-
National Semiconductor Gets Lead Role in
Government Project to Improve its Business
-
WAVE Comments
Microsoft Rolls Out Windows CE Pro Edition
VR-1 Updates Conductor Online Gaming Software
VR Nightclub opens in Hawaii
Diamond Multimedia Reports Results for the Third Quarter Ended September 30, 1998 and Investment in Nvidia
ATI Technologies in Talks with Chromatic Research
Trident Reports More Losses
BSQUARE Titles work on Jupiter
RealNetworks Cuts Deal with Lariat Software
Xing Goes for Final Beta of MPEG-2 Streaming Products 
889.2 Story of the Issue
889.3 MCAD
889.4 Chips
889.5 EDA
VLSI and Macronix Team Up for System-on-a-Chip Embedded Flash Memory Technology
Verisity Launches Pure IP Program to Streamline Verification of SOC Designs
889.6 Animation --------------------------------------
***National Semiconductor Gets Lead Role in Government Project to
Improve its Business
(October 8)National Semiconductor won the opportunity to lead a
industry/university consortium to Improve Chip Yields with a
three-year, $18.6 Million Program.Sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), National Semiconductor will work with the consortium to
develop technologies that significantly improve chip yields and
reduce costs. This is called the Advanced Technology Program for
the Intelligent Control of the Semiconductor Patterning Process
and is designed to restore the historical 25 to 30 percent annual
reduction in the cost per function of semiconductors.Participants in the three-year, $18.6 million program include
three semiconductor equipment companies, four major universities
and several key subcontractors."The program to improve chip yields is designed to solve a
crucial, growing issue with manufacturers of advanced chips,"
said Gobi Padmanabhan, National's senior vice president for
technology research and development. "As the critical dimensions
or geometries of circuit elements shrink to 0.18 microns and
smaller, they too often are tinier than what can be consistently
measured process step by process step." This lack of uniformity
directly affects yields and costs. Improving uniformity through
this NIST program will enable semiconductor manufacturers to
produce more chips with consistently higher yields. It also will
allow National, for example, to further integrate more complex
functions onto silicon to develop complete system-on-a-chip
solutions.The results of NIST's program will be available to the entire US
semiconductor industry, benefiting everyone. Central to improving
uniformity is the semiconductor patterning process. This is the
interaction of lithography equipment to print the circuit layers
as they are integrated to form chips and the etch steps that
solidify the critical dimensions for each layer, controlled by
operational software. Improved uniformity of the critical
dimensions (CDs or geometries) of circuit lines created during
the manufacturing process will produce higher yields of fully
functional chips. On-line feed-forward control (FFC) is essential
in that process. By measuring the CDs after a photolithography
step, process managers can make changes in the next etch step to
improve yields. National already has seen a 40 percent
improvement in variance of CDs using FFC during the crucial
process step involving the cornerstone polysilicon layer in its
advanced CMOS wafer fabrication line in South Portland, Maine.Expected benefits of the joint program include:
-- Increased yields from improved patterning (lithography and
etch-step) process that prints the circuit elements onto the
chips in production,
-- Improved production efficiency due to reduced set-up time and
reliance on consistent test wafers,
-- Increased productivity by replacing slow off-line measurement
with responsive in-line and in-situ metrology,
-- Extension of the useful life of existing semiconductor
production equipment systems.NIST is sponsoring the research on improved chips because the
semiconductor industry is viewed as an enabling industry to the
entire US economy.NIST also chose National as the lead company in a separate three-
year, $5.7 million program to develop new materials that make it
more efficient to bond so-called flip-chip packages to substrates
on printed circuit boards.The joint-venture partners are
FSI International (Allen, Texas),
KLA-Tencor (San Jose, Calif.),
Lam Research Corp. (Fremont, Calif.),
Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.) and
The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.).Key subcontractors include
The University of California at Berkeley,
The University of California at Irvine,
Jack Mott (Idaho Falls, Idaho),
Spain, Inc. (Portola Valley, Calif.),
Integrated Systems, Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and
IBM Global Production Solutions (Boca Raton, Fla.).Cost of the program is split approximately 50% between NIST and
the participants.Why does National need to get government money to fund what it
should be doing to remain competitive in its core business? It is
not hard to understand why there is not another major
semiconductor company on this list. What company in this business
would let government funding determine its competitiveness? We
see this as just another example of how National has lost focus.
