Open SystemC Initiative and Accellera merger paves way for broad interoperability standards

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 24, 2012 — (PRNewswire) — Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing, announced that Accellera Systems Initiative will receive Synopsys' twelfth annual Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award for advancing industry standards that enable interoperable system design flows.

The Accellera Systems Initiative was formed in December 2011 through the merger of Open SystemC Initiative (OSCI) and Accellera. Since 2000, the two organizations have developed standards that are widely used in the semiconductor industry; Accellera developed SystemVerilog, Unified Power Format (UPF) and IP-XACT; and OSCI developed SystemC and TLM-2.0. These standards are underlying formats that enable interoperability among design and verification tools, allowing engineers to go from system level design to final signoff. With large overlap in their membership and the need to collaborate to enhance current standards for increasing complexity of future designs, the two organizations merged in 2011.

"We are honored to accept the Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award," said Dr. Shishpal Rawat, Accellera Systems Initiative chair. "We continue to strive for developing standards that enable interoperability across the entire design flow. The new organization will offer uniform policies and procedures leading to operational efficiencies in developing and promoting EDA and IP standards across the entire design and verification flow."

In recent years, the user community has sought solutions that demanded greater interaction between OSCI and Accellera standards, namely SystemC and SystemVerilog respectively. With significant similarities in the two organizations' membership and in their goals of taking standards through IEEE for broader adoption around the world, it became clear that the combined organization could serve the user community more efficiently. As a result, all of the standards development effort will be done in technical sub-committees governed by one set of policies and procedures, and following a uniform IP Rights policy. The streamlined development process will provide for better standards, which will enable interoperable tools and comprehensive methodologies for system and system-on-chip (SoC) designers.

"OSCI and Accellera have played important roles in developing open, inclusive standards for system and SoC designers," said Rich Goldman, vice president of corporate marketing and strategic market development at Synopsys. "We applaud their merger to broaden the member collaboration under one single organizational umbrella."

About the Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award
The Tenzing Norgay Interoperability Achievement Award was established by Synopsys to recognize EDA providers who collaborate on interoperable design flows that benefit the user community. The award is presented annually to organizations that have surpassed common levels of interoperability, have contributed to overall industry advancement and have helped provide a new view of the future for EDA interoperability. Named for the crucial role that Sherpa Tenzing Norgay played in the first successful attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, the Interoperability Achievement Award recognizes achievements that are critical to a designer's success.

About Accellera Systems Initiative
Accellera Systems Initiative is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to create, support, promote and advance system-level design, modeling and verification standards for use by the worldwide electronics industry. The organization accelerates standards development, and as part of its ongoing partnership with the IEEE, its standards are contributed to the IEEE Standards Association for formal standardization and ongoing change control. For more information, please visit www.accellera.org. For membership information, please email Email Contact.

About Synopsys
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

Editorial Contacts:

Monica Marmie
Synopsys, Inc.
650-584-4547
Email Contact

Deanna Doyon
MCA, Inc.
650-968-8900 ext. 203
Email Contact

SOURCE Synopsys, Inc.

Contact:

Synopsys, Inc. Accellera Systems Web: http://www.synopsys.com