Mentor Graphics Underscores Support for OVM and Extends That Support to UVM Across Multiple Products

WILSONVILLE, Ore., June 7, 2010-Mentor Graphics Corp. (NASDAQ: MENT) today announced it will continue to deliver comprehensive support for the Open Verification Methodology (OVM), and is extending that same level of support for the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM). Key technologies that support OVM and have been extended to support UVM include the Questa® advanced verification platform, the Questa Multi-view Verification Components library and the Veloce® emulation platform.

The Questa advanced functional verification platform offers native support for UVM by virtue of its industry-leading support of the IEEE Std. 1800T SystemVerilog standard on which UVM is based. This support includes comprehensive language feature support, native single-kernel simulation and full functional debug of SystemVerilog.

The Questa MVC library has added native support for UVM. This allows early adopters of the UVM to access to a comprehensive verification IP (VIP) solution supporting a wide range of industry-standard protocols without the need for any manual conversion, interoperability, or wrapper layers. The Questa MVC library dramatically improves verification coverage and helps speed the functional verification of integrated circuits (ICs) using industry-standard protocols. As a result, users of MVCs can expect to see an improved time to market and a higher quality product.

In addition, the Veloce® emulation platform fully supports the UVM. The primary advantage to companies using both the UVM/OVM and the Veloce platform is the ability to use a single transaction-based testbench for both simulation and emulation-two technologies that are critical to the functional verification of large, complex system-on-chip (SoCs) designs.

"From the beginning with the first open-source methodology-the AVM-through the de facto standard OVM, and now with the Accellera UVM effort,  Mentor has continually pushed for the goals of verification data portability, verification IP reuse, freely available base class libraries and open source licensing," said John Lenyo, general manager, Design Verification Technology (DVT) division. "Mentor will continue to enhance our verification product line to incorporate even more OVM and UVM capabilities."

UVM Based on OVM

The UVM Early Adopter release is based on OVM 2.1.1. It unites the industry around a single standard verification methodology from Accellera. For OVM users who would like to use UVM now, the UVM Early Adopter kit provides a Perl script to automate the change of OVM symbols to UVM in their code to make it ready for UVM.

Availability

OVM is available at www.ovmworld.org and UVM is available from Accellera at http://www.accellera.org/activities/vip. For those attending the Design Automation Conference (DAC), June 14 - 16, learn more at the OVM World booth # 1350.

Questa Functional Verification Platform

The Questa functional verification platform combines high performance and high capacity with the most comprehensive verification capabilities in the industry. Assertion-based Verification (ABV), intelligent testbench automation, Multi-view Verification Components (MVCs), and Coverage-driven Verification (CDV) are supported natively by the Questa platform's high-performance assertion engine; a modern, high-performance constraint solver; and extensive functional coverage features, including verification management leveraging the Unified Coverage Database (UCDB). Verification of low power design functionality can be proven in an RTL environment with power-aware functional verification. This full set of advanced verification functionality is enabled by a flexible methodology (UVM/OVM) that delivers unrivaled language and feature support in any design and verification flow.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $800 million. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.