Faced with a continuing flow of losses National needs to address
how it can be a viable company in the future and not get diverted
by a government program that looks like no more than technology
welfare.***Microsoft Rolls Out Windows CE Pro Edition
(October 8)Newsbytes reports that Microsoft has begun shipping Jupiter,
which is now Windows CE 2.11. Shipments have been made to 12
OEMs. The OEMs include:Casio Computer Company Ltd.,
Compaq Computer Corp.,
Everex Systems Inc.,
Fujitsu Ltd.,
Hewlett-Packard Co.,
Hitachi America Ltd.,
LG Electronics Inc.,
NEC Corp.,
NTS Computer Systems Ltd., and
Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.,There are a number of new Microsoft applications:
Microsoft Pocket Outlook, for e-mail;
Pocket Access,
InkWriter and Voice Recorder,
Pocket Word,
Pocket Excel and
Pocket PowerPoint.Windows CE continues to suffer from an identity crisis. Microsoft
has been particularly inarticulate it its ability to define the
following:What is the scope of the OS market it is to address?
How is Windows CE prepared to complete with Java in the
information appliance or Set Top markets?
What is the role for ISVs and IHVs on the Windows CE platform?
How much flexibility do IHVs and ISVs have to configure and adapt
Windows CE so that they can differentiate their products?
How does Windows CE overlap with the low end of the portable
space?
When will the full suite of DirectX services be available, so
that portable or home video games platforms be created?Noticeably absent from the list is Acer, a strong proponent of
future information appliances. In fact, we have picked up that
many OEMs are turned off by the high licensing costs being
demanded by Microsoft. At the same time Microsoft has been
especially secretive about the licensing terms and conditions.
The list of companies above would only imply that Windows CE is
not the foundation of a new market the way MS-DOS was. If this is
the case it is unfortunate.Microsoft has an opportunity to open up a significant new market
in information appliances and entertainment devices. Yet, it
seems as if Windows CE continues to walk a careful line in order
to avoid an impact on Windows 98 sales or Sega's Dreamcast. The
market is already moving forward, especially in the set top box
space, and long as Microsoft dawdles it loses.***VR-1 Updates Conductor Online Gaming Software
(October 8)Newsbytes reports that VR-1 Inc. will release a version of its
Conductor system, a networking technology that helps combat
latency in online multiplayer gaming.VR-1 indicates that this version 1.1 of Conductor offers several
features:- support for relational databases which will enable data
sharing across multiple servers;- a more efficient communication protocol that supports hundreds
to thousands of users;- more aggressive bandwidth management for smoother network
performance; and- improved player synchronization.
