Freescale Delivers Virtual Platforms to Continental Using CoWare ESL 2.0 Solutions

CoWare®, Inc., the leading supplier of platform-driven electronic system-level (ESL) design software and services, announced today that Freescale Semiconductor is delivering virtual platforms to Continental’s Chassis & Safety Division using CoWare ESL 2.0 solutions. The virtual platforms are being used for pre-silicon software development of the industry’s first triple-core automotive microcontroller (MCU) and to enable more efficient collaboration between Freescale and Continental. Through this project, Freescale also successfully expanded their production-proven design simulation environment with CoWare’s standards-based solutions.

“Designing and testing software for the first triple-core automotive controller required new methodologies. We knew we needed to use open, standards-based solutions,” said Denis Griot, chairman of Freescale EMEA and the company’s global automotive marketing lead. “CoWare’s SystemC-based ESL 2.0 solutions enable us to address pre-silicon software development in a powerful, standards-based environment. Additionally, the packaging of virtual platforms for distribution to automotive system developers creates a seamless communication flow with our customers.”

Freescale and Continental Chassis & Safety Division jointly designed the triple-core MCU, called SPACE, to address the increasing demand for computing power required to deliver more reliability and responsiveness for the next generation of safety-critical electronic braking systems and chassis control systems. The MCU integrates three e200 cores based on Power Architecture™ technology.

“The complexity of automotive systems is increasing through the use of multi-core microcontrollers. Designing these systems requires close collaboration with our suppliers,” said Dr. Andreas Kirschbaum, Manager, Microcontroller & SOC Basic Development & Projects, Continental. “The use of CoWare virtual platform simplifies our interaction with Freescale and enables us to design the right product more efficiently. These technologies will be essential in future designs.”

“Freescale and Continental are deploying an integrated system-level design methodology and infrastructure serving a larger community of users across company boundaries and in a production environment where safety is a key concern,” stated Marc Serughetti, vice president of marketing and business development at CoWare. “Automotive systems are prime candidates to benefit from ESL 2.0 and virtual platforms for pre-silicon software development.”

ESL 2.0 refers to a second generation of ESL solutions that facilitate the design and development of processor-centric, software-intensive products, with complex interconnect and memory architectures, in a production environment. CoWare is the first company to deliver a comprehensive and integrated offering for the ESL 2.0 era. Virtual platforms that can be used for architecture design, verification and software development are at the core of ESL 2.0.

About CoWare

CoWare is the leading global supplier of platform-driven electronic system-level (ESL) design software and services. IP, semiconductor, and electronics companies use CoWare ESL 2.0 solutions to design better processor- and software-intensive products--faster. CoWare solutions solve the new design challenges associated with platform architecture design, platform verification, application sub-system design, processor design, DSP algorithm design, and software development, and are based on open industry standards including SystemC. These solutions also enable IP and semiconductor companies to implement more effective go-to-market strategies. CoWare’s corporate investors include ARM [(LSE: ARM); (NASDAQ: ARMHY)], Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ: CDNS), STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), and Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE). CoWare is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has offices around the world. For more information about CoWare and its products and services visit http://www.coware.com.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies with 2007 sales of $5.7 billion (USD). http://www.freescale.com/

About Continental

With targeted annual sales of more than €26.4 billion for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000 people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.

As a worldwide leading technology and systems partner to the automotive industry, the Chassis & Safety Division of Continental AG integrates extensive know-how and leading-edge quality in the fields of active and passive driving safety, safety and chassis sensor ICs, and chassis components. The Division achieves sales of more than € 5 billion (based on 2006 figures) with a workforce of more than 27,500 (2007). Chassis & Safety develops and produces electronic and hydraulic brake and chassis control systems, sensors, driver assistance systems, air bag control systems, occupant classification systems, washer systems as well as electronic air suspension systems. http://www.conti-corporation.com

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