Document:

Exhibit 4.4
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                               AVANT! CORPORATION
                      1995 STOCK OPTION/STOCK ISSUANCE PLAN
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                 (AMENDED AND RESTATED AS OF FEBRUARY 27, 1998)

                                   ARTICLE ONE
                               GENERAL PROVISIONS
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     I.   PURPOSE OF THE PLAN

          This 1995 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan is intended to promote the
interests of Avant! Corporation, a Delaware corporation, by providing eligible
persons with the opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest, or otherwise
increase their proprietary interest, in the Corporation as an incentive for them
to remain in the service of the Corporation.

          Capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in
the attached Appendix.

     II.  STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN

          A. The Plan shall be divided into three separate equity programs:

                      (i) the Discretionary Option Grant Program under which
     eligible persons may, at the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be
     granted options to purchase shares of Common Stock,

                     (ii) the Stock Issuance Program under which eligible
     persons may, at the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be issued shares
     of Common Stock directly, either through the immediate purchase of such
     shares or as a bonus for services rendered to the Corporation (or any
     Parent or Subsidiary), and

                    (iii) the Automatic Option Grant Program under which
     Eligible Directors shall automatically receive option grants at periodic
     intervals to purchase shares of Common Stock.

          B. The provisions of Articles One and Five shall apply to all equity
programs under the Plan and shall accordingly govern the interests of all
persons under the Plan.

     III. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN

          A. The Board and the Primary Committee shall have the authority to
administer the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with
respect to Section 16 Insiders.

          B. Administration of the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance
Programs with respect to all other persons eligible to participate in these
programs may, at the Board's discretion, be vested in the Primary Committee or a
Secondary Committee, or the Board may retain the power to administer these
programs with respect to all such persons. The members of the Secondary
Committee may be individuals who are Employees eligible to receive discretionary
option grants or direct stock issuances under the Plan or any stock option,
stock appreciation, stock bonus or other stock plan of the Corporation (or any
Parent or Subsidiary).

          C. Members of the Primary Committee or any Secondary Committee shall
serve for such period of time as the Board may determine and shall be subject to
removal by the Board at any time. The Board may also at any time terminate the
functions of any Secondary Committee and reassume all powers and authority
previously delegated to such committee.

          D. The Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its
administrative functions under the Plan, have full power and authority (subject
to the provisions of the Plan) to establish such rules and regulations as it may
deem appropriate for proper administration of the Discretionary Option Grant and
Stock Issuance Programs and to make such determinations under, and issue such
interpretations of, the provisions of such programs and any outstanding options
or stock issuances thereunder as it may deem necessary or advisable. Decisions
of the Plan Administrator within the scope of its administrative functions under
the Plan shall be final and binding on all parties who have an interest in the
Discretionary Option Grant or Stock Issuance Program under its jurisdiction or
any option or stock issuance thereunder.

          E. Service on the Primary Committee or the Secondary Committee shall
constitute service as a Board member, and members of each such committee shall
accordingly be entitled to full indemnification and reimbursement as Board
members for their service on such committee. No member of the Primary Committee
or the Secondary Committee shall be liable for any act or omission made in good
faith with respect to the Plan or any option grants or stock issuances under the
Plan.

          F. Administration of the Automatic Option Grant Program shall be
self-executing in accordance with the terms of that program, and no Plan
Administrator shall exercise any discretionary functions with respect to option
grants made thereunder.