***VR Nightclub opens in Hawaii
(October 9)The Virtual Experience nightclub in Waikiki has opened. The
technology was created by Honolulu-based Six D Inc. It allows the
customer to see 3D images in "real time." In this case, real time
allows the customer to quickly move through virtual experiences
without waiting for time-intensive computer processing of pre-
rendered images. Patrons can fly around objects, such as
dolphins, and have 360-degree views. They can also explore
virtual worlds with no predetermined path.Specific features of the Waikiki application include 12 wide-
screen plasma flat panel displays mounted on the walls that allow
customers to traverse through several virtual worlds running on
Intergraph Computer Systems' TDZ 2000 ViZual Workstations and
browse food and beverage menus from the convenience of their
booth. The customers use advanced joysticks, called Spaceballs,
to maneuver through the virtual worlds and menu selections.The next product aimed at the food & beverage industry will be
introduced later this year.Six D Inc. is based in Honolulu, was formed in 1996 by Fernando
Diaz and Vince Mitchell. The company's name, Six D Inc., comes
from the concept that motion in a 3D environment takes place in
six dimensions: X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch and Roll. The company custom-
designs applications of virtual experience technology for
companies worldwide.Contact Kelly O'Connor at
(808)533-1919
kelly@aloha.net.***Diamond Multimedia Reports Results for the Third Quarter Ended
September 30, 1998 and Investment in Nvidia
(October 8)Diamond Multimedia Systems reported financial results for the
third quarter ended September 30, 1998.For the quarter, net revenues were $123.2 million, up 34% from
$92.0 million for the third quarter of 1997. The company incurred
a net loss for the third quarter of $22.2 million, or $0.63 per
share, compared to a net loss of $2.5 million, or $0.07 per
share in the third quarter of last year. For the nine months, net
revenues were $481.7 million, up 87% from $257.4 million for the
first three quarters of 1997. Net loss year-to-date was $22.6
million, or $0.65 per share, compared to a net loss of $52.6
million, or $1.54 per share for the first three quarters of 1997.First Call estimates are for a +$.22 EPS in Q4 1998 and +$.21 EPS
in 1999."Given the supply-demand and pricing dislocations evident during
the past six months in the PC and PC semiconductor industries, we
decided we needed to move toward a faster "short-cycle" inventory
model," said William J. Schroeder, president and chief executive
officer. "We took the step of virtually stopping all inventory
buys and new production during the first half of our third
quarter. This had the beneficial effect of allowing us to cut our
inventory by almost half, and to bring most of our channel
inventory in line with the targets contemplated by our new short-
cycle model. We believe the balance of our channel inventory will
come into line during our typically strong fourth quarter.""While we strongly believe that this was the right step to take
in light of the increasingly deflationary nature of the PC
market, the action we took necessarily resulted in the majority
of our third quarter revenue being shipped in September. In the
end, our operations staff simply did not have enough time to
produce and ship against all the orders that our customers had
booked in September, and, as a result, our third quarter revenue
did not meet our expectations," said Schroeder."Our lower revenue level in the third quarter contributed to our
low gross margin," said James M. Walker, senior vice president
and chief financial officer, " but the lower margin also reflects
three other issues:(i) Inventory consumption in large part consisted of higher-cost
components purchased in the first half of the year before the
major semiconductor price declines;(ii) substantial pricing pressure on our legacy graphics
products, almost all of which have now been sold; and(iii) price protection charges related to our Monster 3D II
product, whose supply along with that of other Voodoo 2 based
graphics subsystems exceeded demand during the third quarter.""On the positive side, our outstanding orders at the end of the
third quarter were roughly triple our orders at the beginning of
the quarter, and our order rate and shipping momentum are strong.
Moreover, we believe our current product line up, including
products planned for launch during October, is the strongest we
have ever had. This includes HomeFree, our wireless home
networking product, and Rio, our Internet music player, two new
products aimed at exciting new emerging market segments. Several
of our new products reflect our strategic objective of shifting
our revenue base toward more differentiated, proprietary products
targeted at what believe will be hot new growth markets that
leverage our brand and channels," Schroeder said."Other accomplishments during the third quarter included the
successful launch of the Viper 550, based on the Nvidia Riva TNT
chip, which the company believes is the highest performance
mainstream graphics accelerator currently shipping and which has
won early editorial accolades. We completed the acquisition and
integration of Micronics and Digital Cast, an internet appliance
design firm. And, we made a strategic investment in Nvidia. The
three investments totaled approximately $37 million in cash.
