MUNICH -- May 19, 1999 -- Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and Austria-based NewLogic Consulting & Technology GmbH have announced their agreement to develop a comprehensive design and foundry package of services for the development of wireless consumer and communications products that incorporate embedded EEPROM memory. Products developed using this technology have a myriad uses in industrial, consumer, retail, chip card and chip tag markets.

Under terms of the collaboration, NewLogic will provide library cells, intellectual property (IP) cores, and design services for the development of systems on chips. Customers can choose NewLogic’s off-the-shelf design kit which includes automated EEPROM and SRAM block generation, a standard cell library, IP cores for digital, analog and RF designs. NewLogic will also provide full-custom analog design support, and bit-cells for highly integrated designs.

NewLogic’s complete offering will be tuned to Chartered’s 0.6-micron CMOS process. Using its expertise in analog, mixed-signal and RF technologies, Chartered will deliver test chips of NewLogic’s cells and cores to verify them in silicon.

Chartered has already delivered the first silicon test wafers demonstrating performance of the macro cells. Customers’ prototype tape-outs are being accepted now, and pilot production wafers are scheduled for fabrication in the third quarter of this year.

NewLogic´s president Hans-Peter Metzler said, "Through our EDA partnership with Chartered we can offer a seamless solution to address the multiple design needs of wireless, RF and smart card applications that depend on embedded EEPROM."

"Embedded EEPROM memory is an essential element for systems-on-silicon designs in the chip-card and tag market," said Walter Prochaska., vice president of Chartered´s European sales operation based in Munich. "Chip-card and tag manufacturers are seeking foundry support, and Chartered -- together with NewLogic -- is ready to offer a system solution to this customer base."

"By forming partnership networks, Chartered supports its global customer base with an array of services and innovative technologies that address the complete semiconductor product development cycle from concept to silicon," said Ana Hunter, Chartered vice president of worldwide EDA services. "With NewLogic, we can give customers maximum design flexibility and quality IP that has been proven in silicon."

Chartered customers can combine the NewLogic EEPROMs with other standard cells and IP also verified on Chartered’s baseline 0.6-micron CMOS logic process. This service supports Chartered customer demand for "mix-and-match" cells and IP that support the design of systems on silicon. Cells for Chartered’s verified libraries include analog IP, digital IP, RAM, ROM, and other device types.