News and Media Archives

News Release Archives

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Selected Papers and Articles

The business of IP: it ain't a bake sale
EDA — September 3, 2009
...For Barbour there is no ambiguity, IP is a product business: "There are a lot of companies who present themselves as IP companies, but they're really doing design services. There's a world of difference there."CAST is a true IP company, with most of our cores built around standards...

Synplicity launches ReadyIP program; The industry's first universal, secure IP flow for FPGA implementation
Programmable Logic DesignLine — April 16, 2008
Do you remember a couple of years ago when Synplicity proposed a mega-cool Open IP Encryption Flow?. At that time, I thought the proposal was incredibly clever, and I couldn't wait to see it implemented. Well, wait I did, but now it's here ... read on ...

Synplicity introduces secure IP flow for FPGAs, signs ARM, Tensilica as partners
EDN— April 15, 2008
At the Embedded Systems Conference today, Synplicity has introduced what it calls the industry's first complete, encrypted design methodology for FPGA implementation. The ReadyIP program, according to the company, allows designers to easily assess and incorporate IP from third-party vendors into their designs using Synplicity's synthesis tools, Synplify Pro or Synplify Premier ...

Synplicity initiative eases IP evaluation for FPGAs
SCD Source — April 15, 2008
Using encryption technology now undergoing IEEE standardization, Synplicity is launching its ReadyIP initiative, which lets FPGA designers evaluate third-party IP before licensing it. Initial IP vendor partners include ARM, Cast, Gaisler Research, and Tensilica ...

Synplicity Gets Spirit
FPGA and Structured ASIC Journal — April 15, 2008
While the word “ecosystem” is happily bantered about by major FPGA vendors, history would indicate that FPGA companies are less than perfect participants in the care and feeding of “ecosystems” to support their products. The turmoil associated ...

Simulation Demonstrates PCIe Core IP's Capabilities
Electronic Design — July 23, 2007
Intellectual property (IP) provider CAST Inc. has created a free, downloadable simulation model of its PCI Express (PCIe) IP core. The PCIe Core Backend Model (CBM) Demo of the CAST CPXP-EP PCI Express endpoint controller enables designers to simulate a system with the core at the transaction-layer level. ...

Cultivating a Company in Cyberspace
Kauffman eVenturing — March 1, 2007
When I started Lineage and four friends of mine simultaneously started Computer Aided Software Technologies, now merged as CAST, we worked for zero salary the first year—and the second year wasn't . ...

CAST debuts new DDR and DDR2 IP core
Electronic News — January 31, 2007
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST Inc. at this week's DesignCon 2007 announced a new IP core that it claims implements a controller for all industry-standard DDR and DDR2 memory devices. ...

Amba Platform IP runs on structured ASICs
Electronicstalk— January 12, 2007
Cast, which joined the company's newly established eZ-IP Alliance programme, will partner with eASIC to provide customers with the essential IP cores and software infrastructure for eASIC's soft ARM926EJ microprocessor core. The PIP-Amba package will enable designers to successfully and rapidly build ...

Digging out the gold
IET — August 2006
Hal Barbour, president and CEO of Cast, said his company has taken a different approach to providing hardware IP. Rather than looking for large companies with spare IP, Cast concentrates on small suppliers. “Around 30-40% are our own developments, but, increasingly, cores are coming from our partners. Every single core is supported by the original developer. That provides extremely fast technical support.” ...

32-bit processor IP offers lower-cost lower-power alternative
Electronic Products — May 2006
Device targets designs needing more horsepower than an 8-bit 8051 core — The APS2 and APS3 processor IP cores use a RISC architecture in a full 32-bit design ...

Will Blog for Food — Coffee with CAST in Santa Clara
EDA Weekly — May 15, 2006
You gotta give it to Hal Barbour, president at CAST, for enthusiasm and joie de vivre. Have you ever seen a guy so excited about life, technology, or IP? I only had 45 minutes for coffee with Hal at the Double Tree Hotel this afternoon, along with the executives from Cortus, SA, who together are announcing a new line of 32-bit microprocessor cores they're calling the APS family of cores, which stands for Advanced Processing Solution.

Processor cores target embedded designs
Embedded.com — May 16, 2006
Woodcliff Lake, NJ —CAST, Inc. has announced the immediate availability of a new line of 32-bit microprocessor cores for the embedded systems market. The first two processors in Advanced Processing Solution (APS) family of cores, the APS2 and APS3, were developed by CAST's partner Cortus, SA, in France.

