The Week In Review: Design/IoT

Mergers & Acquisitions

Synopsys continued expansion into the software security market with the acquisition of Codenomicon. The Finnish company was in the headlines this time last year when it discovered the Heartbleed bug during product testing.

Tools

Mentor Graphics released Calibre xACT, a parasitic extraction platform which automatically optimizes extraction techniques based on specific process node (including 14nm FinFET), application, design size, and extraction objectives. Cypress selected it as their reference signoff extraction tool, citing its balance between accuracy and turnaround time.

Cadence celebrated the 30^th anniversary of OrCAD with five new products and three key feature updates. Additions to the portfolio of PCB design tools include more comprehensive fabrication checks, simplified documentation methods, interactive routing, and high-speed design capabilities.

Synopsys added new extensions to its open-source Interconnect Technology Format which enable modeling of complex device and interconnect parasitic effects at 10nm. The new extensions, ratified by IMTAB, include modeling of variation effects due to multi-patterning.

IP

Arteris unveiled FlexNoC Physical. Features in the physically-aware interconnect IP include importing user-defined and production floorplans, automatically configuring pipelines to meet timing closure constraints, and separating the interconnect IP instances at a physical level so they can be routed separately from the rest of the SoC.

Cadence announced the customizable Tensilica Fusion DSP, targeting IoT and wearable applications requiring merged controller plus DSP computation, ultra-low power, and a small footprint. The scalable DSP was benchmarked as using 25% less energy compared to the current low-power Cadence DSP.

ARM is licensing functional safety support for automotive across its Cortex-A, Cortex-R and Cortex-M processor families. The package delivers a safety manual, FMEA report and development interface report to help designers meet the goals of ISO 26262 and IEC 61508.

Deals

Mentor Graphics won a deal with major Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Aisin Seiki Co., which selected Mentor’s vehicle system design tools to support the adoption of an AUTOSAR-based design process across its network of automobile manufacturers.

Numbers

ARM reported first quarter financial results. Revenues increased from $305.2 million to $348.2 million, up 14% year-over-year, powered by a 31% increase in processor royalty revenue.

Rambus also posted last quarter’s results. Revenue for the first quarter of 2015 was $72.9 million, up 1% from Q4 2014 and down 7% from Q1 2014. Net income was $9.5 million (GAAP) as compared to net income of $7.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 and net income of $7.8 million in the first quarter of 2014.