SAN DIEGO, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 11, 2008 -- The first annual FPGA Summit 2008, to be held December 9-11 at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose, California, will feature keynote addresses from three prominent industry leaders. Experts from Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, and Altera will describe the initiatives, technologies, and opportunities for business growth that will shape the multi-billion dollar market for programmable logic devices.

"The old days when FPGAs served as simple logic replacement and as prototypes are long behind us," said Kevin Morris, founder and president of Techfocus Media and Editor of FPGA Journal. "Now, FPGAs are a big business by themselves and serve as the basis of cutting-edge architectures such as reconfigurable computers and software-defined radio. The FPGA Summit keynote presentations will provide attendees with an opportunity to gain new perspectives from companies at the forefront of FPGA technology, product, and system innovation."

Keynoters will explore the uses and challenges of FPGA as it makes its way into aerospace, military, defense, communications, wireless, networking, instrumentation, process and industrial control, automotive, and consumer applications. Keynote details are the following:

"Concept-to-Gates Design - 2008 and Beyond." Simon Bloch, Vice President and General Manager, Design and Synthesis Division, Mentor Graphics. Wednesday, December 10, 11:20 AM - 12:00 Noon.

System-level design, combining ESL (electronic system-level design) and RTL (register transfer level), will drive a new era in FPGA design methodology. System-level approaches are gaining importance as devices become larger and more complex. Higher-level abstraction is essential in designing multi-million gate SoCs as well as FPGAs. It extends the traditional RTL design flow by integrating higher-level languages in C++ and transaction-level modeling in SystemC, enabling efficient evaluation of various architectural scenarios for a hardware/software system. By taking this approach, designers can address power, performance, and area challenges at the earliest conceptual stages. Handling such issues early in the design cycle is often the key to making a critical market window.

"Tipping Points in Programmable Logic: Is FPGA Design More Complex than ASIC Design." Andrew Dauman, Vice President, Engineering, Synplicity Business Group, Synopsys. Wednesday, December 10, 2:00 - 2:30 PM.

In programmable logic's 25-year history, we have seen continuous major improvements in both the devices themselves and their associated software. Often the changes follow certain themes that reflect the end markets being served. How are the markets shifting and why? What are the themes dominating software development projects at both device vendors and EDA vendors? In this keynote speech, Andrew Dauman will outline Synopsys' vision of the challenges and opportunities ahead in programmable logic. What are design teams around the world seeking to improve their productivity and realize the promise of programmable logic? How can both traditional ASIC tools and specific FPGA tools help meet the needs?

"Multiprocessing for Higher Performance and Lower Power." Misha Burich, Senior Vice President of R&D, Altera. Thursday, December 11, 11:20 AM - Noon.

In the new era of high energy costs and stringent environmental regulations, next-generation electronic applications will require more efficient power management, while still meeting ever-increasing performance goals. To meet these dual demands, the industry must look to flexible technology that saves power and boosts performance simultaneously. Because of their unique capabilities, FPGAs are an ideal approach. Advances in FPGAs and their associated tools now allow designers to use hardware acceleration to combine unparalleled performance with the lowest possible power footprint.

Complimentary press/analyst registration for the FPGA Summit is available at www.fpgasummit.com or by contacting ZNA Communications at (831) 425-1581, ccc@zna.com.

About the FPGA Summit

The FPGA Summit is the only practitioner-oriented conference dedicated entirely to FPGAs and their applications. It is intended for system designers, hardware and software engineers, product marketing and marketing communications specialists, test engineers, and engineering and marketing managers. It features keynotes, half-day tutorials, paper and panel sessions, and expert tables. Subjects include reconfigurable computing, communications/networking applications, DSP applications, verification, military/defense applications, low-power design, computer applications, market research, design tips, testing and reliability, on-board processors, security. The Summit also includes exhibits of the latest products. For more information, visit www.fpgasummit.com.

About Conference ConCepts, Inc.

Founded in 1994, Conference ConCepts is a full-service professional conference and association management company that provides extensive capabilities in all aspects of technical conference management. Conference ConCepts develops and produces events both on its own, and in partnership with associations, corporations, and publishers. The skill sets of the company's employees and contractors, representing over 200 cumulative years of experience, enables Conference ConCepts to offer clients a choice of services, ranging from assistance with a single aspect of a conference to the complete development and administration of a full-fledged "turnkey" event. For more information about Conference ConCepts, visit: http://www.conferenceconcepts.com.

     Contacts:
     Dr. Lance Leventhal
     FPGA Summit Program Chairperson
     (858) 756-3327
     Email Contact
      
     Judy Plummer
     ZNA Communications
     (831) 425-1581
     Email Contact