CAST Targets Small, Fast Systems with Low-Power, 32-bit Cores
Electronic News — May 16, 2006
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST Inc. today announced the immediate availability of a new line of 32Bit microprocessor cores for the embedded systems market.

New Microprocessor Cores
Technology News Daily — May 2006
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. and microprocessor developer Cortus S.A. today announced they are partnering to develop, market, and support new microprocessor IP cores.

Processor cores target embedded designs
global-electronics.net — May 2006
CAST, Inc. has announced the immediate availability of a new line of 32-bit microprocessor cores for the embedded systems market. The first two processors in Advanced Processing Solution (APS) family of cores, the APS2 and APS3, were developed by CAST's partner Cortus, SA, in France...

CAST claims 32-bit processor uses just 7k gates
ElectronicsWeekly.com — May 15, 2006
Intellectual property (IP) provider CAST is offering a range of 32-bit microprocessor cores developed by French design partner Cortus, SA...

Panel: EDA and IP vendors subservient to consumer
EE Times — May 12, 2006
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — If EDA vendors want to participate in the consumer electronics market they will need to step up their efforts to provide system-level design tools, according to an EDA Consortium panel ...

Avoiding unexpected challenges in PCI Express core integration
Embedded Computing Design — April, 2006
As a fast, versatile, and popular interface, PCI Express (PCIe) is a natural candidate for development as an IP core for easy reuse. However, more than conformance to the PCIe specification is required to make such a core a success for designers hoping to minimize how much PCIe technical detail they need to understand. With this in mind, Tony and Nick evaluate three approaches to PCI core integration.

Evatronix SA successfully completes High-Speed USB On-The-Go compliance testing procedure for its USB OTG controller core
D & R Headline News — January 25, 2006
The silicon Intellectual Property (IP) provider, Evatronix S.A., announced today successful accomplishment of the certification procedure for compliance of its USBHS-OTG-SD-S controller core to the Universal Serial Bus 2.0 specification and its On-the-Go supplement. The compliance testing ...Evatronix IP cores are available world wide through the distribution network of its strategic partner CAST, Inc. (www.cast-inc.com)...

An IP Provider Pursues IP Quality
VSI Alliance — January, 2006
With twelve years experience delivering IP products, we at CAST have learned through "trial by fire" that quality really does matter. We learned that it's critical to clearly and completely describe what a core is supposed to do ...

IP Key to FPGA Market
Chip Design Magazine — January, 2006
What will be the hot FPGA, S-ASIC and embedded DSP/processor trends for 2006 that both chip- and board-level developers should know? Judging from conversations with semiconductor and EDA companies who attended the recent Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, the answer is "intellectual property."

With a Watchful Eye
Electronic News — August 26, 2005
Competition in the electronic design automation (EDA) space is fierce. One minute companies are in a legal battle, the next, one is acquiring the other. Companies in other industries partner with more success – why not EDA? ...

Is Bigger Better? What Does the Future Hold for Small IP Providers?
Chip Design Magazine — June/July, 2005
Currently, reuse is becoming increasingly important in silicon design. At the same time, large EDA companies are emerging in the IP market. With these trends...

Creo Uses CAST IP Cores in Advanced Leaf Aptus Digital Camera
Commercial Photography — June 13, 2005
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. today revealed that the Leaf® Aptus digital camera backs announced last month by Creo Inc. employ CAST IP cores for image compression and decompression.

Tezzaron Chooses CAST IP Core for First Ever Stacked 3D IC Processor
SYS-CON MEDIA — May 19, 2005
Manufacturing fast, efficient 8051 core with patented vertical connection and wafer stacking technology produces processor with ...

A Modest Approach to the IP Businesss that's Succeeded for Over Ten Years
DATE 2005, Bill Finch
Download this PDF presentation on CAST's successful approach to the IP business.

Actel Announces Immediate Availability of 90 IP Cores for New ProASIC3 and ProASIC3E FPGA Families
SOC central — January 24, 2005
Actel Corp. has announced the availability of 90 intellectual property (IP) cores to support its new ProASIC3 and ProASIC3/E device families introduced today.

In-Depth: IP for FPGAs – Where, What and How Much?
Embedded Systems Engineering — September 21, 2004
As programmable devices get larger, one route to get products to market quickly is the use of IP. Instead of macros for MUXs or adders, designers can embed entire processors and significant I/O blocks. To introduce our look at IP and FPGAs, ESE examines what is available through the FPGA manufacturers.

