Adept Alternative
Aldec Turns up the Simulation Heat
by Kevin Morris
In many markets, there is what marketers call a “gorilla” – a company with a commanding market share that controls the way the ball rolls in that particular segment. In HDL simulation for FPGAs, one could argue that ModelSim from Mentor Graphics has historically been the gorilla – with a dominant market share and OEM deals with most of the major FPGA vendors that allow them to be the first simulator out of the box when new designers start working on an FPGA design.
Aldec, Inc. has always played the role of spoiler to ModelSim’s gorilla. From the sidelines, it appeared that Aldec generally employed the “fast follower” strategy – running close behind with new features and innovations and working to win on price. The strategy worked relatively well for Aldec, who has kept a strong market share for over a decade.
