC designs. These benefits include low power consumption, low current peaks, and low electromagnetic emissions. Handshake Technology is the robust clockless IC design methodology from Handshake Solutions. It is well established in the mainstream IC market, having been used in more than 25 designs amounting to over 100 million ICs – including 80% of the chips used in ePassports.

TiDE – the Timeless Design Environment

TiDE is a complete suite of easy-to-use tools for designing and optimizing clockless circuits. Compatible with standard EDA toolsets, it offers designers a high degree of familiarity allowing them to harness the power and system integration benefits of Handshake Technology. As well as the commercial version, TiDE is also available in two academic editions (TiDE AE and TiDE AE Lite), helping universities develop a new generation of clockless designers to meet industry demands.

The Handshake Technology Ecosystem

The Handshake Technology Ecosystem is a cooperative network including design houses, IP suppliers, tool resellers and training providers as well as EDA vendors and foundries, enabling customers to benefit from complete end-to-end clockless IC design solutions. It aims to make it easier for the industry to harvest the unique fruits of clockless IC technology such as low power, low current peaks, and low electromagnetic emissions.

Mentor Graphics’ OpenDoor Program

Mentor Graphics' OpenDoor program is the industry's leading and longest standing program supporting the development of integrated world class solutions. OpenDoor provides access to a diverse number of partner companies that offer well integrated, leading edge software solutions that complement the Mentor Graphics suite of tools in all aspects of the design process.

For more details on Handshake Solutions, its products (including TiDE) and the Handshake Technology Ecosystem, please go to www.handshakesolutions.com.