Vantage Analysis Systems Inc has launched Optium and Universal Testbench, a simulation package and testing tool based around the Very High Speed Integrated Circuitry Hardware Description Language – VHDL – standard. The Fremont, California company, which was taken over by Viewlogic Systems Inc in 1992, (CI No 2,069), built the simulator around its high speed simulation engine called Speedwave, and has put it all behind a Motif interface. The system includes Bi-Level Adaptive Signal Trees, a Vantage-designed method of streamlining signal representation. The firm claims that the product is at least twice as fast as other VHDL simulators. Universal testbench is designed to prevent users having to write VHDL testcode for vector input and output. It provides one universal Testbench which can capture test vectors created during interactive simulation sessions automatically and provide a bridge between VHDL simulation and manufacturing tests. Prices on Optium start at $22,400.
