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Olympus Selects Synfora Algorithmic
Synthesis Design Tools for Advanced Image Processing IC Development
Mountain View, Calif.. -- April 7, 2009 – Synfora,
Inc., the premier provider of algorithmic synthesis tools used to
design SoCs and FPGAs, today announced that the Olympus Digital
System Design Corp. (ODS), subsidiary of Olympus Corporation has
selected PICO Extreme™ to develop advanced image processing
SoCs. Use of the PICO Extreme algorithmic synthesis tools will help
ODS improve the performance of its imaging SoCs, and at the same
time reduce both design and verification time and cost. Once the
PICO Extreme flow has been established, it will be introduced to
other divisions of the company for use in a wide range of consumer,
healthcare, and business products, enabling Olympus to get better
products to market more quickly.
It is expected that the use of PICO Extreme by ODS will yield
up to a 30-percent reduction in design and verification time, from
algorithms in ANSI C to verified RTL. In addition, the ability of
PICO Extreme to perform design space exploration can provide area
and power reduction of as much as 30 percent.
“PICO Extreme is a key to reducing the cost and time of
developing and verifying advanced image processing devices,” said
Dr. Keiichi Nakano, Director of ODS and Manager of the Planning
and administration group, Imaging Platform Technology Division of
Olympus Corporation. “We evaluated multiple tools, and found
that PICO Extreme is capable of performing complex designs, has
the highest capacity, and delivers the best area and performance
results. Synfora has unique technology, and provides expert training
and support that allows us to be successful from the start.”
“We’re proud that ODS has selected PICO Extreme for
its advanced image processing SoC design program,” said Simon
Napper, President and CEO of Synfora. “The ODS team are great
to work with, and we watched them go through the ‘PICO aha
moment,’ when the designer realizes that, unlike traditional
HLS tools that allow them to do the same job faster, PICO Extreme
enables them to do a better job faster and easier.”
PICO Extreme
Synfora’s PICO Extreme is an advanced optimizing compiler
that uses a recursive system composition methodology to transform
a sequential, untimed C algorithm into highly efficient RTL (Register
Transfer Language), creating a complete application from a single
C program and allowing the designer to deliver better results faster.
The C program describes the functionality, and PICO Extreme builds
the entire hardware subsystem that “drops in” to the
rest of the IC. It allows use of familiar design styles, reduces
runtime and achieves unprecedented quality of results that compete
with hand design.
Recursive system composition is enabled by Synfora’s innovative
TCAB (tightly coupled accelerator block) technology, allowing users
to designate parts of their algorithms as application-specific building
blocks, which are C procedures that can be designed and verified
standalone. The PICO Extreme compiler automatically integrates and
schedules these blocks as if they were primitive computing elements.
In addition, advanced power exploration and power saving modes give
designers the ability to rapidly explore and measure multiple power
saving strategies to find the best PPA (power, performance and area)
tradeoff.
PICO Extreme is in use at a growing number of leading companies
for next-generation SoCs and FPGAs in video, wireless, imaging and
security applications. It has been shown to achieve 30 percent more
design functionality, differentiation and power efficiency with
30 percent less verification time, design resource commitment and
silicon cost.
About Synfora
Synfora, Inc. is the premier provider of algorithmic synthesis
tools used to design complex systems-on-chips (SoCs) and FPGAs.
Synfora's technology helps to reduce design costs, dramatically
speed chip development, and reduce time-to-market. Synfora serves
customers worldwide in the audio, video, imaging, wireless, and
security segments of the integrated circuit (IC) design market.
The company's investors are ATA Ventures, Foundation Capital,
U.S. Venture Partners, Wafra, and Xilinx. For the latest information
on Synfora, please visit www.synfora.com.
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