Economy FPGAs gain CAN and FireWire IP support
ElectronicsTalk — September 7, 2004
Lattice Semiconductor Corp and its IP partner CAST have developed intellectual property (IP) support for the new LatticeECP-DSP and LatticeEC FPGA device families.

FPGA Designers Benefit from CAST's Low-Volume IP Pricing Program
Embedded Star — February 20, 2004
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. announced a European program aimed at making it easier for FPGA designers to benefit from the high-quality IP cores typically used for ASIC designs. The new program, FPGAenable, introduces special pricing for the low-volume production runs typically associated with FPGA-based products – a dominant sector in the European electronics market. Pricing for these low-volume licenses varies by core, but the result is the ability to design-in IP cores at a cost of just few Euros per manufactured unit. ...

CAST Targets High-Bandwidth Digital Connections with 1394a IP Core
Embedded Star — February 20, 2004
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. announced a new 1394a core that implements a link layer controller for the high-speed digital bus known commercially as FireWireTM and i.LinkTM.

The IEEE 1394a standard was developed for use with digital video and other demanding applications arising from the convergence of computers and consumer products. It defines a high-bandwidth serial interface with real-time data transmission rates of 100, 200, and 400 Mb/sec. It ...

Approved cores speed programmable system design
ElectronicsTalk — September 11, 2003
The ispLeverCore Connection marks a new level of collaboration between Lattice and independent developers of IP to expand both the market reach of the partners, and the applications support for leading FPGA and field programmable system chip (FPSC) devices from Lattice.

The ispLeverCore Connection is a partner programme designed to allow customers to easily access and integrate many 3rd-party IP products ...

CAST Introduces HC05 and HC11 Compatible Cores
Embedded News Digest — June, 2003
Intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. announced two new cores that are 100% software compatible with the popular M68HC05 and M68HC11 microcontroller families from Motorola. According to CAST, these cores provide better performance and features than the originals and have been silicon-proven in several ASIC ...

CAST Releases MPEG-4 and JPEG 2000 IP Cores
EMedia — Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. has announced the addition of new MPEG-4 video encoding and JPEG 2000 image decoding cores to its line of general purpose IP for electronic design.The CAST MPEG-4 core is small and fast -- capable of handling real-time encoding of full-screen video in under 50,000 ASIC gates -- and supports a range of applications from high-quality video conferencing to remote streaming of DVD-quality movies...

System-on-Chip and ASIC Design Conference Reference Design Paper -- A New Reference Design Development Environment for JPEG 2000 Applications
DesignCon Presentation — January 2003
The newest revisions to standards for video processing, like JPEG and MPEG are becoming available and are expected to create new applications and markets. Hardware implementations of these standards will be available first in the form of IP Cores for FPGAs. A reference design based on a Xilinx FPGA development board from Avnet Design Services and IP Cores from CAST have been combined to create a reference design for the newest versions of the JPEG and MPEG standards. The paper will describe the features and functionality of the design as well as the size, performance and cost of the final circuit board implementation. This Reference Design will be demonstrated in the Reference Design Village... Download Presentation

Motion-processing cores cast for real-time systems
EETimes — October 14, 2002
Semiconductor intellectual-property (IP) provider Cast Inc. says that a series of motion-processing cores for high-performance video compression and decompression will make it possible to develop real-time video systems such as digital video recorders, wireless communication devices, sophisticated surveillance systems and other products using the MPEG-2 and newer MPEG-4 standards.

First out of the chute in the planned series is the MoPro core, created by Cast partner Ocean Logic Pty Ltd. in Australia ...

IP Cores for Motion Processing
e-inSITE— October 4, 2002
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider CAST, Inc. has introduced a new series of motion processing cores for video compression and decompression applications. The technology is targeted at digital video recorder, wireless communication, surveillance system applications.

"Our MoPro core gives graphics system developers a powerful engine to drive all their video applications, while our MPEG cores will provide the benefits of specific algorithms in ready-to-roll IP, bringing full motion video to a wider range of smaller, cheaper products," said company president Hal Barbour in a prepared statement ...

CAST 80186-compatible processor core is six times faster
EETimes Asia — March 7, 2002
Claimed to be six times faster than Intel's 80C186 processor, the C80186TX microprocessor core is suitable for use in embedded controller applications and provides a cost-effective alternative for replacing older parts that are no longer manufactured ...

CAST Expands IP Core Lineup
e-inSITE — January 28, 2002
The new offerings consist of a MAC Ethernet Media Access controller, 64-bit PCI-T64 and PCI-M64 target interfaces and a CAN Bus controller ...

