Xilinx Press Release #0247


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN JOSE, Calif., and SEATTLE, Wash., March 18, 2002 —Xilinx, Inc., (NASDAQ:XLNX) and global supercomputer leader Cray Inc, (NASDAQ: CRAY) today reported that their collaboration on the new Cray SV1ex supercomputer product advanced the boundaries of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. The design goals of Cray’s leading-edge supercomputer posed multiple new challenges for FPGA technology. Xilinx and Cray’s development team worked together intensively to meet these challenges. As a result, the Cray product began shipping in November 2001, and Xilinx gained valuable systems application insight.

“Xilinx was the only FPGA vendor we believed could handle this important, leading-edge assignment,” said Gary Shorrel, Cray SV1 engineering project leader. “We had to overcome some hurdles together, because we were pushing FPGA technology where it had never gone before. FPGA technology is an important weapon in Cray’s design arsenal, because its reconfigurable logic gives us the potential to reduce design verification requirements and alleviate prototyping and other charges associated with traditional ASIC designs.”

“Our alliance with Cray was a natural fit for Xilinx,” said Sandeep Vij, vice president of worldwide marketing at Xilinx. “Both companies have established technical leadership in our respective markets and we share the same fundamental values of providing customers with leading edge products and unprecedented service. We were extremely impressed with the technical prowess of the people at Cray.  This was one of those rare instances where collaboration with a customer directly benefited our own product.”

Cray utilized over 80 percent of the available logic functions in the Xilinx FPGA, while operating at a clock rate of 200 MHz. This aggressive approach was a requirement for a product to be successful in the supercomputer market place.
 
About the Cray SV1ex Supercomputer
Cray SV1ex systems with enhanced memory began shipping in fourth-quarter 2001. The Cray SV1 product line was named “Best Supercomputer” in 2001, 2000 and 1999 by the readership of Scientific Computing and Instrumentation magazine, and helped make Cray Inc. number one in the latest rankings of supercomputer performance reported in November 2001 by industry analyst firm IDC.  

About Cray Inc.
Cray is the premier provider of supercomputing solutions for customers’ most challenging scientific and engineering problems. Go to www.cray.com for more information about the company. 

About Xilinx Platform FPGAs
The Virtex-II solution is the first embodiment of the Platform FPGA, and strengthened by strategic alliances with IBM, Wind River Systems, Conexant, The MathWorks, and other technology leaders. With densities ranging from 40,000 to 10 million system gates, Virtex-II solutions are empowered by advanced design tools that drive time to market advantages through fast design, powerful synthesis, smart implementation algorithms, and efficient verification capabilities. The Virtex-II solution delivers enhanced system memory and lightning-fast DSP through the flexible Xilinx IP-Immersion fabric. 

About Xilinx 
Xilinx is the leading supplier of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfills more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, aerospace, defense, and low-power portable and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site at http://www.xilinx.com.