The relationship provides embedded system developers with a low-cost, easy-to-use virtual prototype platform for hardware/software co-verification before a prototype can be fabricated. By presenting a single environment for both software development and hardware/software co-verification, developers of boot-ROM code, device drivers and hardware diagnostics that use MULTI can harness the benefits of Seamless without incurring the learning curve of a second software debugger. The integrated platform supports a wide range of processors and allows designers to utilize their preferred software development chain.

"The strategic relationship between Mentor and Green Hills has been the basis for co-verification support for our embedded processors," said Yoshitada Fujinami, chief manager of the System LSI Design Engineering Division of NEC. "We approached Mentor Graphics to develop co-verification support for the V850E™ and VR4120™ processors. The agreement between Mentor and Green Hills allowed Mentor to leverage existing Instruction Set Simulator and Debugger support from Green Hills, enabling the delivery of high quality co-verification models in a timely fashion."

Under the terms of the agreement, Mentor Graphics will market, distribute and support the MULTI debugger, encapsulated in Seamless Processor Support Packages. The availability of Green Hills' MULTI increases the software debugger options available to embedded system developers and is available now.

"Our relationship with Green Hills Software has delivered as promised," said Serge Leef, general manager of Mentor Graphics System-on-Chip (SoC) Verification Business unit. "The Seamless HW/SW co-verification platform based on Green Hills MULTI has already demonstrated dramatic design productivity and time to market improvements at several key large accounts."

"Seamless and MULTI make a powerful combination. Customers can now benefit from a total integrated development environment by using MULTI for application software development and also for co-verification, very early in the development cycle," said John Carbone, vice president of marketing at Green Hills Software. "Green Hills Software and Mentor Graphics will continue to collaborate on future enhancements to this integrated product."

MULTI Supports Embedded Applications Development

The MULTI Integrated Development Environment is a comprehensive set of development tools that enables high levels of programmer productivity, leading to reduced cost and faster time to market. MULTI includes an advanced, graphical source level debugger, integrated text editor, version control, class browser, run-time error checking and a graphical project builder. MULTI interfaces with Green Hills' optimizing compilers for C, C++, embedded C++, Ada 95 and FORTRAN. Together with the user's choice of compiler, MULTI provides everything needed for embedded application development on today's most popular 32-bit and 64-bit microprocessor architectures, including Motorola PowerPC, 68K, Star*Core, MCORE, ColdFire, Hitachi SH and SH-DSP families, MIPS, ARM, TriCore, Intel i960 and x86/Pentium, and more.

About Green Hills

Incorporated in 1982, Green Hills Software, Inc. is a leading supplier of software development tools for 32- and 64-bit embedded systems. Green Hills offers a family of optimizing Ada, C, C++, embedded C++, FORTRAN and Pascal compilers. The company also offers the MULTI software development environment that automates the compile-edit-build-debug cycle by integrating advanced facilities such as an RTOS-aware source-level debugger, profiler, program builder and source code control system. Green Hills' tools support all major advanced microprocessor families and target environments, including instruction set simulators, ROM monitors, commercial and homegrown real-time operating systems (RTOS) and in-circuit emulators (ICE). Green Hills Software is located at 30 West Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, and can be reached at: (805) 965-6044; Fax: (805) 965-6343; World Wide Web site: http://www.ghs.com.

About Seamless

Combining the best in embedded software development tools with logic simulation, the Seamless co-verification environment delivers high performance co-verification months before a hardware prototype can be built. The Seamless environment enables software and hardware development to be parallel activities, removing the software from the critical path, and reducing the risk of hardware prototype iterations resulting from integration errors. User-controlled optimizations boost performance by isolating the logic simulator from software-intensive operations such as block memory transfers and algorithmic routines.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products and consulting services for the world's largest electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of over $500 million and employs approximately 2,600 people worldwide. Company headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com.

Mentor Graphics is a registered trademark and Seamless a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation. V850E and VR4120 are trademarks of NEC. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.