ARM and Synopsys Sign Multi-Year EDA Tools and ARM Cortex-A15 Access Agreements

Agreements Aim to Maximize System-on-Chip (SoC) Performance and Energy Efficiency while Shortening Development Time

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 6, 2011 --

Highlights

Synopsys and ARM have signed a multi-year expanded EDA tools agreement providing ARM engineering teams extended access to Synopsys' leading-edge EDA technology.
ARM will also provide Synopsys with access to ARM Cortex-A15 processor intellectual property (IP) to maximize performance and energy efficiency of SoCs built by ARM's Partners using this advanced ARM processor and Synopsys tools.
The agreement will enable design teams to rapidly deliver products to market by taking advantage of processor cores and EDA tools optimized to work well together.

ARM (LON: ARM; Nasdaq: ARMH), and Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) have signed an expanded multi-year agreement extending ARM's access to Synopsys' innovative EDA technology. ARM will also provide Synopsys with access to the ARM Cortex-A15 processor to maximize performance and energy efficiency of SoCs built by ARM's Partners using this advanced ARM processor and Synopsys tools. Both agreements build upon a long history of partnership between the two companies, including ARM's use of Synopsys EDA tools in the design of the ARM Cortex-A processor family and the experience gained supporting leading ARM Cortex licensees.

Customer design teams will benefit from the availability of Synopsys tools which are optimized to work with the ARM Cortex-A15 processor, and which help deliver the required SoC performance, power and area. By providing designers with improved tools to create optimized SoCs, ARM and Synopsys will enable mutual customers to get differentiated products to market more quickly and with lower risk.

SoC designers are under constant pressure to quickly deliver SoCs that utilize leading technology and offer gigahertz performance with milliwatt power, all while reducing cost. The agreement between ARM and Synopsys is designed to enable ARM Cortex-A15 processor licensees to quickly achieve more effective results.

"Partnership has always been at the heart of the ARM business model. The new agreement with Synopsys builds on our successful history of jointly delivering leading solutions to the world's most advanced semiconductor companies," said Mike Muller, Chief Technical Officer, ARM. "To be successful in the rapidly growing mobile internet space, semiconductor companies need to deliver much higher levels of performance within tight power constraints and in even shorter periods of time. This agreement allows customer design teams to benefit from the experience gained by Synopsys and ARM during initial development and with licensees of the ARM Cortex-A15 processor."

"This agreement will help our mutual customers more quickly deliver differentiated products to market," said Antun Domic, Senior VP and General Manager of the Implementation Group of Synopsys. "Companies have already benefited from many ARM-Synopsys collaborations, including low power methodology and reference implementation methodologies. Building on our relationship, this agreement will help accelerate the next generation of differentiated ARM-powered products."

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. Find out more about ARM by following these links: