Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Synopsys | Subject: Milkyway
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 05 February 2003
Design database is up for grabs
Synopsys has opened third-party access to its production-proven Milkyway design database.
Synopsys has opened third-party access to its production-proven Milkyway design database Customers and EDA tool vendors can now link their tools directly into the Milkyway environment through either a scripting language application programming interface (API) or a C-based API
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 21 Oct 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Access to Milkyway will benefit customers and EDA companies by reducing integration costs and advancing tool interoperability for the electronics industry.
Milkyway is the most widely used database for IC design implementation and advanced technologies extending to 90nm and below.
"Opening Milkyway is a continuation of Synopsys' long-standing track record of supporting customers' requests for interoperability, with initiatives such as Liberty, SDC, SystemC, and OpenVera", said Aart de Geus, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Synopsys.
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"Milkyway is a proven database with thousands of tapeouts.
The design community will benefit from the ability to interface their own and third-party tools with a widely used common database".
"As a worldwide independent semiconductor vendor, we rely heavily on a wide range of EDA technologies and platforms, for the design of our dedicated systems-on-a-chip, and we have always strived for higher standardization and better interoperability across the EDA industry", said Philippe Magarshack, Group Vice President for Design Automation, Central Research and Development at STMicroelectronics.
"Synopsys' IC implementation tools and Milkyway are production proven, and we are relying on them for many designs in our 130- and 90-nanometer technology platforms.
The ability to access Milkyway through an open API will allow our other key EDA suppliers to plug their tools into our Synopsys' Milkyway-based design flow.
This announcement represents a significant step towards a standard interface to the design database, which should lead, we believe, to better interoperability across the whole EDA industry".
"Agilent's commitment to excellence in system-on-chip test with our single-scalable platform and per-pin architecture is well aligned with EDA-generated design data", said Tom Newsom, Vice President and General Manager of Agilent's Automated Test Group.
"Opening access to the Synopsys Milkyway design database enables closer linkages between design and test environments, resulting in shorter time to market and lower cost of test".
"The Synopsys Milkyway database is a leading foundation for modern IC designs and in use at many of our current customers", said Patrick Romich, chief executive officer of Synchronicity Software.
"By offering access to this database through a production-proven C-API, Synopsys enables Synchronicity with the capabilities to provide our world-class design management system to leading-edge designers at 130nm, 90nm and below".
Electronic design automation tool vendors can link their tools directly into Synopsys' Milkyway database via industry-standard interfaces and Milkyway APIs.
More than 22 universities and semiconductor, electronic design automation, test and manufacturing and intellectual property (IP) companies have announced their support for opening Milkyway.
The Milkyway environment is available to all EDA vendors through Synopsys' new programme, MAP-in.
MAP-in gives members free access to a copy of the Milkyway environment documentation and software, a runtime licence for the APIs for integration development, an invitation to Synopsys' EDA Interoperability Developers' Forums, access to Synopsys' Secured User Research Facility and an online Milkyway discussion forum.
In addition, there is an annual, comprehensive service option for those who would like a deeper level of support.
The Milkyway environment with Scheme API software and documentation is available immediately for download through the MAP-in website at www.synopsys.com/partners/mapin.
Access to the Milkyway C-API linkable libraries for C developers is now in limited availability.
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