ChipX XPath Methodology Enables Seamless Migration from Structured ASIC to Standard Cell

Update: GigOptix, Inc. Announces Acquisition of ChipX (November 10, 2009)

New Development Methodology drives fast time to market – up to seven months faster – and lowest possible production cost with no tradeoffs

Santa Clara, Ca – August 22, 2007 – ChipX  Inc., leading the way with a broad range of next-generation ASIC solutions, today announced a new methodology that enables customers to launch their products quickly with a Structured ASIC and then seamlessly migrate their design to a Standard Cell device once the product features and market potential have been validated.  The methodology, called XPath, enables customers to get products to market quickly and inexpensively and will play a valued role in the production of ASICs for a wide variety of applications, including consumer electronics and embedded products.

“For many ASIC users, this approach’s total time to market advantage can be the difference between becoming a market leader or being just another competitor,” said Elie Massabki, vice president of marketing with ChipX. “Using  XPath, customers can save up to seven months of development time, virtually eliminating market and development risks from their program.”

Schedule and Cost Benefits

With pre-validated and pre-built mixed signal IP cores integrated with ChipX’s Structured ASIC configurable logic, memory, I/Os and other IP, customers can get their product to market quickly and inexpensively.  Customers pay a fraction of the Standard Cell NRE and they have the opportunity to modify their product quickly to adjust to initial customer requirements and market demand.

Once the product is ready for high-volume production, ChipX will seamlessly migrate the design to Standard Cell using the same proven IP components and logic. Product availability is not affected, and customers receive a rebate of 75 percent of the Structured ASIC NRE toward the Standard Cell NRE price.

"Product designers are often torn between developing a standard Cell ASIC or SoC to achieve the lowest device cost possible, versus taking advantage of the fast time to market and minimum out of pocket expenses of Structured ASICs,” said Richard Wawrzyniak, senior analyst with Semico Research Corporation.  "There is a major opportunity for a vendor that can eliminate this dilemma by offering customers an upgrade path to a lower cost device if and when they wish to exercise this option."

With the Structured ASIC approach, customers will typically save two to three months from design handoff to prototypes, compared with a Standard Cell ASIC design.  The exact savings in time are dependent on the size and complexity of a given design.  Volume production ramp can also start a month earlier with a Structured ASIC.  A simple feature change in the product will typically impact a Standard Cell ASIC schedule by a minimum of six months.  A Structured ASIC re-spin can be done in half that period.  Overall, customers can save six to seven months by starting with a Structured ASIC.

ChipX’s expertise with Structured and Standard Cell ASICs positions the company to uniquely deliver the XPath methodology to designers.  ChipX has shipped six generations of Structured ASICs to the marketplace and taped out complex Standard Cells ASICs with up to 10 million gates and 550MHz performance, along with integrated high-speed mixed signal interfaces.

About ChipX

ChipX, Inc. is a pioneer and leader in the development and manufacturing of differentiated ASIC solutions, including Structured ASIC and Embedded Array technology.  The company's innovative, patented technology consolidates wafer production tooling, reduces time-to-market and minimizes the total cost to profit. ChipX products are widely used in consumer equipment, computing peripherals, communication systems, industrial control, medical equipment, instrumentation and military/aerospace systems.  Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, ChipX is a privately held corporation, founded in the U.S. in 1989. A subsidiary, ChipX (Israel) Ltd., performs Research & Development. Investors include Elron Electronic Industries, Ltd. (NASDQ: ELRN), VantagePoint Venture Partners, Wasserstein Venture Capital, Newlight Associates, Parker Price Venture Capital, UMC, Needham Capital Partners and Insite Capital.