Mixed-signal tools prove popular in Europe

Sales of Tanner EDA's simulation and layout tools for analogue and mixed-signal design grew by 30% to $720,000 in the year to May, according to exclusive European agent EDA Solutions.

Sales of Tanner EDA's simulation and layout tools for analogue and mixed-signal design grew by 30% to $720,000 in the year to May, according to exclusive European agent EDA Solutions.

This is on top of 20% growth in 2002-03.

Highest sales growth was achieved in Scandinavia and Benelux regions, accompanied by strong performance in the UK market.

According to the Southampton-based company's Managing Director, Paul Double, the growth has been driven by three main factors: more critical appraisal of EDA options by buyers due to smaller budgets being available in the recent industry downturn; the trend towards using separate digital and analogue ICs as device geometries shrink; and the burgeoning number of fabless semiconductor companies starting up throughout Europe, the majority of which have analogue and mixed signal elements in their design.

Tanner EDA tools are low-cost, PC-based solutions for simulation and layout.

With prices starting at around $10,000, they cost less than the annual maintenance contracts for tools from some of the larger vendors, yet offer 90% of the functionality.

"The ease of interfacing analogue and mixed-signal design work into mainstream design flows, using the industry-standard GDS II format, is encouraging more companies to look to smaller EDA specialists for cost-effective analogue design tools", said Double.

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