Finally, we completed the conversion at quarter end of the
company's IT systems to an integrated database, enterprise- wide
resource planning (ERP) system based on Oracle, which should
provide us with increased real time control and visibility over
our business.We find it curious that the investment by Diamond in Nvidia was
not released until now. Even at that it is still buried in this
press announcement. There has been little in the secret that
Diamond, Creative and STB all brought cash to the table to help
Nvidia as hobbled to an IPO, maybe. As the stock market tanked
and Nvidia continues to collect law suits it has become more
difficult to take the company public. Nvidia continues to ramp up
on staff but at the same time there is only one minor problem -
having enough cash on hand. At least STB, Diamond and Creative
came to the rescue.Diamond also confirmed the obvious - Voodoo2 is at end of life in
the retail market.We find it interesting that Diamond can make $37m in investments
while it continues to lose money. Conventional business logic
would seem to say that making a profit is an important business
objective. Yet, Diamond has a knack for one lossy quarter after
another.***ATI Technologies in Talks with Chromatic Research
(October 8)ATI Technologies today announced that it is in negotiations
regarding a possible acquisition of Chromatic Research, Inc. At
this time, no agreement has been reached or entered into and
there can be no assurance that the transaction will proceed.
Further terms will be announced if an agreement is reached.In spite of the rosy forward look put out by Chromatic when it
recently laid off many of its employees it appears that all is
not well. Why sell to ATI if there was so much investor potential
lined up for its next technology? We find it curious that ATI is
seeking Chromatic Research.***Trident Reports More Losses
(October 8)Trident Microsystems reported its financial results for the
fiscal quarter ended September 30, 1998. The company announced
that its sales for the first quarter of fiscal 1999 were
$23,876,000, an increase of 24% from $19,275,000 for the prior
quarter and a decrease of 38% from $38,539,000 for the first
quarter of the prior fiscal year. The basic loss for the first
quarter of fiscal 1999 was $2,709,000 or $0.21 basic loss per
share, compared to a loss of $5,307,000 or $0.41 basic loss per
share for the prior quarter, and net income of $3,073,000 or
$0.24 basic earnings per share or $0.21 diluted earnings per
share for the first quarter of the prior fiscal year."Although this quarter's results reflect continuing economic
problems in the Asia Pacific region, we are seeing the beginnings
of an upturn for Trident worldwide as unit sales of our desktop
and notebook products are increasing," stated Frank Lin,
Trident's president and CEO. "We are experiencing a strong
increase in unit shipments for our 3D desktop device, the
baseline AGP 3DImage975, while shipments of our 2D desktop
products have declined as anticipated. We are also experiencing
increasing unit shipment volume of both 2D and 3D embedded memory
notebook devices."In the notebook market, our Cyber9388, the 2D embedded memory
flat panel controller, has scored four design wins as previously
announced and is now available on notebooks from Fujitsu, NEC,
Sharp and Twinhead. The Cyber9388 is paving the way for our
follow-on products integrating more memory and 3D/DVD capability.
In fact, we have also announced the industry's first AGP 3D
embedded notebook solution, the Cyber9525DVD. We are very pleased
to announce that it has already secured strong interest among OEM
notebook manufacturers as evidenced by three new major design
wins with two top tier OEMs, both being new additions to
Trident's growing OEM customer base," stated Mr. Lin."Although it will be a while before we impact the market share of
the other leading embedded memory competitor, our most recent
design wins are encouraging signs that Trident is regaining its
position, socket by socket.Our Cyber9397DVD, Trident's discrete 3D DVD notebook solution, is
already shipping with Microsoft's certification of the most
advanced multimedia functions in IBM's latest ThinkPad 770X, a
follow-on to its award-winning 770 family.""Our first audio product, the 4DWAVE-DX, was so well received
that by the end of this quarter it is capturing over 10% of the
PCI audio market with volume production fully ramped up," stated
Mr. Lin. "This success combined with the advent of 3D games with
3D positional audio, the requirements of PC99 starting mid
calendar year 1999, and Trident's cost effective audio
