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Simulation Models for Motorola PowerPC Microprocessors including MPC8260 PowerQUICC II MPC603e and MPC740/50

Santa Clara, California, September 22, 1999 - Simpod, Inc. today announced support for a number of PowerPC™ microprocessors including the MPC8260, MPC603e, and the MPC740/50 for use with the company's DeskPOD™ hardware modeling system. The models can be used by hardware designers in a logic simulation environment and by software developers for testing system initialization software, diagnostic software, and device drivers. DeskPOD utilizes actual Motorola silicon to provide high performance, cycle accurate models which are integrated with popular logic simulators and software debuggers.

Motorola's PowerQUICC II™ MPC8260 is targeted at high performance, highly integrated networking applications, and has 45 on-chip peripherals. This unprecedented level of integration is placing new requirements on hardware verification teams. Traditionally, hardware engineers have relied on bus functional models (BFM) to validate hardware. With its multi-bus architecture and complex memory controller it has become nearly impossible to produce an accurate bus model which includes all of the necessary modes of operation. "The MPC8260 offers extremely high integration for networking applications," said Yiftach Tzori, Chief Technical Officer of Simpod. "It is clear that hardware modeling technology is the future for highly integrated, complex microprocessors like the MPC8260".

The MPC603e and MPC740/50 offer workstation level performance packaged in a low power, low cost design that is ideal for compute-intensive embedded system applications. The DeskPOD models support burst, split, and pipelined bus transactions as well as cache snooping to maintain cache coherency. DeskPOD is ideal for applications with multiple caching bus masters, such as DMA devices.

“PowerPC processor models are critical for our customers to meet time-to-market requirements,” said Phil Brownfield, PowerPC Development Tools Manager. “Simpod delivers a new alternative for Motorola customers by combining high-performance coverification with high accuracy simulation models.”

Competitive coverification offerings which utilize software modeling technology have placed unnecessary restrictions on the design and verification teams. Both software and hardware engineers have been forced to deal with a limited subset of functionality when working with integrated peripherals and caching, multi-master bus protocols. DeskPOD eliminates these restrictions by providing models that utilize actual silicon to provide full device functionality and software debug capability

DeskPOD models are tightly coupled with today’s most popular logic simulators including Verilog-XL™ and NC-Verilog™ from Cadence Design Systems, VCS™ from Synopsys, ModelSim™ from Mentor Graphics, and Super Finsim™ from Fintronic USA. DeskPOD also offers unique software debugging capability which utilizes the PowerPC COP architecture to provide a true coverification solution.

About DeskPOD
Packaged in a convenient desktop form factor, the DeskPOD hardware modeling unit supports up to 608 fully programmable signals that are connected between a digital device and a logic simulation environment. DeskPOD delivers unprecedented performance and accuracy for complex digital devices such as microprocessors, bus interface components, system controllers, and networking interface chips. Unlike other modeling technologies, DeskPOD models are created in days instead of months or years. Multiple DeskPOD units can be incorporated into the verification process to deliver a complete board or system simulation environment.

About Motorola
As the world’s #1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector offers multiple DigitalDNA™ solutions which enable customers to create new business opportunities in the consumer, networking and computing, transportation, and wireless communications markets. Motorola’s worldwide semiconductor sales were $7.3 billion (USD) in 1998.

About Simpod Inc.
Simpod offers a new generation of high-performance modeling systems for use in the design and verification of digital electronic systems. The Company's technologies are incorporated in the DeskPOD product for use in design and verification of embedded systems and SoC designs. More information about the company and its products can be found at www.simpod.com.

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Simpod Inc., 3080 Olcott Street, Suite 100A, Santa Clara, CA, 95054
Phone: (408) 330-9300, Fax: (408) 330-9301,
http://www.simpod.com, info@simpod.com