Physical optimiser gets the best from FPGAs

Synplicity's FPGA logic synthesis and physical synthesis products can provide full support for the new Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 4.1i.

Synplicity's FPGA logic synthesis and physical synthesis products can provide full support for the new Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 4.1i.

Synplicity's Synplify and Synplify Pro products offer integration to the ISE 4.1i design environment and can be accessed directly from the ISE software, providing customers with a highly optimised solution for achieving design goals.

Additionally, Synplicity's Amplify Physical Optimizer software offers support for designs developed using the ISE software environment.

Xilinx announced the Amplify Physical Optimizer software as one of the premier tools for its customers who need to achieve the highest performance from their FPGAs.

When used for designs developed within the Xilinx ISE environment, Synplicity's Amplify Physical Optimizer software enables an interactive physical synthesis design flow and performs simultaneous placement and optimisation to ensure that optimisation during synthesis is focused on the true critical paths.

Once integrated into the Amplify software, Synplicity's new second-generation physical synthesis technology, termed Total Optimization Physical Synthesis, provide a fully automated physical synthesis flow and perform precise physical placement of logic.

"We are thrilled to work closely with Xilinx to support the ISE design environment with all of our FPGA synthesis products, providing our mutual customers with a complete design flow from synthesis to place and route", said Bob Erickson, vice president of engineering at Synplicity.

"Our customers have achieved up to 40 percent performance improvements using the Amplify software over logic synthesis alone.

As we integrate the Total Optimization Physical Synthesis, or TOPST, technology we expect designers to be able to achieve an additional 10 to 15 percent performance improvement".

Rich Sevcik, senior vice president and general manager, Xilinx, added, "Synplicity continues to deliver new technology innovations to improve design performance and productivity.

We recommend Synplicity's Amplify physical synthesis software because of the proven performance gains that it provides particularly as next-generation FPGA designs continue to escalate in complexity and size".

The Xilinx ISE 4.1i includes design management, synthesis, floorplanning and place and route software developed to provide the best results for designers using Xilinx FPGAs.

Synplicity's Synplify and Synplify Pro products are integrated with ISE 4.1i and perform technology mapping of HDL-based designs directly into Xilinx FPGA architectures including Virtex-II and Spartan-II.

The Amplify Physical Optimizer, Synplify and Synplify Pro software with support for Xilinx's ISE 4.1i design environment is currently available from Synplicity.

Current customers on maintenance will be upgraded at no additional cost.

Amplify Physical Optimizer pricing begins at $25,000 (US), and Synplify Pro software pricing begins at $19,000 (US).

The Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 4.1i is available from Xilinx.

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