Businessweek

ce, density, power and yield for a given manufacturing process. Artisan physical IP also includes a limited portfolio of analog and mixed-signal products. ARM’s physical IP components are developed for various process geometries ranging from 20nm – 250nm design and are validated by producing them in silicon to ensure that they perform to specification. The company licenses its products to customers for the design and manufacture of integrated circuits used in complex, high-volume applications, such as portable computing devices, communication systems, cellular phones, microcontrollers, consumer multimedia products, automotive electronics, personal computers and workstations and many others. The company’s physical IP components are developed and delivered using a proprietary methodology that includes both commercial and proprietary electronic design automation tools and techniques. Physical IP Products Logic and Memory products: The company’s embedded memory components include random access memories, read only memories and register files. These memories are provided in the form of a configurable ‘memory compiler’ which allows the customer to generate the appropriate configuration for the given application. All of the company’s memory components include configurable features, such as power-down modes, low-voltage data retention and fully static operation as well as different transistor options to trade off performance and power. In addition, the company’s memory components include built-in test interfaces that support the industry test methodologies and tools. Standard cell libraries map the logic functions of a design to the physical functions of the design, an essential function for all integrated circuits. The company’s standard cell products are optimized for each customer’s preferred manufacturing process and integrated circuit design tool environment, resulting in greater density as compared to competitive standard cell components. The company offers standard cell components that are optimized for high performance, high density or ultra-high density to meet the needs of different markets. Processor Optimization Packs (POPs): The company has created optimized logic and memory physical IP for a specific process technology, supported by implementation knowledge and ARM benchmarking. High-speed interface products: The company delivers physical interface for a range of DDR SDRAM (double-data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory) applications ranging from high-speed mission critical applications to low-power memory sub-systems. These interface products have been optimized for high data bandwidth, low power and enhanced signaling integrity features to enable support for a range of applications completing ARM’s ‘Processor to Pads’ implementation support philosophy. Silicon on Insulator (SOI) products: SOI is an alternative methodology to traditional semiconductor fabrication techniques that enables higher performance and lower power designs than more common bulk silicon process. System Design The company’s software development tools help a software design engineer deliver products right the first time. Engineers use these tools in the design and deployment of code, from applications running on open operating systems right through to low-level firmware. The ARM Development Studio is complemented by hardware components that allow the software designer to connect to a real target system and control the system for the purposes of finding errors in the software. The ARM DSTREAM unit allows the software developer to control the software running on the prototype product and examine the internal state of the prototype product, which is an essential part of debugging software. ARM Development Boards are systems for prototyping ARM-based products. This enables the function of the product to be confirmed in advance of building a silicon chip with a foundry or with a silicon partner. The ARM Microcontroller Development Kit supports ARM-based microcontrollers and 8051-based microcontrollers from companies such as Analog Devices, Atmel, Freescale, Fujitsu, NXP, Samsung, Sharp, STMicroelectro