Xilinx Expands Signal Processing Portfolio For Digital Communication System Design

New System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool and XtremeDSP Development Kit simplifies high-performance DSP system design

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 4, 2005 - Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced the immediate availability of its System Generator for DSP v7.1 development software and XtremeDSP Virtex-4 SX35 Development Kit for digital communication system design. The new design tools make it easier for system and DSP designers to implement high sample rate or multi-channel signal processing designs onto Xilinx DSP devices - providing a complete development path from system modeling to verified hardware.

The System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool and XtremeDSP Development Kit can be used together to design and implement systems that include many of Xilinx's recently available wireless algorithms for 3G and 4G base stations, including RACH, searcher, HSDPA, DUC and DDC. For complete algorithm information, visit: www.xilinx.com/wireless.

"With the Virtex-4 XtremeDSP Development Kit working in-the-loop with the System Generator for DSP tool, designers have an excellent development environment for creating and verifying high performance DSP systems for digital communications," said David Squires, director of marketing of the DSP Division at Xilinx. "Our DSP devices deliver exceptionally high performance through parallelism, making them ideal co-processors in the signal path for wireless and other digital communications applications."

System Generator for DSP v7.1 Software Tool
The System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool allows designers to take advantage of the powerful capabilities of the XtremeDSP slice in Xilinx's Virtex-4 SX family with 500MHz throughput capability. Compared to competing 90nm FPGAs, Virtex-4 SX FPGAs offer 1.5X more DSP performance, up to 3X lower DSP power consumption, and deliver up to 12X more GMACs per dollar.

In addition, System Generator for DSP v7.1 provides a complete design environment that enables:

• System modeling - of both the signal flow when combined with Simulink and control path through integration with Xilinx Embedded Development Kit. This enables complete systems to be designed and modeled from within one design environment, thus simplifying the design flow.
  
  
• Algorithm development - math functions are implemented easily using MATLAB, System Generator's interfaces to MATLAB, and Accelchip tools that allow import of m-code and custom AccelWare IP cores for implementing matrix multiply functions and linear algebra.
  
  
• Automatic hardware or bitstream generation - via a tight coupling to Xilinx ISE 7.1i and XST tools. DSP designers unfamiliar with FPGAs can still implement highly optimized designs at the push of a button. Hardware designers can also import HDL modules into System Generator for DSP via the black box capability.
  
  
• Design verification and debug - when using the XtremeDSP development kit hardware in the loop and the Xilinx Chipscope Pro debug software tool. The Chipscope Pro tool allows designers to observe internal nodes making designs easier and faster to debug.

This integrated flow allows designers with little or no experience in HDL design techniques to work at a very high level and go from first concept to verified silicon within a matter of days, rather than months. System Generator for DSP v7.1 supports all mainstream Xilinx DSP families, including the recently announced Spartan-3E family which includes 325MHz embedded 18x18 multipliers and is priced starting at $2.00* for 100K gates.

XtremeDSP Development Kit Hardware Platform
Developed in collaboration with Nallatech, the FPGA computing solutions company, the new XtremeDSP Development Kit includes a Virtex-4 SX35 device with up to 192 XtremeDSP slices. Each slice comprises an 18x18 bit multiplier and a 48-bit adder that can be configured dynamically at every clock cycle, allowing for tremendous flexibility and optimization.

A unique high-bandwidth hardware-in-the-loop co-simulation feature allows designers to accelerate simulation speed by several order's of magnitude, while simultaneously verifying a design in hardware. The XtremeDSP Development Kit includes an analog card which houses a dual channel 14-bit, 105 MSPS A/D converter and a 14-bit, 160 MSPS D/A converter, making it an ideal development platform for high-performance wireless applications such as software defined radios.

Pricing & Availability
The System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool is used with the ISE 7.1i FPGA design suite from Xilinx. The tool is priced at $995 for a limited time. The Virtex-4 SX35 XtremeDSP Development Kit is immediately available and is priced at $2495 (standalone) or $3245 in combination with the System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool. The tool and kit can be purchased from the Xilinx online store or via authorized Xilinx distributors. For more information about the System Generator for DSP v7.1 tool, the XtremeDSP development kit, and Xilinx's XtremeDSP initiative: visit http://www.xilinx.com/dsp.

*500K volume, second half 2006

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