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Mentor Graphics

From Alfawiki
Mentor Graphics Corporation
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryElectronic design automation
Founded1981
FounderTom Bruggere, Gerry Langeler, Dave Moffenbeier
Defunct2021
FateMerged into Siemens EDA
SuccessorSiemens EDA
Headquarters
Wilsonville, Oregon
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsElectronic design automation software and hardware; embedded systems; FPGA synthesis; electrical systems design; simulation tools; emulation; mechanical design software
OwnerSiemens
ParentSiemens Digital Industries Software

Mentor Graphics Corporation was a multinational enterprise based in the United States, specializing in electronic design automation (EDA) with a focus on electrical engineering and electronics. Its headquarters were located in Wilsonville, Oregon. Established in 1981, the firm provided solutions encompassing electronic design automation, analog mixed-signal simulation, VPN technologies, as well as fluid dynamics and thermal analysis. Mentor Graphics gained recognition by utilizing Apollo Computer workstations within the computer-aided engineering (CAE) sector through its integrated software and hardware offerings.

In 2017, the company was acquired by Siemens. The Mentor Graphics name was discontinued in 2021 when it was merged into Siemens EDA, a subdivision of Siemens Digital Industries Software.

History

Founded in 1981 by Tom Bruggere, Gerry Langeler, and Dave Moffenbeier—each previously associated with Tektronix—Mentor Graphics secured $55 million through an initial public offering in 1984.

At its inception, Mentor focused on developing software specifically for Apollo workstations. Distinguishing itself in the CAE arena, Mentor operated all its applications on Apollo hardware, contrasting with competitors such as Daisy and Valid who manufactured proprietary machines. By the late 1980s, the EDA industry largely transitioned away from custom hardware toward workstations produced by companies like Apollo and Sun Microsystems.

A notable early achievement was the launch of the IDEA 1000 product at the 1982 Design Automation Conference.

In 2017, Mentor Graphics was purchased by Siemens for $4.5 billion. The Mentor brand was phased out in 2021 and assimilated into Siemens EDA under the umbrella of Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Timeline

Year announced Company Business Value (USD)
1995 Microtec Research Software development $130 million
1999 VeriBest EDA subsidiary of Intergraph Corp. not disclosed
2002 Accelerated Technology RTOS & embedded software not disclosed
2002 Innoveda Printed circuit board & wire harness design $160 million
2002 IKOS Systems Emulation products $124 million
2004 Project Technology Executable UML not disclosed
2007 Sierra Design Automation Place and route $90 million
2008 Flomerics Computational fluid dynamics $59.72 million
2009 LogicVision Silicon manufacturing testing $13 million
2010 Valor Computerized Systems Printed circuit board manufacturing systems $82 million
2010 CodeSourcery GNU-based development tools not disclosed
2014 Nimbic Electromagnetic simulation software not disclosed
2014 Berkeley Design Automation AMS circuit verification not disclosed
2015 Tanner EDA Mixed-signal integrated circuit & Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design not disclosed
2015 Calypto Design Systems High-level synthesis tools not disclosed


Related Developments

  • In June 2008, Cadence Design Systems initiated a leveraged buyout attempt for Mentor Graphics but retracted the proposal by August, citing financial limitations and insufficient management cooperation.
  • Activist investor Carl Icahn proposed a cash acquisition of Mentor Graphics valued at roughly $1.86 billion in February 2011.
  • Mentor Graphics consented to a $4.5 billion acquisition by Siemens in November 2016, with a share price of $37.25—representing a 21% premium over the previous closing value. The transaction finalized in March 2017, becoming Siemens' largest purchase within the industrial software sector. Post-acquisition, Mentor operated under the name "Mentor, a Siemens Business," preserving its Wilsonville headquarters and staff as an autonomous subsidiary.
  • In January 2021, Mentor transitioned to the Siemens EDA brand, integrating as a division inside Siemens.

Geographic Presence

Mentor’s development activities extended across numerous countries including the United States, Taiwan, Egypt, Poland, Hungary, Japan, France, Canada, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Armenia, India, and Russia.

