iQBus from Avant! Set to Become Design Tool of Choice For 42V Automotive Designs

    FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 10 Avant! Corporation today announced the introduction of
iQBus(TM) design environment, the first complete design environment developed
specifically for 42V automotive applications.  iQBus builds on the market
success of the SaberDesigner(TM) product family -- the industry standard for
mixed-signal and mixed-technology design and simulation.  The new product
provides a complete design environment from specification to manufacturing and
covers electronic, electrical, mechanical, and bus systems, subsystems and
components.
    As the functionality, complexity, reliability, and electrical power
consumption of automotive systems increase, the 42V PowerNet is set to become
the standard for new automotive designs.  Moreover, time to market for these
systems has decreased to 18 months, creating an even greater demand for
accurate, fast, and easy-to-use system development tools.  Whereas Avant!'s
Saber(R) design simulation tool, the automotive industry's de facto standard
tool for design automation, concentrates on simulation, iQBus design
environment provides a complete, design-process solution that covers both
early electrical-system-architecture studies and electronic and
electromechanical-subsystems development down to individual devices.  Finally,
iQBus supplies all necessary information for documentation and manufacturing.
    Features of the iQBus design capture include definition of logical and
physical connections, variant definition and filtering, connector management,
design rule checks, access to a library of 30,000 parts, and version control.
The parts generation and characterization tools cover generators, batteries,
fuses, cables (for crosstalk), mosfets, diodes, and magnetic components.
Designers can characterize models by simply clicking on the device-parameter
curves available from manufacturers' datasheets and using the built-in
optimizer to fit the model parameters.  The FMEA (Failure Mode Effects
Analysis) ensures a robust design (e.g., x-by-wire systems) by testing all
possible failures and documenting their effects.
    According to Dr. Paul Lo, president of Avant! Corporation, "We believe
that iQBus will provide major benefits to our automotive customers by covering
all processes common to the automotive design cycle using only one database,
thereby eliminating interface problems.  The iQBus design environment will
also facilitate model and specification exchange between the OEM and supplier
through its ease of use features."
    Another part of the iQBus environment is the Jump Start Design program --
a series of characterized, generic IP that enable designers to get systems up
and running quickly.  For example, there are complete dual-voltage
architectures, power management systems, and subsystems like brake-by-wire.
The Jump Start Designs are fully characterized and ready for use as starting
points for 42V-systems design, simulation and analysis.

    Availability
    iQBus is scheduled for release in Q3 2001 on the following platforms:
Solaris 2.6, 2.7, 2.8; HP-UX 10.2, 11.0; Windows 4.0 (SP 5); Windows 2000
(SP 1); IBM AIX 4.3.2

    About Avant!
    Avant! Corporation develops, markets, and supports integrated circuit (IC)
design automation software solutions (from system definition to mask
synthesis) for the rapid design of multimillion gate products including system
on chip (SoC).  These ICs power consumer electronics, Internet infrastructure,
wireless, telecommunications, and automotive products.  The Company is the
leading provider of physical foundation IP libraries for IC design and
provides a full suite of software for integrated circuit design, process
simulation, device modeling, and mask synthesis

    Avant! is a global company with over 65 offices in 18 countries.
Telephone: 510-413-8000. Fax: 510-413-8080. Worldwide web: http://www.avanticorp.com.

    Avant!, iQBus, and SaberDesigner are trademarks of Avant! Corporation.
Saber is a registered trademark of American Airlines, Inc. licensed to Avant!
Corporation.  All other company and product names mentioned herein may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners and should be
treated as such.

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