Synopsys Bluetooth Reference Design Kit Reduces Time to Market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2001--Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) today announced the immediate availability of its Bluetooth(TM) Reference Design Kit (RDK) for CoCentric(TM) System Studio. The system-level reference design kit enables Bluetooth OEMs to bring their solutions to market more rapidly and allows them the competitive edge of offering higher performance solutions.

``The Synopsys Bluetooth Reference Design Kit decreased overall time to market by 12 months, and increased confidence in our first prototype by 75%,'' said Stan Skafidas, chief technology officer at Bandspeed, Pty. Ltd. in Melbourne, Australia and Austin, Texas.

The Synopsys Bluetooth RDK consists of a golden reference system-level model for the complete physical layer baseband design, including block diagrams, documentation and test benches. This enables faster design, performance optimization and easier standards compliance. With the Synopsys Bluetooth RDK, a designer starts with a fully working system model. This accelerates time-to-market and reduces the risk of misinterpreting the specification.

Also included in the Synopsys Bluetooth RDK are several applicable channel models. Channel models enable the designer to model accurately the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band and its complex propagation and interference problems. As the ISM frequency band quickly becomes more crowded and competitive, performance of Bluetooth products in their environment is likely to become a crucial differentiator for manufacturers. Bluetooth RDK channel models combined with the fast CoCentric System Studio compiled simulation engine enable engineers to improve design performance under environmental conditions.

Accurate models of Bluetooth radio frequency (RF) circuits are an important aspect of the physical layer performance optimization. Fast simulation of these models is achieved by using CoCentric System Studio with RF tools from Xpedion Design System, Inc. ``Our GoldenGate(TM) Model Compiler automatically converts an RF circuit from its native GoldenGate RF simulation environment into a CoCentric System Studio model thereby enabling full end-to-end system performance testing and tradeoff analysis,'' said Richard Curtin, vice president of sales and marketing at Xpedion Design Systems, Inc. (http://www.xpedion.com).

``Being compliant to a standard is no longer grounds for celebration -- it's just the beginning. Today's products also need to win the reviews in consumer magazines and to achieve this, performance is absolutely critical,'' said Chris Cavigioli, product marketing manager at Synopsys. ``This is possible with the Synopsys Bluetooth Reference Design Kit and CoCentric System Studio.''

Pricing and Availability

The Bluetooth Reference Design Kit for CoCentric System Studio is available now. Pricing for a one-year technology subscription license is $8,500.

About Bluetooth

The Bluetooth wireless technology is set to revolutionize the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections. Bluetooth is a specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution providing connectivity to the Internet and links between mobile phones, mobile computers, and other portable handheld devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing and network industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter companies 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba, and more than 2,000 Adopter/Associate member companies.

About the CoCentric Product Family

The Synopsys CoCentric product family enables system level design based on the SystemC standard. CoCentric System Studio is a hardware/software co-design tool. Based on SystemC, it enables design at multiple levels of abstraction. As a complement to System Studio, CoCentric SystemC Compiler allows complete synthesis from SystemC to hardware. The open SystemC modeling platform is available without cost on the Internet (http://www.systemc.org/) and is already in use by more than 7,000 designers worldwide.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), headquartered in Mountain View, California, creates leading electronic design automation (EDA) tools for the global electronics market. The company delivers advanced design technologies and solutions to developers of complex integrated circuits, electronic systems and systems on a chip. Synopsys also provides consulting and support services to simplify the overall IC design process and accelerate time to market for its customers. Visit Synopsys at http://www.synopsys.com.

Synopsys, is a registered trademark of Synopsys, Inc. CoCentric is a trademark of Synopsys. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Contact:
     Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View
     Troy Wood, 650/584-5717
     twood@synopsys.com
     or
     KVO Public Relatio
     Amy Garland, 503/221-2387
     amy_garland@kvo.com