Subject: Synopsys appears trying to counter the Samsung/Magma SPICE rumor

> 2.) Rumor has it Samsung Memory and Samsung Logic both used to be 100%
>     Synopsys HSPICE/CustomSim/HSIM/NanoSim/XA houses until two benchmarks
>     caused Samsung Memory to go 100% and Samsung Logic to go 50% Magma
>     Finesim.  That's an est new $15 M / year for 3 years going to LAVA!
>     Why?  Magma's DAC write-up says it all: "Finesim's the only fast-SPICE
>     today that runs on multi-CPUs/multi-machines.  One customer taped-out
>     a 1.5 M transistor design that ran on 8 CPUs in 4 days, and 1 day on
>     32 CPUs.  Adding RF (harmonic balance) this year.  In one benchmark
>     Finesim averaged 3X faster vs Synopsys XA, 3.2X faster vs Spectre APS.
>     In another, 6X faster vs HSPICE and Spectre couldn't run the design."
>     Toshiba, Hynix, Micron, Sandisk, IDT, TI, TSMC, Maxim, Melfas use it.
>     (booth 1743)  Ask for Greg Curtis.  Freebie: ear buds
>
>         - http://www.deepchip.com/gadfly/gad060211.html


From: [ Angry Birds ]

Hi, John,

Since I works for a competitor please make me anonymous.

You must have hit a nerve in Mountain View on this.  I am impressed that
they so quickly got Samsung to endorse DC, ICC, ICV, Star, and PT by name
in a press release. 

  "MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, July 11, 2011, Synopsys announced that it has
   achieved a critical milestone with the successful tapeout of the
   first 20 nm test chip based on Samsung's high-k metal gate (HKMG)
   process technology.  The test chip was implemented using Synopsys'
   Galaxy Implementation Platform, including the Design Compiler
   synthesis, IC Compiler place-and-route, physical verification with
   IC Validator, StarRC extraction and PrimeTime signoff tools.

  "Samsung is quickly readying its 20-nm solution," said Dr. Kyu-Myung
   Choi, vice president of System LSI at Samsung.  "We are collaborating
   closely with Synopsys to enable the timely availability of innovative
   components in our 20-nm design infrastructure."

       - Samsung Tapes Out First 20-nm Test Chip using Synopsys

Regrettably Chilton failed to get Samsung endorse any flavor of Synopsys
SPICE in this release.  Still 5 weeks is lightening fast for a PR.

    - [ Angry Birds ]

  Editor's Note: The "Chilton" mentioned here is most likely John Chilton,
  the Senior VP of Marketing & Strategic Development at Synopsys.  - John