Xilinx Announces First Reconfigurable End-To-End CAN Solutions For The Automotive Market

Xilinx partners offer CAN IP cores, development hardware and test solutions to complement extensive range of Xilinx automotive PLDs

July 07, 2003, SAN JOSE, California -  Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX) today announced the immediate availability of the industry's first reconfigurable end-to-end CAN solutions, designed specifically for the automotive and telematics market. The new suite of IP solutions compliments Xilinx's extensive line of IQ extended temperature devices for automotive applications. Xilinx partners offer CAN IP core solutions, hardware development platforms and a bus trigger test tool to enable accelerated development time for automotive designers.

"Automotive systems, especially in the aftermarket, are changing very rapidly, both in terms of the market and the applicable standards," said Beate Wiessner, chief marketing officer at Siemens VDO Trading GmbH. "In-car entertainment systems are being driven by demands for extra information, more powerful communication features and more extensive controls, integrated with traditional radio and cassette or CD features. The flexibility of Xilinx technology allows us to upgrade as necessary so that our leading edge products can offer a multitude of intelligent features."

Complete Programmable CAN Solution

The CAN serial bus system, developed by Robert Bosch GmbH, is one of the first and most enduring industrial and automotive control networks. It is currently the most widely used in-vehicle network with more than 100 million installed CAN nodes.

Four new controller cores for use in Xilinx? Virtex? and Spartan? FPGAs that support this standard are now available from the following Xilinx AllianceCORE program members: CAST, Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Memec Design of San Diego, CA, Robert Bosch GmbH of Reutlingen, Germany and Xylon d.o.o. Of Zagreb, Croatia.

Xilinx has also partnered with Agilent Technologies to provide CAN test equipment to accelerate product development and deployment. Agilent provides a CAN trigger option for its 54600 family of mixed-signal oscilloscopes (MSOs), allowing designers to fully test their CAN designs in the lab prior to manufacturing production boards.

Also available from partners are Xilinx FPGA-based hardware CAN evaluation systems. Memec Design offers a P160 CAN module that includes four CAN transceivers and connectors, a 16 MHz oscillator, test ports and a Spartan-IIE FPGA. The LogiCRAFT industrial development system from Xylon includes an integrated RISC processor, a Spartan FPGA, memory, and connections to displays, keyboards, touch panels, CAN and other field buses. With either board plus the Agilent mixed signal oscilloscope, designers can dramatically reduce design and test time associated with FPGA-based CAN designs.

"Xilinx devices coupled with IP and hardware solutions provide vehicle manufacturers with many time-to-market advantages," said Robert Bielby, senior director of Strategic Solutions at Xilinx. "Manufacturers can stock one general-purpose device in lieu of many application specific parts, thus reducing inventory overhead. Even more impressive is the capability to reprogram the chips at any point throughout the design cycle, thus allowing automotive engineers to quickly and easily integrate the latest telematics systems."

For detailed information visit (www.xilinx.com/ipcenter). All cores are available for purchase directly from their respective suppliers, most of whom support the terms of the SignOnce IP License, the industry's first multi-vendor common license for FPGA-based IP. For additional information on the Xilinx SignOnce IP License program visit (www.xilinx.com/ipcenter/signonce). For additional information on CAN test equipment, contact Agilent directly at (www.agilent.com/find/mso).

Xilinx IQ Product Range Expanded

The Xilinx IQ product range is the most comprehensive range of automotive PLDs in the world and has recently expanded to include the low cost Spartan-IIE? FPGAs and low power CoolRunner-II? CPLDs. Xilinx IQ products are qualified to operate from –40°C to +125°C. The Spartan-IIE FPGAs range from 50,000 up to 600,000 system gates and the CoolRunner-II CPLDs range from 32 up to 512 macrocells. For more details on Xilinx automotive PLDs visit (www.xilinx.com/automotive).

About Xilinx eSP

In addition to providing complete silicon and software solutions for the automotive industry, Xilinx eSP (www.xilinx.com/esp/automotive/index.htm) is the industry's most complete online resource dedicated to accelerating the development of automotive telematics applications. With over seven million visits since introduction, (www.xilinx.com/esp) delivers a powerful array of solutions and information in a single location.

About Xilinx

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

About CAST, Inc.

CAST provides general purpose IP (gpIP), a broad range of popular and standards-based cores that includes processors, interfaces, and application-specific functions for multimedia and encryption. Using these cores allows designers to concentrate on the more unique, creative aspects of their system designs, or to quickly incorporate technology beyond their normal expertise. Companies licensing CAST cores can significantly shorten their development time and reduce their overall costs.

Privately owned and operating since 1993 with a focus on making IP practical and affordable, the company has established a reputation for high-quality products, simple licensing, and responsive technical support. CAST is located near New York City, and works with an international network of IP developers and distributors.