Microsemi Announces Libero SoC v11.8 Software Providing FPGA Designers Mixed Language Simulation and Best-in-Class Debugging Capabilities

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the release of its latest version of Libero® system-on-chip (SoC) software, version 11.8, a comprehensive suite of field programmable gate array (FPGA) design tools. In addition to the new software release, which includes significant enhancements such as mixed language simulation, best-in-class debugging capabilities and a new netlist viewer, the company is also introducing a free evaluation license enabling users to evaluate Microsemi's flash-based FPGAs and SoC FPGAs.

Microsemi's Libero SoC tool suite includes the Mentor Graphics ModelSim Simulator allowing line by line verification of hardware description language (HDL) code. Simulation can be performed at all levels: behavioral (pre-synthesis), structural (post-synthesis), and back-annotated, dynamic simulation. An easy-to-use graphical user interface enables quick identification and debug of problems. Libero SoC v11.8 now includes ModelSim Microsemi Pro allowing customers to simulate in mixed language environments as well as 20 percent runtime improvement in recent versions of the tool.  

"Our newly released Libero SoC v11.8 provides significant enhancements including ModelSim ME Pro, which provides mixed language simulation support for VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), Verilog and SystemVerilog. This enables customers to target a broad range of intellectual property (IP) designs without worrying about mixing languages," said Jim Davis, vice president of software engineering at Microsemi. "It also includes the latest SmartDebug enhancements, such as the FPGA Hardware Breakpoint (FHB), a capability unique to Microsemi FPGAs. FHBs enable users to set breakpoints in their designs and step by clock cycle, providing significant visibility and enabling significant reduction in debug time."

While breakpoints have been used historically in embedded software, they can now be used to support FPGA logic debug functions. This increases productivity, usability and efficiency of FPGA designs, resulting in faster time to market for customers—particularly in the product validation phase, the longest cycle of product development. These significant SmartDebug enhancements complement existing debug capabilities which offer a new approach to debug FPGA devices' status, memory and Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) transceivers without using an integrated logic analyzer (ILA).

Microsemi's Libero SoC v11.8 is ideal for FPGA designs targeting applications within the aerospace, defense, security, communications, data center, industrial and automotive markets. It now includes a number of additional compelling features, including a new netlist viewer providing visibility into different internal structures, new constraints management features offering block flow and an input/output (I/O) advisor, 20 percent runtime improvements for its SmartTime user interface and Windows 10 operating system support.

In order to facilitate broad adoption, Libero SoC v11.8 also comes with a new 60-day evaluation license which can be used to evaluate Microsemi flash-based FPGA and SoC reference designs, tutorials and application notes. In response to increasing demand for Microsemi's easy-to-learn, easy-to-adopt design suite, the new evaluation license provides a simpler method for customers to get started with Libero SoC.

According to the Aberdeen group, by the year 2020 approximately 50 billion machines will be connected. Not only do these machines need to be secure, they need to be secured at the device, design and system levels. Leveraging Microsemi's expertise in security, Libero SoC v11.8 features the company's Secured Production Programming Solution (SPPS), which generates and injects cryptographic keys and configuration bitstreams to prevent overbuilding, cloning, reverse engineering, malware insertion and other security threats.

Availability
The Libero SoC v11.8 software toolset is now available for download from Microsemi's website at http://www.microsemi.com/products/fpga-soc/design-resources/design-software/libero-soc#downloads. For more information, contact [email protected]. 

About Microsemi's FPGAs
Microsemi's new cost-optimized PolarFire FPGAs deliver the industry's lowest power at mid-range densities with exceptional security and reliability. The product family features 12.7 Gbps SerDes transceivers at up to 50 percent lower power than competing FPGAs. With densities spanning from 100K to 500K logic elements (LEs), the non-volatile PolarFire product family consumes 10 times less static power than competitive devices and features an even lower standby power referred to as Flash*Freeze. The company's IGLOO™2 FPGAs and SmartFusion™2 SoC FPGAs deliver more resources in low density devices, with the lowest power, proven security and exceptional reliability. The devices offer 30-50 percent more power efficiency and are ideal for general purpose functions such as Gigabit Ethernet or dual PCI Express control planes, bridging functions, input/output (I/O) expansion and conversion, video/image processing, system management and secure connectivity. Microsemi's RTG4 FPGAs bring new capabilities to the market and combine a wealth of features with the highest quality and reliability to meet the increasing demands of modern satellite payloads. RTG4's reprogrammable flash technology offers complete immunity to radiation-induced configuration upsets in the harshest radiation environments, without the configuration scrubbing required with SRAM FPGA technology.

About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world's standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.

Microsemi and the Microsemi logo are registered trademarks or service marks of Microsemi Corporation and/or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks and service marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including without limitation statements related to the release of its latest version of Libero® system-on-chip (SoC) software, version 11.8, a comprehensive suite of field programmable gate array (FPGA) design tools, and its potential effects on future business, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as rapidly changing technology and product obsolescence, potential cost increases, variations in customer order preferences, weakness or competitive pricing environment of the marketplace, uncertain demand for and acceptance of the company's products, adverse circumstances in any of our end markets, results of in-process or planned development or marketing and promotional campaigns, difficulties foreseeing future demand, potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog, product returns, product liability, and other potential unexpected business and economic conditions or adverse changes in current or expected industry conditions, difficulties and costs in implementing the company's acquisitions and divestitures strategy or integrating acquired companies, uncertainty as to the future profitability of acquired businesses and realization of accretion from acquisition transactions, difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights, inventory obsolescence and difficulties regarding customer qualification of products. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in the company's most recent Form 10-K and all subsequent Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Microsemi Corporation

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