architecture has validated our investment in this technology and
has firmly established Trident as a leading player in this
marketplace.""At the end of the quarter we jointly announced with AMD, VIA and
another core logic company Trident's first strategic venture into
new architectures optimized for the sub-$1,000 PC in 1999. The
collaborative product integrates Trident's advanced 3D technology
with core logic from the two partners. The press extensively
covered the new product, code-named Monterey. Delivery of
engineering samples are expected before COMDEX," said Mr. Lin. "A
separate product, code named Porsche, based on the enhanced
graphics core of the integrated device, has achieved significant
3D Winbench numbers, and we anticipate that it will also become a
market leader in the sub $1,000 PC class. This product, the
3DImage 9880 is scheduled to replace the still successful but
aging 3DImage975 and 985.""Our recovery program is underway and we are seeing the benefits
of our organizational restructuring and cost reduction programs,
which have included; optimizing our product line-up, a reduction
in executive compensation, a reduction in workforce (previously
announced), and focusing on execution and priorities.""The increase in 3D desktop units shipped, combined with the
success of our 2D Cyber 9388, the excellent reception of our 3D
embedded Cyber9525DVD, the announcement of Trident 3D integrating
core logic, and our success in the audio marketplace all combine
in moving Trident towards the realization of its vision to be a
world leader in providing "Digital Media for the Masses,"
concluded Mr. Lin.***BSQUARE Titles work on Jupiter
(October 8)BSQUARE has announced that it's existing line of software titles
for the Handheld PC will function on the latest version of
Windows CE (Jupiter).The titles that are now compatible with the new MIPS and SH3-
based devices utilizing the new version of the Windows CE
operating system, Windows CE Handheld Professional Edition,
version 3.0. These applications include:* bFAX Pro - send and receive faxing software
* bTRACK - time, expense and mileage software that can integrate
with almost any desktop reporting system
* bREADY - electronic text publishing and information management
software
* bPRINT - printing and print management software
* bMOBILE News - on or offline newsgroup reading software
* bMOBILE Chat - online chat software
* bFIND - global search software
* bUSEFUL - Backup - software to back up and restore data on a
deviceBSQUARE is currently optimizing these applications for
compatibility with devices that may incorporate the StrongARM
microprocessor architecture, and will be releasing updated
versions of these titles during the fourth quarter of this year.http://www.bsquare.com
or call 888-820-4500***RealNetworks Cuts Deal with Lariat Software
(October 8)RealNetworks has licensed and integrated Lariat Software's Stats*
2.1 and StatsSnapshot* 2.0 products into RealSystem* G2.Adding Lariat technologies to RealSystem G2, provides customers
with the ability to run real-time statistics and graphical usage
reports from any Java-enabled browser.The RealServer Reports will deliver business and operational
utility to both professional and entry-level streaming media
providers. RealServer Reports provide usage, performance and
trend analyses that enable businesses to evaluate the impact of
their programming and advertising. These reports allow users to
track traffic patterns, create audience profiles and monitor
quality-of-service. RealServer Reports provide data on server
traffic and user demographics. RealServer Reports integrate into
and extend the RealSystem G2 Administrator, providing one
interface for control, configuration, monitoring and reporting of
the RealServer G2.The beta 2 of RealSystem G2 is available immediately for download
atLariat Software product line includes business solutions for
analyzing, producing and managing streaming audio and video
content, including StationManager*, and the statistical analysis
product Lariat Stats.***Xing Goes for Final Beta of MPEG-2 Streaming Products
(October 8)Xing Technology announceed the final Beta of its suite of MPEG-2
streaming products. The MPEG-2Live Encoder, the StreamWorks 4.0
Server, and the StreamWorks MPEG-2 Player now provide a complete
MPEG-2 delivery solution. This StreamWorks release will provide
real-time MPEG-2 encoding, Live MPEG-2 streaming, and file based
MPEG-2 streaming with full StreamWorks Server support.MPEG-2 is the most significant feature of StreamWorks 4.0 and
others include AC-3 support coupled with an MPEG-1 Streaming
solution.StreamWorks 4.0 is scheduled to be released November 30th.
