Magma Design Automation Announces Multi-Year Licensing Deal with Texas Instruments

Strategic Insights -

Magma Design Automation, a leading provider of silicon design implementation solutions, has signed a multi-year licensing deal with Texas Instruments, a world leader in digital signal processing and analog technologies. The agreement allows Texas Instruments to integrate Magma's physical design system, Blast Fusion, into its deep-submicron ASIC design flow, enhancing its Timebuilder ASIC library and streamlining its design cycle.

The joint evaluation program conducted by both companies demonstrated the effectiveness of Blast Fusion in achieving timing closure without iterations between logical and physical design. On one complex design, Blast Fusion delivered a 17 percent improvement in timing, while on the largest design, it reduced the physical design cycle by 50 percent. Texas Instruments is also using Blast Fusion to enhance its ASIC design flow and provide its customers with Blast Speed, a component of the Blast Fusion system that predicts and delivers optimal timing for large, deep-submicron silicon designs.

Key Takeaways:

  • Magma Design Automation has signed a multi-year licensing deal with Texas Instruments to integrate its physical design system, Blast Fusion, into TI's deep-submicron ASIC design flow.
  • The deal allows TI to enhance its Timebuilder ASIC library and streamline its design cycle using Blast Fusion.
  • Through the joint evaluation program, Blast Fusion demonstrated a 17 percent improvement in timing and a 50 percent reduction in physical design cycle on complex designs.
  • TI will integrate Blast Speed, a component of Blast Fusion, into its standard ASIC design flow to provide accurate prediction of design timing and avoid costly iterations.
  • The agreement is a result of a successful joint evaluation program conducted by Magma and TI, which demonstrated the effectiveness of Blast Fusion in achieving timing closure without iterations between logical and physical design.
  • Magma's Blast Fusion system achieves timing closure without iterations back through synthesis, and is the only EDA solution with the MPG program, which offers a money-back guarantee for first-time users.

Statistics:

  • 17 percent increase in performance achieved by Blast Fusion on one complex design.
  • 50 percent decrease in physical design cycle-time achieved by Blast Fusion on the largest design.
  • Multi-year licensing deal signed between Magma and TI, valued at undisclosed amount.
  • TI will begin implementing internal designs using Blast Fusion and Blast Speed in the first half of 2000.
  • Magma was founded in April 1997, and has maintained sales and support offices in the United States, Europe, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Sources:

  • "Magma Design Automation Announces Multi-Year Licensing Deal with Texas Instruments" by Business Wire, January 17, 2000.
  • Texas Instruments press release.
  • Magma Design Automation website at www.magma-da.com.