Synopsys, Inc., a world
leader in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, today
announced the immediate availability of the silicon-proven DesignWare(R) SATA
PHY IP for SMIC's popular 130 nanometer (nm) process technology, for use in
host and device applications such as mobile internet devices, set-top boxes,
solid state drives and optical disk drives. As a leading provider of connectivity
IP, Synopsys has expanded the SATA IP portfolio by introducing the SATA PHY
IP for the SMIC 130-nm technology, therefore enabling a comprehensive SATA solution,
which also includes the AHCI host and device digital controllers as well as
verification IP. Accessing all the IP from one provider allows designers to
lower the risk and cost of integrating SATA interfaces into their high-performance
system-on-chip (SoC) designs.
The DesignWare SATA PHY IP substantially exceeds the SATA electrical specification
in areas such as jitter, margin and receive sensitivity, thus delivering a robust
design without sacrificing performance. The advanced built-in diagnostic capabilities
provide customers with an on-chip sampling scope for quick debug of the PHY
without the need for expensive test equipment. The PHY also comes with ATE test
vectors which enable at-speed production testing of the PHY. Additionally, the
DesignWare SATA PHY IP relies exclusively on standard digital CMOS process technology
and does not require special process options, which results in significant manufacturing
cost reduction and ease of integration into a SoC.
"As an established IP supplier, Synopsys provides chip designers with high-quality
IP solutions that offer a wealth of advanced features, combined with excellent
technical support," said Paul OuYang, vice president of SMIC marketing
and sales. "Having Synopsys' silicon-proven IP available in the SMIC 130-nm
manufacturing process technology enables designers to quickly achieve time-to-market
goals for their high-performance storage applications and then ramp into volume
production."
"With the release of the DesignWare SATA PHY IP designed for SMIC 130-nm
technology, Synopsys continues to provide designers with the IP they need in
the required foundry process," said John Koeter, vice president of marketing
for the Solutions Group at Synopsys. "Synopsys is addressing key concerns
that our customers are facing today by characterizing the PHY to help ensure
it meets and exceeds the SATA specification and passes SATA-IO compliance, thereby
providing customers confidence that our PHY is fully interoperable with other
SATA products."