Test-bench tool, graphics accelerator core roll

Test-bench tool, graphics accelerator core roll
By Michael Santarini, EE Times
April 5, 1999 (9:36 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19990405S0002

In addition to releasing its CoreBuilder and CoreConsultant design-for-reuse tools at the IP99 Conference, Synopsys Inc. unveiled its Vera Core verification tool, which the company claimed will allow IP providers and their customers to share a common IP verification environment.

IP providers using Vera Core develop portable Vera test benches, monitors and functional coverage reports for creating IP. Customers then use those elements to cut the verification time of system-on-chip designs embedding the IP.

According to Synopsys, using those elements for verification would normally require customers to own a copy of Vera. But with Vera Core, they can reuse the elements created by Vera Core without buying a license from Synopsys.

IP customers will use the Vera elements to find design problems around the IP and in the target design. Designers can also use functional coverage reports to identify missing areas in the test bench of the target design, and thus verify integration up-front in the process.

Vera Core starts at $95,000. Unlimited Vera Cores can be shipped free of charge by the IP provider to customers.

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Stellar Semiconductor's TX2DIII 2-D graphics accelerator core is implemented in less than 140,000 gates. This triple 128-bit-pipeline graphics engine achieves a high-end graphics Winmark99 of more than 550, depending on the system implementation, and a 2-D business Graphics Winmark99 of more than 250. The company said that until now, high-performance 2-D technology has been available only from chip suppliers to the high end of the PC market. The TX2DIII is a production-proven core that suits not only PC applications but also high-end consumer information appliances. Screen-to-screen BLTs hit 860 Mbytes/second and block fills are at 5.4 Gbytes/s, Stellar said. The TX2DIII is available for licensing now and comes with software drivers for Windows 95, 98 and NT.