ANST Ansoft Corp (MM)

Ansoft Corporation (NASDAQ:ANST) announced the availability of Nexxim(R) v3 and Ansoft Designer(R) v3 for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux(R) v.3 and Sun Solaris(R) 8 and 9 operating systems. Nexxim is the company's circuit simulation software for high-performance IC design and signal-integrity analysis. Ansoft Designer provides an integrated schematic and design management front-end for complex analog, RF and mixed-signal applications. The release of Nexxim and Ansoft Designer for Linux provides customers an alternative to the previously released Microsoft Windows(R) versions and leverages the growing popularity of Linux as a viable engineering platform. In addition to Linux support, Nexxim v3 adds phase and time-variant noise, autonomous source harmonic balance and seamless integration with Cadence ADE/Spectre(R) RF. Adding accurate phase and time-varying noise analyses to Nexxim is critical to the full characterization of communication ICs. The ability to include both driven and autonomous sources with a single harmonic-balance simulation dramatically expands the accuracy and detail with which complex transceiver circuits can be analyzed. Concurrently, Nexxim allows engineers developing large and complex analog/RF designs to simulate accurate transistor-level time- and frequency-domain performance directly from within the Cadence ADE design framework, leveraging existing design-flow infrastructure, foundry models and circuit-related intellectual property. Ansoft Designer v3 offers expanded Solver on Demand(R) capability and new design-verification technology to speed the design process of RF systems and RF/analog ICs and to increase the accuracy of signal-integrity studies. With Ansoft Designer v3, engineers can capture high-frequency parasitic behavior directly in their circuit simulation and apply that knowledge toward design optimization and verification. Moreover, extending the Solver on Demand technology to include HFSS(TM), Ansoft's 3D full-wave electromagnetic-field simulation software, allows engineers to perform parametric design optimization with GHz-accurate, full-wave extraction. -0- *T Nexxim v3 highlights: -- Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 -- Support for Sun Solaris 8 and 9 -- Advanced analyses for analog/RF, mixed signal and signal integrity -- Time-varying noise analysis (mixer noise) -- Phase noise analysis -- Oscillator analysis for autonomous circuits (i.e. VCOs and PLLs) -- Multiple methods for low Q and high Q circuits -- Simulate driven and autonomous source circuit in same analysis (e.g., receiver front-end with embedded VCO) -- DC analysis: additional continuation method -- Harmonic-balance analysis: pseudo-transient continuation -- Transient analysis: speedup for linear elements -- IC design-flow integration -- Runs seamlessly within Cadence ADE -- Simulates schematics and netlist entered in ADE -- Utilizes same analysis states and simulation controls as Spectre RF -- Performs post-processing directly within Cadence ADE -- Supports most Spectre RF models and netlists syntax -- Supports existing Cadence-based foundry PDKs -- Model and simulation enhancements -- High-frequency models including -- S-parameters with noise data, optional passivity enforcement, convolution option for transient analyses -- Microstrip, stripline and offset stripline models -- Native IBIS v4.1 support (HSPICE(R) buffers) -- Circuit/System/EM co-simulation for IC design and verification -- Nexxim is fully integrated into the Ansoft Designer platform to support system-level test bench implementation and full-wave 3D parametric EM co-simulation via Solver on Demand technology. Ansoft Designer v3 highlights: -- Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 -- Support for Sun Solaris 8 and 9 -- Solver on Demand for HFSS -- Automatically generate ports, boundary box and 3D structure -- New component grouping feature -- Represent components with multiple models (HFSS, netlist, planarEM) -- Cache solution data across multiple instances for SOD elements (planarEM, HFSS, Q3D Extractor(R)) -- Design Verification -- Scripted Design Rule Checking (DRC) -- DRC supports creating, checking, and fixing layout directly from within the Ansoft Designer layout editor. -- Develop a rule set containing scripts based on either JScript or VBScript *T For more information on product pricing and availability, please contact your nearest Ansoft office. To learn more about Nexxim v3, visit www.ansoft.com/products/hf/nexxim/icdesign.cfm. For details about Ansoft Designer v3, visit www.ansoft.com/products/hf/ansoft_designer/csdesign.cfm. About Ansoft Ansoft is a leading developer of high-performance electronic design automation (EDA) software. Engineers use Ansoft software to design state-of-the-art electronic products, such as cellular phones, Internet-access devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits (ICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), automotive electronic systems and power electronics. Ansoft markets its products worldwide through its own direct sales force and has comprehensive customer-support and training offices throughout North America, Asia and Europe. To learn more, please visit www.ansoft.com.