Magma Design Automation and PDF Solutions to Debut Chip Yield Simulation Solution At the Design Automation Conference


SAN JOSE, Calif., May 21, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Magma(r) Design Automation (Nasdaq:LAVA) and PDF Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:PDFS) have collaborated to deliver Quartz Yield, powered by pDfx(r) SignOff, a new advanced yield simulator that enables accurate and systematic yield improvement and decreases product costs in integrated circuit manufacturing. Quartz Yield is the first commercial yield enhancement product to combine physical verification with accurately quantified yield modeling.

Leveraging Magma's advanced Quartz DRC physical verification engine and PDF Solutions' yield modeling and simulation technology, the new Quartz Yield product comprehends the complex interdependencies of the industry's most comprehensive set of random and systematic layout and process interactions, including many that have previously been described to designers only through qualitative recommended design rules. This unique solution is designed to accurately estimate yield impact of specific design layout attributes, and provide quantitative and visual feedback to enable designers to minimize yield loss. Quartz Yield generates quantified guidance that can be used within the Magma IC implementation flow or with third-party digital and custom design flows for true co-optimization of significant yield effects. Magma and PDF Solutions will demonstrate how this powerful solution delivers significantly enhanced yields and reduced development costs in booths 4578 and 676 at the Design Automation Conference, June 3-8 in San Diego.

"Currently chip designers are flooded with a sea of information regarding potential yield problems," said John Lee, general manager of Magma's Physical Verification Business Unit. "Designers require a tool that allows them to focus their efforts on design content while using model-based optimization to ensure the manufacturability of the design layout. We are excited about the opportunity to combine Magma's advanced Quartz DRC with PDF Solutions' silicon-proven yield simulation technology to deliver this solution."

"We're pleased to continue our work with Magma to provide customers the technology they need to achieve superior yields," said Dr. John Kibarian, Chief Executive Officer of PDF Solutions. "Magma and PDF Solutions are both driven to minimize our customers' good die costs, and we believe a successful solution has been achieved by integrating PDF Solutions' yield modeling technology with best-in-class design solutions from technology leaders such as Magma. Our technology has been honed through characterization of more than 30 processes at 90nm and below in our process development and yield ramp business. We are committed to our continuing EDA partnerships to improve customers' product yields in a manner that cannot be achieved through process improvements alone."

About Quartz Yield

Based on Magma's production-proven engines from Quartz DRC and Quartz LVS physical verification products, Quartz Yield provides first-in-class scalability and performance and integrates easily with any design flow. Through collaboration with PDF Solutions, Quartz Yield leverages yield models and includes yield simulation capabilities based on PDF Solutions' Yield Ramp Simulator(r) (YRS(r)) software. Quartz Yield is currently in limited release.

About PDF Solutions

PDF Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:PDFS) is the leading provider of process-design integration technologies and services for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs). PDF Solutions enables semiconductor companies to create IC designs that can be more easily manufactured using manufacturing processes that are more capable. By simulating deep submicron product and process interactions, the PDF solution offers clients reduced time to market, increased IC yield and performance, and enhanced product reliability and profitability. PDF Solutions also offers the industry-leading Yield Management System (YMS) software, dataPOWER(r), and Fault Detection and Classification (FDC) software, Maestria(r), to enhance yield improvement and production control activities at leading fabs around the world. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., PDF Solutions operates worldwide with additional offices in China, Europe and Japan. For the company's latest news and information, visit http://www.pdf.com/.

About Magma

Magma's software for integrated circuit (IC) design is recognized as embodying the best in semiconductor technology. The world's top chip companies use Magma's EDA software to design and verify complex, high-performance ICs for communications, computing, consumer electronics and networking applications, while at the same time reducing design time and costs. Magma provides software for IC implementation, analysis, physical verification, characterization, circuit simulation and fab analysis, and the company's integrated RTL-to-GDSII design flow allows engineers to "Design Ahead of the Curve."(tm) Magma is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices around the world. Magma's stock trades on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol LAVA. Visit Magma Design Automation on the Web at www.magma-da.com.

Magma is a registered trademark and "Design Ahead of the Curve" and Quartz are trademarks of Magma Design Automation Inc. dataPOWER, Maestria, PDF Solutions, pDfx, the PDF Solutions logo, and YRS are registered trademarks of PDF Solutions, Inc. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements that Magma and PDF Solutions products increase yield and reduce development costs and about the performance of Magma and PDF Solutions products are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including both companies' decisions to continue working together, their abilities to keep pace with rapidly changing technology; and their products' abilities to produce desired results. Further discussion of these and other potential risk factors may be found in Magma's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Magma undertakes no additional obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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