Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics was founded in 1981 by Tom Bruggere, Gerry Langeler, and Dave Moffenbeier, all formerly of Tektronix.{{cite web |last1=Rogoway |first1=Mike |title=Siemens completes $4.5 billion purchase of Mentor Graphics |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2017/03/siemens_completes_45_billion_p.html |website=Oregon Live |access-date=November 4, 2022 |date=March 30, 2017}} The company raised $55 million in funding through an initial public offering in 1984.

Mentor initially wrote software that ran only in Apollo workstations.{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Lawrence M. |title=In Hot Pursuit of Mentor Photos of Mentor's chief executive, Thomas H. Bruggere, with the package deal: Software by Mentor Graphics, running on Apollo hardware (NYT/Brian Drake); the chassis of an Apollo workstation, which uses Mentor's software system |work=The New York Times |date=8 January 1989 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/08/business/hot-pursuit-mentor-photos-mentor-s-chief-executive-thomas-h-bruggere-with.html |access-date=November 4, 2022}}

When Mentor entered the CAE market the company had two technical differentiators: the first was the software {{En dash}} Mentor, Valid, and Daisy each had software with different strengths and weaknesses. The second, was the hardware {{En dash}} Mentor ran all programs on the Apollo workstation, while Daisy and Valid each built their own hardware. By the late 1980s, all EDA companies abandoned proprietary hardware in favor of workstations manufactured by companies such as Apollo and Sun Microsystems.

After a frenzied development, the IDEA 1000 product was introduced at the 1982 Design Automation Conference, though in a suite and not on the floor.The Mentor Graphics Story copyright 1988 Mentor Graphics Corporation

Mentor Graphics was purchased by Siemens in 2017. The name was retired in 2021 and renamed Siemens EDA, a segment of Siemens Digital Industries Software.{{cite web |last1=Dahad |first1=Nitin |title=Mentor Finally Becomes Siemens EDA From January 2021 |url=https://www.eetimes.com/mentor-finally-becomes-siemens-eda-from-january-2021/ |website=EE Times|date=15 December 2020 }}

• In June 2008, Cadence Design Systems offered to acquire Mentor Graphics in a leveraged buyout. On 15 August 2008, Cadence withdrew this offer quoting an inability to raise the necessary capital and the unwillingness of Mentor Graphics' Board and management to discuss the offer.{{cite web|url=http://www.cadence.com/cadence/newsroom/press_releases/pages/pr.aspx?xml=081508_announcement|title=Cadence Withdraws|access-date=2008-09-18}}
• In February 2011, activist investor Carl Icahn offered to buy the company for about $1.86 billion in cash.{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-02-22/billionaire-icahn-offers-17-a-share-in-cash-to-purchase-mentor-graphics | title=Icahn Bids $1.86 Billion for Mentor Graphics, Seeks Offers | newspaper=Bloomberg.com | date=22 February 2011 }}
• In November 2016, Mentor Graphics announced that it was to be acquired by Siemens for $4.5 billion,Machine Design [https://www.machinedesign.com/news/article/21834976/siemens-acquires-mentor-graphics-for-45-billion Siemens Acquires Mentor Graphics for $4.5 Billion] Retrieved November 14, 2016 at $37.25 per share, a 21% premium on Mentor's closing price on the previous Friday.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentor.com/company/news/siemens-to-expand-its-digital-industrial-leadership-with-acquisition-of-mentor-graphics|title=Siemens to expand its digital industrial leadership with acquisition of Mentor Graphics|website=www.mentor.com|access-date=2016-11-14}} The acquisition was completed in March 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2017/03/siemens_completes_45_billion_p.html|title=Siemens completes $4.5 billion purchase of Mentor Graphics|work=The Oregonian/OregonLive|last1=Rogoway|first1=Mike|access-date=30 March 2017}} At the time, this represented Siemens' biggest deal in the industrial software sector.{{cite web |title=Siemens boosts software business with $4.5 billion deal |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1390Q0/ |publisher=Reuters |access-date=8 April 2024}} Mentor Graphics started to operate as "Mentor, a Siemens Business".{{Cite web | url=https://www.mentor.com/company/ |title = Mentor, a Siemens Business}} Under the terms of the acquisition, Mentor Graphics kept its headquarters in Wilsonville with workforce intact, and operated as an independent subsidiary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2017/04/siemens_says_mentor_graphics_w.html|title = Siemens says Mentor will keep its name, business and HQ|date = 4 April 2017}}
• In January 2021, Mentor became a division of Siemens and was renamed as Siemens EDA.{{cite web | url=https://www.eetimes.com/mentor-finally-becomes-siemens-eda-from-january-2021/ | title=Mentor Finally Becomes Siemens EDA from January 2021 | date=15 December 2020 }}

Mentor product development was located in the US, Taiwan, Egypt, Poland, Hungary, Japan, France, Canada, Pakistan, UK, Armenia, India and Russia.

