Intel's Grantsdale Chipset Design Kit

Mentor Graphics has designed its latest drop-in core layout (DCL) kit for customers using Mentor Graphics(r) Expedition(tm) Series to implement Intel's next-generation chipsets, Intel(r) 945G/P and 955X Express Chipsets. This DCL kit is a follow-on to the Intel(r) 915G/P and 925XE Express Chipset kits and provides an Intel reference motherboard design. The kit integrates the central processing unit (CPU), chipset and other motherboard components for Expedition Series customers, enabling personal computer motherboard original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) to shorten their design times, optimize performance and improve quality.

As microprocessor speeds continue to increase, it is becoming more complex to meet interconnect timing and signal integrity constraints when placing and routing the critical components, while also minimizing the number of layers and overall size of the PCB. Intel is addressing this challenge by providing a highly specialized PCB layout team to create and test the layout and then provide the layout as a package (DCL) to their customers. The result of this is that motherboard manufacturers can now devote all their time on the value added areas of the board, such as the PCI bus, audio components and slower speed peripheral buses. Intel expects that OEMs and ODMs can experience time savings up to eight weeks by using this DCL.

The 945 and 955 reference design kits are available through Intel and their local sales force. Customers may contact designkit_info@mentor.com for more information.