Zing announced that this is the last opportunity to acquire
StreamWorks 4.0 pre-release special. Qualified beta candidates
are eligible to receive one MPEG-2Live Encoder for $14,995. Upon
release of StreamWorks 4.0 the price will be firm at $19,995.Contact:
(800)294-6448
swsales@xingtech.com.***ZDBop Splits and Forms ZDTag
(October 7)Ziff Davis has formed a for-hire benchmarking testing service
called ZDTag (ZD Testing and Analysis Group). Bill Catchings,
moves from director of ZDBop to being head of ZDTag. This group
will also provide comparative product analysis in addition to
testing.Strange. How many times have we heard the standard ZD lecture on
no testing without compromise, no money taken, and its totally
independent. Now we hear about a new testing service with same
talent clearly focused helping the IHVs improve their test
results and to also know how their competition is doing.Somehow this does not smell right. Everyone seems to have gotten
caught in the testing firing line, including, most recently,
Mercury Research. Is ZDTag next?***SolidWorks Corporation Announces FeatureWorks
(September 29)SolidWorks announced the immediate availability of FeatureWorks
which is a part of SolidWorks 98Plus, FeatureWorks is a
commercial software application that recognizes parametric
features from files produced by standard 3D translators.
FeatureWorks applies intelligence to static geometric data making
it ready-to-use in SolidWorks 98Plus. Using FeatureWorks,
engineers can share 3D models with organizations that use
different CAD systems, leverage legacy data, and make a complete
transition to a SolidWorks solution more easily.FeatureWorks captures data and recognizes features imported from
standard translators including: STEP, IGES, SAT, Parasolid Files,
and VDAFS. FeatureWorks is suited for quadrangular, conical, and
cylindrical machined and sheet metal parts containing features
such as extrusions, cuts, bosses, fillets, and chamfers. The
FeatureManager design tree in SolidWorks 98Plus keeps track of
features recognized by FeatureWorks, so the design process stays
consistent and intuitive. Once feature recognition is complete,
engineers can tune designs using the functionality of SolidWorks
98Plus.FeatureWorks will ship concurrently with SolidWorks 98Plus in
October. FeatureWorks is distributed through SolidWorks
Authorized Resellers and Distributors and is priced separately as
an additional application locally in North America ($495) and
internationally.***Broadcom Announces Single-Chip Cable Modem Solution
(September 21)Broadcom announced the availability of a single-chip
communications solution for cable modems.Broadcom's integration of all of the cable modem media access
control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) transmission functionality
into a single chip, will allow its customers and end-users to
substantially benefit from the lower cost, smaller size and
improved features of next-generation cable modems. Cable modems
with Broadcom's single-chip solution will also allow cable
operators to provide current and future subscribers with advanced
services, including telephony over the cable network. This cable
modem technology will enable existing coax cable networks to
deliver data, digital video, telephony and Internet access at
speeds up to 56 megabits-per-second (Mbps), which is 1000 times
faster than standard 56k voice-band modems.The Broadcom QAMLink cable modem chip, the BCM3300, is fully
compliant with the Multimedia Cable Network Systems (MCNS) Data
Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) version 1.0
and will support next-generation modems with the following
advanced features:-- Advanced Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities, which allow
cable operators to offer multiple access speeds at different
price points.
-- Fragmentation, which supports the ability to provision
constant bit rate services for applications such as cable
telephony and videoconferencing.
-- Support for multiple destination addresses and multicast
filters to support "push services," such as stock tickers, news,
and sports scores, by cable operators.
