US FPGA supplier Lattice Semiconductor has expanded its existing OEM agreement with California-based Synplicity, whereby Synplicity will be Lattice's exclusive synthesis partner, and Lattice will broaden its synthesis offering in its ispLEVER design tool suite to include Synplify's Pro logic synthesis software for higher-level designs.

Last month, Synopsys said it would acquire Synplicity for $8.00 cash per Synplicity share, in a transaction valued at approximately $227 million, and approximately $188 million net of cash acquired.

Effective next month, Lattice said it will distribute only the Synplify and Synplify Pro synthesis products with its FPGAs and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs).

Also, the companies will work to deliver expanded support of the Synplify DSP solution for algorithmic designers who need to accelerate their DSP designs using Lattice FPGAs.

Synplicity's Synplify and Synplify Pro synthesis software products support all Lattice devices, including the LatticeECP2M and LatticeXP2 FPGA families, for aerospace, wireless, telecom and digital multimedia applications.

Through advanced 90nm silicon technology, an optimized architecture and proprietary circuit design, Lattice said it aims to reduce total solution costs with its devices.

In other Lattice news, the company also inked an OEM agreement with Aldec whereby Active-HDL Lattice Edition will be bundled with Lattice's ispLEVER design tool suite for mixed language simulation (VHDL, Verilog and SystemVerilog), co-simulation with Simulink from The MathWorks and simulation support for Lattice encrypted IP cores.

Aldec said Active-HDL Lattice Edition is derived from an industry-proven FPGA solution that offers the performance and functional capabilities that Lattice FPGA designers increasingly require to efficiently verify their designs.

Active-HDL Lattice Edition will be bundled with the next version of Lattice's ispLEVER design tool suite. Active-HDL Lattice Web Edition will be made available free of charge on www.latticesemi.com to support users of Lattice's ispLEVER Classic and ispLEVER Starter design tools.

Lattice's ispLEVER 7.1 for Windows, including Aldec Active-HDL Lattice Edition, will be available without charge for customers with active design tool maintenance contracts. The price of the full ispLEVER design tool suite starts at $895 for the Windows version.

By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor - Electronic News