ARM Announces SPIRIT Support For ARM RealView Tools With MaxSim Technology To Accelerate Time-To-Market For SoC Designers

SPIRIT support for the flow to implementation from ARM modeling enables greater flexibility and ‘right-first-time’ development for SoC designers

CAMBRIDGE, UK – June 13, 2005 – ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)] today announced at DAC (Design Automation Conference), in Anaheim, California, that its ARM® RealView® tools with MaxSim™ technology now supports SPIRIT (Structure for Packaging, Integrating and Re-using IP within Tool-flows), an industry standard for efficient integration of IP in SoC platform design. SPIRIT support enables system-on-chip (SoC) designers to effortlessly move designs between key stages in their design flow, providing greater design flexibility and accelerating time-to-market.

By supporting SPIRIT, ARM RealView tools simulation technology enables IP configuration and integration data to be expressed in a standard XML format. The advantage of SPIRIT support can only be realized when used with both an automated system integration or Electronic System Level (ESL) design tool, and a comprehensive and configurable IP library.   By combining SPIRIT into ARM RealView tools simulation technology, and the AMBA® interface standards, ARM has created a powerful systems exploration and integration flow to take advantage of the SPIRIT standard.

“ARM’s global presence as the leading IP and solutions provider gives significant momentum to the SPIRIT consortium,” said Ralph von Vignau, chairman, SPIRIT consortium. “By creating SPIRIT support for their RealView ESL tools, ARM is endorsing the adoption of standards in SoC design which represents a major step forward in short time-to-market integration of complex system-on-chip solutions.”

The ARM ESL technology offers an easy-to-use toolset for fast modeling, simulation and debugging of complex SoC designs. Through SPIRIT support, ARM RealView tools will enable ARM Partners to iterate between their system architecting environment, and their choice of RTL integration and configuration tool.  This use of SPIRIT enables the customer to quickly integrate the advantages of ESL design into existing implementation tool flows.

The support of SPIRIT in ARM RealView tools is the first step towards full support of a SPIRIT-enabled AMBA profiling and integration methodology including ARM technology-certified IP.  This flow will enable the creation of complex on-chip connectivity optimized to customer latency and throughput requirements, and fit to the customers’ tooling requirements.

“SPIRIT exemplifies the value of technical collaboration. This standard will better enable ARM IP to be expressed in our EDA Partners’ tool flows,” said Chris Lennard, ESL technical marketing manager, ARM. “By enabling SPIRIT support in ARM RealView tools with MaxSim technology, we are providing a development platform to align with the needs of our customers’ design flows and IP supply chains.”

ARM MaxSim and MaxCore® technologies, and MaxLib™ model libraries are all part of the RealView ESL tools family. AMBA methodology is the leading bus interface protocol provided by ARM and adopted across the industry.  RealView tools provide designers with the best solution for creating and analyzing systems based on ARM technology, and AMBA methodology provides the leading solutions for on-chip communications optimization and ease of IP block integration and verification.

Availability

ARM RealView tools with MaxSim technology including SPIRIT support is available to license today.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, 3D processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products.  Combined with the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.

ENDS

ARM, AMBA, RealView and MaxCore are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. MaxSim and MaxLib are trademarks of ARM Limited. “ARM”' is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; AXYS GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Physical IP, Inc .