Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS), the leader in global electronic design innovation, and TSMC (TSE: 2330) (NYSE: TSM) today announced the introduction of an industry-first Mixed-Signal/Radio Frequency Reference Design Kit (MS/RF RDK). Developed with Cadence® Virtuoso® mixed-signal technology, the kit provides silicon-characterized behavioral models and a complete validated tutorial demonstrating an efficient MS/RF IC reference design flow that can help speed time to market. New technology includes a phase locked loop (PLL) noise-sensitive reference design example that can predict phase noise efficiently and accurately. Cadence technologies deployed include the Virtuoso custom design platform with SKILL-based Pcells, QRC Extraction, and Virtuoso Multi-Mode Simulation, which includes Spectre® Circuit Simulator, Spectre RF and AMS Designer.
The complete MS/RF RDK -- with documentation, PLL circuit example, and validated flow tutorial -- will be available on TSMC Online at http://online.tsmc.com in Q2 2009 to selected TSMC 65-nanometer customers worldwide, giving designers an opportunity to learn about the integrated solution. Both Cadence and TSMC plan to demonstrate aspects of the flow at the TSMC Technology Symposium in San Jose, Calif., in April, the CDNLive! EMEA user conference in Munich, Germany, in May, and the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco in July.
"This MS/RF Reference Design Kit is a perfect example of how TSMC and Cadence continue to collaborate to help our mutual customers get to market faster," said ST Juang, senior director of Design Infrastructure Marketing at TSMC. "With the challenges associated with today's complex RF mixed-signal designs, I'm sure this reference flow and all the supporting materials and examples can be of great aid to many of our customers."
"Cadence Virtuoso technology is a hub within the greater ecosystem of custom and mixed-signal design," said Bill Heiser, group director for Solutions Marketing at Cadence. "Our commitment of working closely with foundry partners like TSMC strengthens that ecosystem to the benefit of our joint customers tackling the toughest mixed-signal challenges."