PLDA Announces Integration of its PCIe 2.0 controller with advanced AMBA AXI interface in Microsemi's new SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA

Combined solution enables unprecedented ease of use and robust functionality for industrial, military and aerospace applications

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- November 19, 2012 -- PLDA, the industry leader in PCI Express® and high‐speed interface IP today announced incorporation of its PCIe‐AXI bridge IP into Microsemi Corporation’s recently announced SmartFusion®2 SoC FPGA. Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 SoC FPGAs are the only devices that address fundamental requirements for advanced security, high reliability and low power in a wide range of critical applications. SmartFusion2 integrates an inherently reliable flash‐based FPGA fabric, a 166 megahertz (MHz) ARM® Cortex™‐M3 processor, advanced security processing accelerators, DSP blocks, SRAM, eNVM, and industry‐required high‐performance communication interfaces all on a single chip. The new device provides customers with an easy to use PCI Express 2.0 interface allowing, users to easily target their PCIe endpoint designs usingSmartFusion2, with the minimal resource utilization and high performance enabled by PLDA’s AXI3 user interface and built‐in DMA engine.

PLDA’s PCIe‐AXI bridge IP provides a high performance, highly‐configurable PCI Express interface IP compliant to the PCI Express rev. 2.0 and 3.0 specification. The PCIe‐AXI bridge inherits the leading architecture and reliability of PLDA's previous generations of PCI Express interface IP and features an AXI user interface with built‐in DMA, compliant to the AMBA AXI3 and AXI4 specifications.

Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 devices deliver easy implementation of PCIe 2.0 endpoint designs with a preverified, feature‐rich PCIe hard IP, streamlined integration of the PCIe Hard IP into the design with an industry‐standard AXI3 interface and simplified data transfer management with the PCIe hard IP’s builtin high‐performance DMA.

“Microsemi has long been a leader in innovative SoC and FPGA products for markets that require specialized and highly integrated solutions,” stated Stephane Hauradou, CTO for PLDA. “We are pleased to be able to contribute IP to their successful designs.”

Paul Ekas, vice president of marketing at Microsemi stated, “The PLDA PCIe‐AXI bridge IP helped us complete our development of our new SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA on time and on budget to better serve our worldwide customer base. PLDA has been a key development collaborator for Microsemi.”

Pricing and Availability

PLDA’s PCI Express controller IP with AXI bridge is available now for integration into ASIC and FPGA projects. Contact PLDA directly for pricing at www.plda.com. The Microsemi SmartFusion2 SoC is available now from Microsemi directly and includes the PLDA PCIe AXI bridge IP at no additional charge. Please visit www.microsemi.com for more information.

About PLDA

PLDA is a leading provider of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) specializing in high‐speed interconnect protocols and technologies. PLDA is headquartered in Aix‐en‐Provence, France, and has a strong worldwide presence with a North American sales and technical support office in San Jose, California and a worldwide distribution network. For more information visit www.plda.com.

About Microsemi

Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for communications, defense & security, aerospace and industrial markets. Products include high‐performance, radiation‐hardened and highly reliable analog mixed‐signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; security technologies and scalable anti‐tamper products; Power‐over‐ Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and has approximately 3,000 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.