Mentor Graphics Completes Test Chip with IC Implementation Flow for Common Platform 32/28nm Technology

WILSONVILLE, Ore., January 17, 2010 - Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) today announced it has collaborated with the Common Platform Alliance (CPA) members, IBM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Samsung, to design a test chip using its netlist-to-GDSII solution for CPA 32nm and 28nm high-k metal gate (HKMG) IC manufacturing technologies. The Mentor Graphics® solution, which includes the Olympus-SoC™ place and route system and the Calibre® physical verification and DFM platform, addresses customers’ requirements for early signoff quality manufacturing (DRC/DFM) closure, multi-mode multi-corner (MCMM) timing/SI closure, low power design and fast time to market.

“The Mentor implementation flow addresses many of the key challenges of IC design at advanced nodes,” said Andy Brotman, vice president of design infrastructure at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, on behalf of the Common Platform Alliance. “By collaborating closely with Mentor, we are able to address many new critical advanced process design constraints, providing fast, reliable design closure even with much larger designs and more complex designs rules. This tight collaboration will help us provide our customers with the fastest time-to-market on advanced technologies.”

The Olympus-SoC physical design system was architected from the ground up to address the key implementation challenges of IC design at advanced nodes. It provides native concurrent multi-corner multi-mode (MCMM) optimization, automation for all low power design methodologies, 100M+ gate capacity, and the industry’s premier parallel timing engine to deliver efficient scaling on multicore, multiprocessor computing platforms. The Olympus-SoC router provides support for complex 32/28nm DRC/DFM rules and recommended rules for yield improvement at leading foundries. Its “Open Router” architecture enables native invocation of Calibre engines during design. Using this interface, the Calibre InRoute™ manufacturing closure solution provides sign-off quality checking and repair during physical design within the Olympus-SoC cockpit. The Calibre golden signoff platform provides automated antenna fixing, optimized wire spacing, redundant via insertion, smart metal fill, and ERC checking in addition to DRC and LVS.

“Our solutions for the Common Platform design enablement ecosystem are a result of close technical cooperation between the CPA and Mentor,” said Shankar Krishnamoorthy, chief scientist of Mentor’s place and route division. “It all works to provide our mutual customers with leading process technology, multiple manufacturing resources, and better performance and improved time to market for their IC products.”

About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world’s most successful electronic, semiconductor and systems companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $850 million. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.

(Mentor Graphics, Mentor and Calibre are registered trademarks and InRoute and Olympus-SoC are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.)

For more information, please contact:
Gene Forte
Mentor Graphics
503.685.1193
gene_forte@mentor.com

Sonia Harrison
Mentor Graphics
503.685.1165
sonia_harrison@mentor.com