ALCATEL ADOPTS MENTOR GRAPHICS' SIMEXPRESS(TM) HARDWARE EMULATOR FOR SYSTEMDESIGN VERIFICATION ACCELERATION PARIS, France, March 18 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- The Switching Systems Division of Alcatel Telecom, a leading telecommunication equipment and services company, has elected to partner with Mentor Graphics to implement a new emulation methodology for accelerating their system verification cycle. Emulation technology is a key element in the Mentor Graphics complete solution for design verification. The new methodology, based on SimExpress(TM) and implemented through Mentor Consulting Services, cut four months off the design cycle of an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) project. The saving was realized by performing true RTL accelerated verification, and by enabling early system software debugging on a virtual system prototype well before silicon availability. This success has prompted Alcatel to adopt SimExpress as an essential accelerated verification component for a wide range of upcoming projects. "Alcatel's embrace of the SimExpress hardware emulator and the ADSL project success demonstrate Mentor Graphics' outstanding ability to significantly reduce customers' time to market," said Bernd U. Braune, senior vice president for Mentor Graphics. "The unique custom architecture of SimExpress offers an unmatched level of performance, interactivity and openness. SimExpress enabled system software debugging well ahead of schedule and performed extensive "what-if" analyses," said Marc De Langhe, advanced CAD methodologies manager for Alcatel. "Not only was that significant, but the outstanding services offered by Mentor Graphics Consulting helped us to jumpstart this new methodology in a very short time. "The integration of SimExpress with Mentor Graphics' VHDL simulator ModelSim provided the optimum environment to verify the ASIC against VHDL and C testbenches, thus increasing the confidence that the hardware was working correctly against the specifications," added De Langhe. Etienne Vanzieleghem, ADSL project leader for Alcatel, said: "SimExpress offers a truly complete solution for accelerating the entire design verification flow. It has been pivotal in the complete system verification phase, enabling both the ASIC and software design teams to accelerate the verification process. We were able to verify in great detail the two-way connection loop between two ADSL modems emulated simultaneously during their critical startup phase." SimExpress, Mentor Graphics' best-in-class hardware emulator from the company's Meta Systems Division, offers extremely short design iteration times by means of a unique architecture based on a full-custom IC designed specifically for hardware emulation, rather than relying on the traditional approach of using commercial FPGAs. According to Braune, "With success after success and a string of major sales, the SimExpress product has demonstrated the rapid growth of the emulation market, and underlined Mentor Graphics' growing dominance in the emulation business." Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) is the world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products and consulting services for the world's largest electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last12 months of $452,964,000 and employs approximately 2,550 people worldwide. Company headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentorg.com. Alcatel, the telecommunication sector of Alcatel Alsthom Group, is a worldwide company, currently working with partners in over 125 countries on projects which span the full spectrum of communications systems. Alcatel Telecom is a system integrator in the telecommunications field. It manufactures advanced digital switches, transmission systems, broadband products, access products, radio mobile communication systems, business systems, systems and products for space and defense, and components. In 1997, these activities registered total sales of 83 billion French francs. SOURCE Mentor Graphics Corporation CONTACT: Gabriele Pulini, Director of Marketing of Mentor Graphics Corporation, Meta Systems Division, Saclay, France, 33 1 69 35 10 07, or [email protected] Web Site: http://www.mentorg.com