-- Support for North American, European and Asian physical layer
transmission standards.The single-chip solution is the latest milestone in Broadcom's
cable modem roadmap and integrates the functions of the current
cable modem chip-set - the BCM3116 QAMLink Demodulator, BCM3037
QAMLink Burst Modulator, and BCM3220 QAMLink MAC. Broadcom will
continue to produce these chips, which are currently shipping in
production volumes for MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 cable modems.Broadcom's BCM3300 integrates a 64/256-QAM receiver, a 4/16-QAM
transmitter and an MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 MAC with enhancements into a
single chip. The integrated receiver supports downstream data
rates up to 56 Mbps, and the integrated transmitter supports
upstream data rates up to 20 Mbps. The integrated MAC supervises
the upstream and downstream functions as specified by the
MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 MAC protocol, including advanced QoS and
fragmentation capability. The integrated MAC also includes
baseline privacy encryption/decryption for Internet security with
56-bit DES Cipher Block Chaining.Broadcom has incorporated many advanced features into the
BCM3300. The device integrates a multi-mode ITU-T J.83 Annex
A/B/C compatible forward error correction (FEC) decoder in the
receiver and a programmable MCNS/DVB/DAVIC FEC encoder in the
transmitter. A digital demodulator, Nyquist filters, tracking
loops, and an adaptive-decision feedback equalizer are
incorporated into the receiver, and a pre-equalizer filter is in
the transmitter.The chip interfaces to multiple low-cost, industry-standard CPUs,
including the MIPS CPU, an architecture that was recently
licensed by Broadcom. For improved performance and ease of
manufacturing, Broadcom also incorporated an analog front-end
into the BCM3300. The downstream receiver includes a programmable
gain amplifier and a 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converter,
and the upstream transmitter incorporates a 10-bit digital-to-
analog (D/A) converter and a programmable attenuator.To facilitate the design of cable modems based on the BCM3300,
Broadcom has developed the BCM93300 cable modem reference design.
The BCM93300 is a fully operational cable modem reference design
that supports all of the MCNS/DOCSIS 1.0 PHY and MAC protocol
functions, as well as the advanced features incorporated in the
BCM3300. The BCM93300 provides interfaces for 10Base-T Ethernet,
Universal Serial Bus (USB), Voice over IP (the ability to send
voice over the cable network using Internet Protocol) and video
teleconferencing implementations. In addition to these
interfaces, the reference design incorporates Broadcom's BCM3300,
an RF Tuner with diplex filter, the CPU and memory onto a compact
6 x 8 inch board, thereby reducing the size and complexity of
cable modems by one third.The BCM3300 is available in sample quantities. The device is
packaged in a 256-pin ball grid array (BGA) and is priced at $50
in 10, 000 piece quantities. The BCM93300 reference design is
also available.***Synopsys Supports Rambus Direct RDRAM Specification
(September 28)Synopsys announced that it has incorporated the Rambus Direct
RDRAM specification into its Logic Modeling MemPro memory model
generation tool.Designers can automatically generate multiple simulation model
configurations of the high-performance Direct RDRAM for efficient
functional verification of high-bandwidth memory systems.MemPro creates optimized, high-performance memory models for
ASIC, board and embedded-system design verification. MemPro
leverages Synopsys' Logic Modeling model development technology
and support, to ensure interoperability with other Logic Modeling
hardware and software models and straightforward integration with
Synopsys high-level verification flows.In addition to the Direct RDRAM, MemPro supports popular memory
classes including SRAM, single- and dual-port; SSRAM; DRAM, fast
page mode and EDO; SDRAM, two- and four-bank; SGRAM; Flash;
EEPROM; DDR -- SDRAM; and DDR -- SGRAM. Direct RDRAM Enables Highest Performance.The Direct Rambus high-speed memory interface enables the highest
DRAM performance in the industry to date (1.6 gigabytes per
second per device). The technology spans multiple DRAM
generations, from 32MB to 1GB densities, and offers designers the
most stable memory interface available.***VLSI and Macronix Team Up for System-on-a-Chip Embedded Flash
Memory Technology
(September 21)VLSI Technology and Macronix of Taiwan jointly announced that
they have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperatively
develop advanced embedded flash memory process technologies.The advanced technologies will allow flash memory to be included
in system-on-a- chip semiconductor products targeting such
applications as wireless communications and handheld computing.
