Ponte Solutions sees advantage in taking DFM to the IP level

摘要

Several announcements involving Ponte Solutions during the final months of 2007 illustrated a strategy of targeting DFM at the IP level by placing tools in the hands of designers where they are most comfortable: in the "cockpits" of their favorite EDA tools (e.g., Cadence's Virtuoso platform, Pyxis' Nexusroute yield-driven IC router, and Silicon Canvass Laker layout software). The company's strategy is also grounded in the fabless/ foundry business model. For example, a typical foundry would have to win as many as 1000 designs to get a return-on-investment, Michael Buehler-Garcia, Ponte's VP of marketing and business development, explained in an interview with SST. "That's about 4x more than an IDM needs for the same size fab, but chasing so many designs means engagement with hundreds of companies," he said.