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Mentor offered the following tools:

• Integrated circuit layout full-custom and schematic-driven layout (SDL) tools such as IC Station or Memory Builder, a first industry tool for rapid embedded memory design that helped to develop single- or dual-port RAM (synchronous and asynchronous), as well as diffusion and metal read only memories (ROM)
• IC place and route tool: Aprisa
• IC Verification tools such as Calibre nmDRC, Calibre nmLVS, Calibre xRC, Calibre xACT 3D, Calibre xACT
• IC Design for Manufacturing tools such as Calibre LFD, Calibre YieldEnhancer, Calibre, and YieldAnalyzer
• Schematic capture editors for electronic schematics such as Xpedition Designer
• Layout and design tools for printed circuit boards with programs such as PADS, Xpedition Layout, HyperLynx and Valor NPI
• Falcon Framework, software application framework{{cite web |last1=Krishnakumar |first1=Anish Nallamur |title=Design and Run-Time Resource Management of Domain-Specific Systems-on-Chip (DSSoCs) |url=https://elab.ece.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1634/2022/03/Anish-Prelims-Report-v2.pdf |website=eLab: Energy Efficient Embedded Exploration |publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison |access-date=19 May 2023 |date=January 20, 2022}}
• Component library management tools
• IP cores for ASIC and FPGA designs

• Mentor Embedded Linux{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/linux/|title=Mentor Embedded Linux Development Platform|website=www.mentor.com|access-date=2016-09-19}} for ARM, MIPS, Power, and x86 architecture processors
• Real-time operating systems:
• Nucleus OS (acquired in 2002 when Mentor acquired Accelerated Technology, Inc.)
• VRTX (acquired in 1995 when Mentor bought Microtec Research)
• AUTOSAR implementation:
• Embedded implementation VSTAR in part acquired from Mecel in 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentor.com/company/news/mentor-acquires-mecel-picea-autosar-development-suite|title=Mentor Graphics acquires Mecel Picea AUTOSAR Development Suite|website=www.mentor.com|access-date=2016-09-01}}
• Configuration tooling Volcano Vehicle Systems Builder (VSB)
• Development Tools:
• Sourcery CodeBench and Sourcery GNU toolchains (acquired in 2010 when Mentor acquired CodeSourcery)
• Inflexion UI {{En dash}} (Next Device was acquired by Mentor in 2006)
• xtUML Design Tools: BridgePoint (acquired in 2004 when Mentor acquired Project Technology)
• VPN Solutions:
• Nucleus Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) software
• Nucleus NET networking stack
• Nucleus implementation of the Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) protocol
• Nucleus PPP software

• Precision Synthesis {{En dash}} Advanced RTL & physical synthesis for FPGAs

• Capital {{En dash}} a suite of integrated tools for the design, validation and manufacture of electrical systems and harnesses
• VeSys {{En dash}} a mid-market toolset for vehicle electrical system and harness design

• ModelSim is a hardware simulation and debug environment primarily targeted at smaller ASIC and FPGA design
• QuestaSim is a simulator with advanced debug capabilities targeted at complex FPGA's and SoC's. QuestaSim can be used by users who have experience with ModelSim as it shares most of the common debug features and capabilities. One of the main differences between QuestaSim and Modelsim (besides performance/capacity) is that QuestaSim is the simulation engine for the Questa Platform which includes integration of Verification Management, Formal based technologies, Questa Verification IP, Low Power Simulation and Accelerated Coverage Closure technologies. QuestaSim natively supports SystemVerilog for Testbench, UPF, UCIS, OVM/UVM where ModelSim does not.
• Eldo is a SPICE simulator
• Xpedition AMS is a virtual lab for mechatronic system design and analysis
• ADiT is a Fast-SPICE simulator
• Questa ADMS is a mixed-signal verification tool

• The Veloce product family enables SoC emulation and transaction-based acceleration to verify and rectify issues on HDL designs prefabrication.

• Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer tools:
• Simcenter Flotherm is a Computational Fluid Dynamics tool dedicated to electronics cooling using parameterized 'SmartParts' for common electronic components such as fans, heatsinks, and IC packages.
• Simcenter Flotherm XT is an electronics cooling CFD tool incorporating a solid modeler for manipulating MCAD parts.
• Simcenter FLOEFD is a 'design concurrent' CFD tool for use in early-stage product design and is embedded within MCAD systems such as Solidworks, Creo Elements/Pro, CATIA V5 and Siemens NX.
• Thermal Characterization and Thermal Interface Material (TIM) Measurement equipment:
• Simcenter T3STER is a hardware product that embodies an implementation of the JEDEC JESD51-1 standard for IC package thermal characterization and is compliant with JESD51-14 for Rth-JC measurement.
• Simcenter TERALED provides automation of the CIE 127:2007 standard providing total flux, chromaticity and correlated color temperature (CCT) for power LEDs. With T3Ster it provides thermal resistance metrics for LEDs based on the real dissipated heating power.
• Simcenter DYNTIM extends T3Ster, providing a dynamic thermal test station for thermal conductivity measurements of thermal interface materials (TIMs), thermal greases and gap pads.
• Simcenter Flomaster is a 1D or system-level CFD solution for analyzing fluid mechanics in complex pipe flow systems (from the acquisition of Flowmaster Ltd in 2012).
• CADRA Design Drafting is a 2-1/2D mechanical drafting and documentation package specifically designed for drafting professionals. It provides the tools needed to develop complex drawings quickly and easily (from the acquisition of the CADRA product in 2013).

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Category:Companies based in Wilsonville, Oregon

Category:1981 establishments in Oregon

Category:2017 mergers and acquisitions

Category:Electronic design automation companies

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Category:Defunct software companies of the United States