Zocalo Tech Introduces Assertion-Based Verification Capabilities to Improve IP and Electronic Design Quality

Zazz Simplifies and Eases Adoption of an ABV Methodology

AUSTIN, TX-- May 6, 2010 - Zocalo Tech, Inc., an Electronic Design Automation (EDA) company focused on Assertion-Based Verification (ABV) productivity software, today announced that it has added four new capabilities to its Zazz ™ product family: Zazz Bird Dog, Zazz Metrics, Zazz Visual SVA and user-defined assertion library support.

The new options simplify and support the adoption of an ABV methodology to improve electronic design and Intellectual Property (IP) quality and increase verification productivity.

What's New

Zazz Bird Dog analyzes the design and rank orders the most important candidate signals where assertions should be added. For legacy code, performing a manual assessment of assertion requirements for a complex functional block can take days versus minutes with Bird Dog.

Zazz Metrics provide the project team with an on-going progress report about the quantity and quality of the assertions added versus the target. Historical reports on completed functional blocks provide a baseline for measuring the value of using assertions to reduce debug time.

Zazz Visual SVA provides the ability to create and debug all levels of assertion complexity without learning the SVA language. Visual SVA completely eliminates the long learning time typically associated with becoming proficient writing properties with the SVA language. Visual SVA also provides dynamic controllability of assertions, automatic bind file management and documentation.

Zazz Assertion Library Support makes using assertion libraries fast and easy while providing automatic bind file management and documentation. In addition to supporting OVL and libraries from the major EDA vendors, user-defined assertion libraries can now be added to Zazz.

"Zazz addresses the major issues that have kept ABV from wide scale acceptance: Where do I add assertions? What is the cost for adding assertions? How do I cost effectively move from an ad hoc use of simple assertions to the systematic use of more complex and temporal assertions?" said Khalil Shalish, CTO of Zocalo Tech. "Bird Dog identifies the most useful placement of assertions and allows the project to scope the level of work for adequately populating a design with assertions. Visual SVA enables the use of more useful and powerful SVAs at all levels of complexity via an easy to learn intuitive process. Assertion debug is provided on an automated interactive basis. This frees the user to focus on describing the intent of the design rather than the complexities of the SVA language."

Zocalo at DAC

Zocalo will demonstrate Zazz and its new capabilities for the first time at the IC Design Central Partner Pavilion, Booth #1509, at the Design Automation Conference (DAC), June 14-16, 2010 in Anaheim, California. To see a Zazz demonstration, please email info@zocalo-tech.com.

Availability

Zazz Bird Dog, Zazz Metrics and Zazz Assertion Library Support are available now. Zazz Visual SVA will be available in October. Contact Zocalo Tech for pricing info@zocalo-tech.com.

About Zocalo Tech, Inc.

Zocalo Tech, Inc., incorporated in 2006, is focused on productivity software for quick and easy creation, use and reuse of assertions that work with popular functional verification flows. Zocalo software, marketed under the name Zazz, has been architected and developed from the ground up with one goal in mind: increased productivity for engineers adopting and utilizing Assertion-Based Verification. For more information, please visit http://www.zocalo-tech.com/.