This feature allows system designers the flexibility to reprogram
the on-chip memory many times for software upgrades, enhancements
and bug fixing, thus reducing cost and time to market. Non-
volatile flash memory differs from conventional dynamic RAM
because they do not erase when power to them shuts off.Under the agreement, the joint development of the embedded flash
process technology will be done on Macronix's 8-inch, 0.15-micron
process generation fab in Hsin Chu, Taiwan, as will initial
manufacturing of products for both companies that incorporate the
embedded flash memory. Both companies will contribute manpower
and technology to the advanced process development. After this
advanced feature is incorporated in more VLSI products, the
embedded flash process and manufacturing capability will be
established at VLSI's San Antonio Texas, wafer fabrication
facility.As an additional element in the memorandum, the parties will
define ways to cooperate in system-on-a-chip products for
specific application and market areas, leveraging each other's
strength in geographic regions, system application know-how, and
worldwide resources.***Verisity Launches Pure IP Program to Streamline Verification
of SOC Designs
(September 21)Verisity announced its Pure IP Program aimed at improving the
quality of intellectual property, lowering the cost of IP
support, and accelerating the time to revenue for systems-on-chip
(SOC) designs.Verisity is partnering with leading IP vendors and semiconductor
companies, including initial Pure IP Program members MIPS
Technologies and iReady Corporation to jointly develop IP
verification toolkits for use by IP licensees and integrators.Verisity's IP verification toolkits feature Invisible Specman, a
version of the company's Specman functional verification
automation tool that is transparent to the end user. The toolkits
enable IP vendors to effectively package and transfer their
knowledge of the IP and rules for integration in an executable
form which is more productive than the current practice of
providing integration "rule books."Toolkits include checking and coverage analysis capabilities as
well as complete documentation. IP vendors deliver the toolkits
to their customers, SOC designers and IP licensees in system and
semiconductor companies, along with their cores. Customers using
the toolkits can automatically check the correctness of IP
integration and measure the coverage of the IP in their system
and chip-level tests.Verisity selected the initial Pure IP Program partners based on
their technology leadership, worldwide distribution channels, and
clear commitment to delivery of high quality IP. The Pure IP
Program is open to additional members that use Specman internally
for verification of IP and requires partners to work with
Verisity to develop a verification toolkit and support plan for
its customers.***7TH Level Launches New Series of Voice-Activated Agent 7
Characters
(September 28)7th Level announced a series of Agent 7 characters for immediate
sale online at its www.7thlevel.com e-commerce enabled website.
The new characters join the existing cast of Agent 7 characters
released last month and feature a wide variety of styles,
including 2D animation, 3D animation and photo-montage.The Company also announced a new initiative to license and train
third-party creative partners to produce and sell Agent 7
characters through their own distribution channels. Under the
third party production and distribution licenses, 7th Level would
be paid a royalty on retail sales of characters by licensees.The character packs released today will sell for $49.00 each.
Each Agent 7 character in the new packs has been uniquely styled
and designed to suit a particular e-business application, ranging
from advertising, marketing, customer support and entertainment,
to news, information, retail service and training.Agent 7 is a voice activated, internet software for making and
running broadcast quality, lip-synched, re-usable animation on
the web as well as from within major desktop applications. Users
can change a character's dialog and animation by simply recording
a voice track with a microphone plugged into a PC.In addition to now being sold on RealNetworks' website at
www.real.com, Agent 7 1.0 can be purchased and downloaded quickly
from 7th Level. Agent 7 is based on 7th Level's core technology--
Media Control 7 or "mc7"--which can be used to control,
manipulate and publish multiple sources of streaming media on the
Internet, other narrow and broadband networks, or standalone PCs.
Agent 7 characters can also be inserted into all major Windows
95/98 applications, including Microsoft's PowerPoint, Word and
Excel, or any web page compatible with versions 3.0 and 4.0 of
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.--------------------------------------
Copyright 1998 4th WAVE, Inc.
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