Press Release / For Immediate Release Silicore Corporation Announces New WISHBONE IP Core Standard for System-On-A-Chip June 21, 1999 - 36th DAC / New Orleans, LA USA. Silicore Corporation announced today a design reuse standard for off-the-shelf IP cores. The new standard is called the WISHBONE INTERCONNECTION FOR IP CORES, and is intended to make IP core integration easier for system-on-a-chip users.
The WISHBONE interconnect is a portable and flexible interface for use with semiconductor IP cores. It defines a common, logical interface between IP cores. This improves the portability and reliability of the system components, and results in faster time-to-market for the end user.
Previously, IP cores used non-standard interconnection schemes that made them difficult to integrate. They required the end user to create substantial amounts of custom glue logic to connect each of the cores together. By adopting a standard interconnection scheme, they can be integrated more quickly and easily by the end user.
The WISHBONE standard can be used with soft, firm and hard IP cores. Furthermore, it can be used with any target architecture (such as FPGA or ASIC devices), and is independent of any hardware description, synthesis, router, layout or other development tools. It is a high performance interconnect where speed is limited only by the IC semiconductor technology.
Wade Peterson, President and CEO of Silicore, stated that: "Our research has shown that a major impediment to IP core integration is the lack of a standard, logical interface between cores. The WISHBONE interconnect solves this problem by forming common data exchange formats and bus cycles. We were heavily influenced by the traditional microcomputer buses such as VMEbus and PCI bus, which have served the industry very well for many years. Essentially, WISHBONE forms a microcomputer bus that is tailored to the needs of system-on-a-chip."
Peterson also stated that: "We believe that the industry needs this, and have gone ahead and made WISHBONE available on a no cost basis. We are doing this as a public service to our customers and the IP core industry as a whole. Furthermore, it will improve the quality of our own products, as well as to foster cooperation among the users and suppliers of other IP cores."
Silicore will be releasing products based on WISHBONE in 3Q/99. For more information, and copies of the WISHBONE specification, see the Silicore web site at http://www.silicore.net, or contact: Wade Peterson at 612-722-3815 or by e-mail at: peter299@maroon.tc.umn.edu.
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