Product Offerings

Mentor's range of products encompasses:

Electronic Design Automation

  • Tools for full-custom and schematic-driven layout (SDL) such as IC Station and Memory Builder, facilitating swift design of embedded memory for synchronous and asynchronous RAM as well as diffusion and metal ROMs
  • IC placement and routing solution: Aprisa
  • Verification tools for ICs: Calibre nmDRC, Calibre nmLVS, Calibre xRC, Calibre xACT 3D, and Calibre xACT
  • Manufacturing-oriented design tools: Calibre LFD, Calibre YieldEnhancer, and YieldAnalyzer
  • Schematic capture editors including Xpedition Designer
  • PCB design and layout software like PADS, Xpedition Layout, HyperLynx, and Valor NPI
  • Falcon Framework platform for software applications
  • Solutions for managing component libraries
  • Semiconductor intellectual property cores tailored for ASIC and FPGA designs

Embedded Systems

  • Mentor Embedded Linux supporting architectures such as ARM, MIPS, Power, and x86
  • Real-time operating systems:
    • Nucleus OS (acquired in 2002)
    • VRTX (acquired in 1995)
  • AUTOSAR products:
    • Embedded implementation VSTAR (partially acquired through Mecel in 2013)
    • Configuration tool Volcano Vehicle Systems Builder (VSB)
  • Development tools:
    • Sourcery CodeBench and Sourcery GNU toolchains (acquired in 2010)
  • Inflexion UI (obtained from Next Device acquisition in 2006)
    • xtUML Design Tools: BridgePoint (acquired in 2004)
  • VPN offerings:
    • Nucleus PPTP software
    • Nucleus NET networking stack
    • Nucleus implementation of Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE)
    • Nucleus PPP software

FPGA Synthesis

  • Precision Synthesis – Advanced RTL and physical synthesis technologies designed for FPGAs

Electrical Systems, Cabling, and Harnesses

  • Capital – Comprehensive suite of tools for designing, validating, and manufacturing electrical systems and harnesses
  • VeSys – Mid-tier solution focused on vehicle electrical system and harness design

Simulation Tools

  • ModelSim – Hardware simulation and debugging environment suited for smaller ASICs and FPGA projects
  • QuestaSim – High-end simulator designed for complex FPGAs and SoCs; provides enhanced debugging features alongside integration with Verification Management tools, Formal verification technologies, Verification IPs, Low Power Simulation capabilities, and Accelerated Coverage Closure. Supports SystemVerilog, UPF, UCIS, OVM/UVM, distinguishing it from ModelSim.
  • Eldo – SPICE simulation tool
  • Xpedition AMS – Virtual laboratory environment for designing and analyzing mechatronic systems
  • ADiT – High-speed SPICE simulation tool
  • Questa ADMS – Tool for mixed-signal verification

Emulation

  • Veloce series – System-on-Chip (SoC) emulation and transaction-level acceleration solutions designed to validate HDL designs prior to fabrication

Mechanical design

  • Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer software:
    • Simcenter Flotherm – A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) application specialized in electronics cooling, utilizing parameter-driven 'SmartParts' for components such as fans, heatsinks, and integrated circuit packages
    • Simcenter Flotherm XT – Electronics cooling CFD software featuring a solid modeling capability tailored for MCAD components
    • Simcenter FLOEFD – A design-integrated CFD tool embedded within MCAD platforms including Solidworks, Creo Elements/Pro, CATIA V5, and Siemens NX
  • Thermal Characterization and Thermal Interface Material (TIM) testing instruments:
    • Simcenter T3STER – Hardware compliant with JEDEC JESD51-1 standard for thermal characterization of IC packages; also adheres to JESD51-14 for junction-to-case thermal resistance (Rth-JC) measurement
    • Simcenter TERALED – Automates measurements according to CIE 127:2007 standard for power LED flux, chromaticity, and correlated color temperature (CCT); when paired with T3Ster, it delivers thermal resistance data based on actual dissipated heating power
    • Simcenter DYNTIM – Enhances T3Ster capabilities by providing dynamic thermal testing specifically for thermal interface materials, thermal greases, and gap pads
  • Simcenter Flomaster – A 1D/system-level CFD tool that evaluates fluid flow mechanics within intricate piping networks (acquired from Flowmaster Ltd in 2012)
  • CADRA Design Drafting – Mechanical drafting and documentation software offering 2.5D capabilities, created for drafting professionals to efficiently produce complex drawings (acquired in 2013)

See also

References

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