Systems acquisition

ARC International has acquired Tenison Technology EDA, a privately held company that provides software tools used to help develop system-on-chip (SoC) designs, for £1m in cash.

The acquisition includes fifteen key members of Tenison's engineering team, patents, and products such as the VTOC software suite and IP eXchange technology that enable SoC developers and IP designers to synthesize C++ and SystemC models from hardware designs described in Verilog or VHDL RTL.

The company's customer list includes "Tier 1" companies such as Broadcom, Freescale, and Renesas.

The acquired products will allow ARC's customers to simulate virtually all logic on any ARC-based device, as well as customer-developed intellectual property (IP) and IP from other suppliers like ARM Holdings.

Additionally, ARC International announced the establishment of an engineering centre in Cambridge, England, and the appointment of Dr. David Greaves to ARC's Office of the CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

Dr. Greaves is a faculty member and lecturer at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, a founder of Virata, and the founder and chief scientist of Tenison; he is a technology advisor to companies such as AT&T and BT (British Telecommunications).

Founded in 1999 from work originating at Cambridge University, Tenison's advanced modelling, simulation, and verification products help chip designers accurately predict critical metrics of an SoC before the design is sent for manufacture. This speeds chip development, shortens time to market, and results in a more optimised solution.