Spirent Communiations Leverages Xilinx Silicon, IP And Services To Introduce First Dual-Media Gigabit Ethernet Test System

Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, PCI-X, and Design Services give Spirent faster time-to-market and reduced cost

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 2, 2003 - Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX) today announced that Spirent Communications™, a worldwide provider of test systems for next-generation network technologies, utilized Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, PCI-X core, and Xilinx Design Services to achieve rapid deployment of its SmartBits TeraMetrics XD family, the industry's first dual-media Gigabit Ethernet test system. By combining high density and dual media, Spirent's customers can more effectively and economically test fiber and copper implementations thereby easing the deployment of Ethernet to the desktop and the edge.

Unveiled today, Spirent's SmartBits TeraMetrics XD family uses Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, the industry's only FPGA family to offer devices with 6,700 logic cells, 500K bits of embedded block memory plus an embedded PowerPC processor and four RocketIOÔ serial transceivers for under $30*. The Virtex-II Pro designs include a Xilinx PCI-X core to achieve an eight-fold throughput increase on a critical internal bus.

"PCI-X was new to our development team, yet Xilinx Design Services successfully implemented the core, providing valuable assistance during the integration effort," said Carr Brown, engineering manager at Spirent Communications. "The end result - a cost-effective, high-utilization (93%) design which is clocked at 133 MHz - was delivered right on schedule."

"Spirent is among a growing number of next-generation network providers to use the advanced features and cost advantages of Xilinx FPGAs, Design Services, and vast IP library to gain a competitive advantage," said Sandeep Vij, vice president of worldwide marketing at Xilinx. "Spirent has developed a unique architecture that will significantly reduce the time and cost required for product development."

About Xilinx Solutions
Xilinx leads one of the fastest growing segments of the semiconductor industry - programmable logic devices (PLDs). Xilinx FPGAs provide a clear advantage over fixed ASIC technology by providing faster time-to-market, multiple design iterations, and the ability to upgrade equipment even after deployment in the field. The Xilinx Virtex-II Pro family is the most powerful, lowest-cost integrated solution in its class. The Virtex Series is the world's most popular high performance FPGA with over 80 percent of the business for FPGAs at 1.5V and below.

The Xilinx Global Services Division provides a portfolio of services that includes the widest range of offerings in the industry with Xilinx employing over 400 service and support personnel worldwide. The overall adoption rate for Xilinx's services has grown 30 to 40% annually. In addition, Xilinx has maintained its service resources and expanded its offerings despite the industry down turn.

In addition to providing high performance silicon, software, and IP, the Xilinx eSP web portal is a proven resource for engineers, with over seven million visits since its introduction. The latest segment on the eSP Web portal (www.xilinx.com/esp/test_meas/index.htm) is dedicated to accelerating the development of test and measurement.

About Spirent Communications
Spirent Communications is a worldwide provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems for next-generation network technologies. Spirent's solutions enable customers to develop and deploy network equipment and services more economically and efficiently by emulating real-world conditions in the lab and assuring end-to-end performance of large-scale networks. www.spirentcom.com

Spirent Communications is a wholly owned business group of Spirent plc, an international network technology company. Spirent plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SPT). The company is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com

About Xilinx
Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) is the worldwide leader of programmable logic solutions. Additional information about Xilinx is available at www.xilinx.com.