California: Synopsys, a provider in software and IP for semiconductor design and manufacturing, is betting on mixed-signal implementation market by unveiling its Galaxy Custom Designer(TM) solution, the industry's first modern-era mixed-signal implementation solution. Architected for productivity, Galaxy Custom Designer leverages Synopsys' Galaxy(TM) Design Platform to provide a unified solution for custom and digital designs, thereby enhancing designer efficiency. Galaxy Custom Designer delivers a familiar user interface while integrating a common use model for simulation, analysis, parasitic extraction and physical verification. It is the first-ever implementation solution built natively on the OpenAccess database for legacy designs as well as a new componentized infrastructure offering unprecedented openness and interoperability with process design kits (PDKs) from leading foundries.

"Our customers have long requested a modern alternative to the custom design solutions currently on the market," said Aart de Geus, chairman and CEO of Synopsys. "By starting with a state-of-the-art, open architecture and tightly coupling it to the Galaxy Design Platform as well as our analog/mixed-signal verification and IP solutions, Synopsys aims to do for custom design what we have done for digital implementation."


"Galaxy Custom Designer has an open architecture that natively supports interoperable PDKs which are an integral part of our Open Innovation Platform(TM), helping designers innovate in analog and full-custom design," said Fu-Chieh Hsu, vice president of Design & Technology Platform at TSMC. "We are collaborating with Synopsys to develop the industry's first interoperable PDK in 65 nanometer, a single PDK that supports multiple environments, including the latest innovations such as Custom Designer. "

In addition to facilitating innovation with the open architecture, Galaxy Custom Designer dramatically enhances productivity by seamlessly bridging the gap between the historically disparate worlds of digital and custom design. Galaxy Custom Designer enables complete data transparency with Synopsys' IC Compiler physical implementation solution, allowing the exchange of vital information during floorplanning, placement, routing and final chip editing to reduce time-consuming design iterations.

Built from the ground up, Galaxy Custom Designer was architected for productivity. Key modules include a schematic editor featuring on-canvas editing and dynamic net highlighting. The simulation environment provides a common use model allowing access to Synopsys simulators, including HSPICE(R), HSIM(TM) XA, NanoSim(R) XA and WaveView Analyzer. The layout editor features a real-time preview of P-Cell parameter changes. In addition, the results from Hercules(TM) DRC/LVS and Star-RCXT(TM) parasitic extraction are dynamically available within Galaxy Custom Designer.