Programmable arrays: encroaching on MCUs
Embedded Systems Engineering — October 15, 2001
Another programme of alliances has linked Xilinx with ... Cast, Inc. to produce four 8051 8-bit microcontroller cores. These run at up to eight times the performance of legacy 8051 microcontrollers ...

CAST Launches IP Cores For Multimedia Applications
e-inSITE — October 3, 2001
The cores are targeted at applications employing the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) algorithms ...

Xilinx Does Away With IP Lawyers
Electronic News — September 10, 2001
Xilinx Inc. of San Jose wants to make life easier for intellectual property (IP) core makers.The FPGA vendor today will unveil its SignOnce IP license program designed to eliminate the legal aspects of signing and using IP cores .... (CAST is a charter participant.)

Design Entry, IP Highlight DATE
Electronic News — March 26, 2001
Munich, Germany-If the current growth trend continues, in a few years DATE-the yearly Design, Automation and Test in Europe forum-will be as big as the Design Automation Conference (DAC). At least, that's what the organizers of this year's ... Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based CAST Inc. and its development partner Evatronix SA of Bielsko-Biala, Poland, announced the release of two new synthesizable cores: the C32025 DSP core, compatible with the Texas Instruments Inc.'s TMS320C25, and the CZ80CPU processor core, compatible with the Zilog Z80.

Program makes better use of IP in FPGAs
ElectronicsTalk.com — March 22, 2001
After six months of beta testing, the FPGA OpenMORE program is now available to the semiconductor design community with endorsements from trial users such as CAST and Telecom Italia Lab ....

CAST and FS2 Partner to Provide SOC Debug Capabilities
EEDesign.com — January 30, 2001
DesignCon - CAST, Inc. and First Silicon Solutions, Inc. (FS2) today announced a joint effort to make embedded processor cores easier to debug ...

Altera optimizes Quartus II software; Cast delivers UART
EEDesign.com — June 11, 2001
Altera Corp. (San Jose, Calif.) says its incremental-design methodology will make it easier for programmable-logic designers to accelerate methodologies involving team-based designs, integration of cores and performance optimization for any hierarchical ...

Cores arrive in a dozen
EDN — January 18, 2001
Xilinx's IP Center is offering 12 new cores for its Virtex and Spartan series FPGAs that target a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from modems and channel coding, to video and PowerPC-based designs. ... Cast (www.cast-inc.com), is providing two types of 8051 microcontrollers, plus the 8254 programmable interval timer/counter and an 8250 UART core ...

Core Competency
Electronic Engineering Times — January 08, 2001
Cast Inc. (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) has added four cores designed for use in systems with 8051 and other popular microprocessors to its lineup of MPU peripheral cores ...

Cultivating a Company in Cyberspace
by Hal Barbour EntreWorld.org — December 2000
Behind every virtual company is some very real, sophisticated machinery ...

CAST Rolls Four Cores
Electronic News — December 12, 2000
CAST Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., today has taken the wraps off four additions to its family of intellectual property cores targeted at electronic design ...

Date yields testimonials and processor cores
EEDesign.com — April 10, 2000
Several companies test-driving standards crafted by the Virtual Socket Interface Alliance (VSIA) reported success with their projects at the Date 2000 conference in Paris. ... Elsewhere at Date 2000, Cast Inc. (Pomona, N.Y.) announced the availability of two new cores, the C68000 microprocessor and the PIC 165X RISC microcontroller, both developed by partner Evatronix in Gliwice, Poland ...

LightSpeed Adds CAST Cores
EETimes — January 24, 2000
Lightspeed Provides Pre-Verified Netlist Cores from CAST, Inc. Enabling Low-Cost, Fast Time-to-Production MBA Solutions...

Virtual company reshapes corporate reality
Electronic Engineering Times — July 15, 1999
... While retailers and other businesses try to figure out how to use the Web to augment their real-world facilities, a spate of startups is making the Net the essence of their operations ...

Synopsys releases IP rating tool
Electronics Business News — December 11, 1998
Web-based system measures reusability of cores for SOCs
Synopsys Inc. has introduced a Web-based IP rating system that the company says will make it easier for system-on-a-chip designers to select the right cores for their designs ... CAST is a pilot member

Cast spins three soft cores
Electronic Engineering Times — July 6, 1998
Core provider Cast Inc. has unveiled three new VHDL soft cores: the Soft Decision Viterbi, the C49402 synthesizable VHDL core and the C6845 CRT controller ....

New ASIC and DSP cores
Integrated System Design — August 1997
CAST has added several synthesizable cores to its ASIC Cores Series and released a new family of synthesizable cores ...