See our full coverage of DATE 2008 - Design, Automation & Test in Europe

Magma Design Automation announces what it claims is the first full-chip mixed-signal design, analysis and verification platform.

Dubbed Titan, "it tightly integrates mixed-signal implementation with digital implementation, circuit simulation, transistor-level extraction and verification," said the firm.

The tool is based on Magma's unified data model, and works with its Talus digital IC implementation, FineSim Pro circuit simulation, Quartz DRC and Quartz LVS physical verification products and transistor-level extraction.

Analogue and digital design teams can see into ach other's design space. "With Talus for digital design and Titan for mixed signal, we have achieved a level of integration that the electronic design automation industry has never before provided chip designers," claimed Magma CEO Rajeev Madhavan.

Magma's Titan integrates analogue implementation with digital implementation, circuit simulation, transistor-level extraction and verification.

The first product, Titan Chip Finishing, automates mixed-signal layout with the Talus place-and-route.

Also at DATE 2008 (Design, Automation & Test in Europe), tight-lipped Danish EDA start-up Teklatech will unveil its FloorDirector tool.

"Using floorplanning and clock distribution technology, semiconductor vendors can overcome critical dynamic voltage drops which can result in unpredictable signal integrity and noise effects that can cause silicon failure," is all the firm would say until the show.

ESL firm CoFluent Design will be demonstrating version 2.2 of CoFluent Studio which models wireless, telecommunications and networking systems.

"It offers the ability to model a large number of simultaneous communications, such as numerous terminals connected to a network of bases stations, with the multiple instantiation of a unique model," said the firm. "Version 2.2 adds modelling capabilities for dynamically managing functions."

Management primitives include: start, stop, suspend and resume of functions.

"These features are essential to model behaviours of systems that adapt to their changing environment, such as a mobile terminal switching from a 3G, WiFi or Wimax network depending on its geographical location," said CTO Jean-Paul Calvez. "Applications such as software-defined radio can't be modelled without dynamic management functions, as proven in recent beta customer experiences."

Among presentations at the associated conference, DATE has three sessions for top-level management in semiconductor and systems OEMs.

One will look into ESL (electronic system level) design asking if the concept living up to much hyped expectations. Another is to address EDA challenges as companies change from vertically-integrated chip makers to reliance on sharing semiconductor process development.

The third will be an informal review of the move to 45nm.