ARM Extends Integrator Board Family With Launch Of Logic Tile Product

Speeds development time through rapid prototyping of SoC and platform designs

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Jan. 20, 2003 –ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, today announced the Integrator™ Logic Tile product, a new addition to its range of ARM® RealView™ hardware and software development tools. The Integrator/LT-XC2V6000 Logic Tile product is an Integrator board-compatible module that uses the latest high density, high-performance FPGAs to provide a rapid prototyping capability for SoC and platform developers enabling faster development time, and shortening time-to-market.

Utilizing the latest Xilinx VirtexII FPGAs, the Integrator/LT-XC2V6000 Logic Tile product has a high IO capability, due to higher density connectors than are used on Logic Modules, and is designed as a modular building block. This means that multiple Logic Tile products can be stacked to create large and complex system prototypes. Full compatibility with the established Integrator board product range is maintained through the use of the new Integrator/IM-LT1 Interface Module product. Integrator Logic Tile products may be used in conjunction with the earlier Integrator Logic Modules. The Logic Tile product offers 76 percent more Logic cells per module (76K Logic Cells per Tile), and higher inter-module interconnectivity (395 interconnect pins to tiles above and below).

As SoC designs continue to increase in size and complexity, verification becomes increasingly time-consuming. Prototyping designs in FPGA enables more comprehensive validation of a design than is practical in simulation, as well as development of software ahead of final silicon availability. The introduction of the Integrator Logic Tile product offers developers of firmware, software and hardware, a scalable SoC prototyping solution that is integrated with the ARM Integrator family of development boards.

The Logic Tile product helps developers build prototypes more quickly than point solution FPGA boards and more cost effectively than logic emulators. In addition, developers working with certain synthesizable ARM cores can use the Logic Tile product to implement ARM IP and connect it to logic emulation and simulation acceleration systems from third parties such as Mentor Meta and Cadence QuickTurn.

"The Integrator/LT-XC2V6000 Logic Tile product has extended the ARM logic emulation capability and enabled a new, simple prototyping approach for developers of ARM core-based solutions," said Mark Snook, Integrator engineering manager, ARM. "Building SoC prototypes with ARM Integrator boards removes the need for users to design their own FPGA prototyping boards for each project. The Integrator Logic Tile product, using Xilinx Virtex II FPGAs, enables designers to deliver secure FPGA prototypes of SoC and platform designs, due to encryption of the FPGA configuration information."

"Developers will benefit from the scalability of the tile design, where FPGA capacity can be increased by simply adding another Logic Tile product without the need for swapping FPGA or re-designing the board," said Duncan Bryan, Development Platform product manager, ARM.

Availability and Technical Details
The Integrator/LT-XC2V6000 Logic Tile product and the Integrator/IM-LT1 Interface Module product are available now. Further technical details can be found at: www.arm.com/devtools/Integrator_LT.

About Integrator Boards
The Integrator family, part of the ARM RealView suite of development tools, leverages ARM's unique experience in test chip technology to provide a range of flexible, high-performance development platforms that meet the needs of today's SoC developers. Consisting of a range of interconnecting modules including ARM test chip-based Core Modules, and uncommitted FGPA-based Logic Modules and the new Logic Tile product, the Integrator family provides the developer with a rapid prototyping environment that enables the integration of hardware and software IP such as the ARM PrimeCell® peripherals and associated drivers. The Integrator board reduces development times and increases levels of confidence in the final silicon by allowing early prototyping in and environment similar to the final system.

About the ARM RealView Development Solution
RealView tools provide designers with the best solution for creating and analysing systems based on ARM technology. They are designed and used by the same engineers who create the ARM architecture. ARM tools are exposed to the highest level of pre- and post-silicon evaluation and development. As a result, the ARM RealView development solution provides the broadest possible range of support for future ARM architectures and derivatives. ARM RealView tools are fully integrated and provide a complete solution to any design or SoC integration challenge, giving the developer higher confidence in first silicon and a faster time-to-market.

The complete ARM RealView development solution includes:

• RealView compilation tools including a C and C++ compiler, assembler and linker – now available as a stand-alone package
• RealView debug solution made up of the RealView Debugger™ module, RealViewICE™ emulator and RealView Trace™ module 
• Boards and platforms including the industry-proven Integrator family

About ARM
ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals and system-on-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions.

ARM and PrimeCell are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. RealView, RealView Debugger, RealViewICE, RealView Trace and Integrator are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; and ARM China.