     IV.  ELIGIBILITY

          A. The persons eligible to participate in the Discretionary Option
Grant and Stock Issuance Programs are as follows:

                      (i)  Employees,

                     (ii)  non-employee members of the Board or the
     board of directors of any Parent or Subsidiary, and

                    (iii)  consultants and other independent advisors who
     provide services to the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

          B. The Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its
administrative jurisdiction under the Plan, have full authority to determine (i)
with respect to the option grants under the Discretionary Option Grant Program,
which eligible persons are to receive option grants, the time or times when such
option grants are to be made, the number of shares to be covered by each such
grant, the status of the granted option as either an Incentive Option or a
Non-Statutory Option, the time or times at which each option is to become
exercisable, the vesting schedule (if any) applicable to the option shares and
the maximum term for which the option is to remain outstanding and (ii) with
respect to stock issuances under the Stock Issuance Program, which eligible
persons are to receive stock issuances, the time or times when such issuances
are to be made, the number of shares to be issued to each Participant, the
vesting schedule (if any) applicable to the issued shares and the consideration
to be paid by the Participant for such shares.

          C. The Plan Administrator shall have the absolute discretion either to
grant options in accordance with the Discretionary Option Grant Program or to
effect stock issuances in accordance with the Stock Issuance Program.

          D. The individuals eligible to receive option grants under the
Automatic Option Grant Program shall be (i) those individuals who are serving as
non-employee Board members on the Effective Date or who are first elected or
appointed as non-employee Board members after such date, whether through
appointment by the Board or election by the Corporation's stockholders, and (ii)
those individuals who continue to serve as non-employee Board members after one
or more Annual Stockholders Meetings held after the Effective Date. A
non-employee Board member who has previously been in the employ of the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary) shall not be eligible to receive an
option grant under the Automatic Option Grant Program on the Effective Date or
at the time he or she first becomes a non-employee Board member, but such
individual shall be eligible to receive periodic option grants under the
Automatic Option Grant Program as a result of his or her continued service as a
non-employee Board member following one or more Annual Stockholders Meetings.

     V.   STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

          A. The stock issuable under the Plan shall be shares of authorized but
unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased by the
Corporation on the open market. The number of shares of Common Stock that may be
issued over the term of the Plan shall not exceed 5,584,017 shares.(1) No
Incentive Options may be granted on the basis of 518,442 of such shares, which
resulted from two automatic annual increases equal to one percent (1%) of the
shares of Common Stock outstanding on December 31, 1996, and December 31, 1997,
respectively.

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(1) Such authorized share reserve includes (i) 2,315,575 shares available at the
inception of the Plan, (ii) an increase of 750,000 shares authorized by the
Board under the Plan on April 10, 1996, and approved by the stockholders at the
1996 Annual Stockholders Meeting, (iii) an automatic annual increase of 249,520
shares effective January 1, 1997, (iv) an increase of 1,000,000 shares
authorized by the Board under the Plan on April 11, 1997, and approved by the
stockholders at the 1997 Annual Stockholders Meeting, (v) an automatic annual
increase of 268,922 shares effective January 1, 1998, and (vi) an increase of
1,000,000 shares authorized by the Board under the Plan on February 27, 1998,
and submitted to the stockholders for approval at the 1998 Annual Stockholders
Meeting.

          B. The number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under
the Plan shall automatically increase by 500,000 shares on the first day of each
calendar year during the term of the Plan, beginning with the 1999 calendar
year.

          C. No one person participating in the Plan may receive options and
direct stock issuances for more than 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock in the
aggregate per calendar year over the term of the Plan.

          D. Shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding options shall be
available for subsequent issuance under the Plan to the extent (i) the options
(including any options incorporated from the Predecessor Plan) expire or
terminate for any reason prior to exercise in full or (ii) the options are
canceled in accordance with the cancellation-regrant provisions of Article Two,
Section IV. All shares issued under the Plan (including shares issued upon
exercise of options incorporated from the Predecessor Plan), whether or not
those shares are subsequently repurchased by the Corporation pursuant to its
repurchase rights under the Plan, shall reduce on a share-for-share basis the
number of shares of Common Stock available for subsequent issuance under the
Plan. In addition, should the exercise price of an option under the Plan
(including any option incorporated from the Predecessor Plan) be paid with
shares of Common Stock or should shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable under
the Plan be withheld by the Corporation in satisfaction of the withholding taxes
incurred in connection with the exercise of an option or the vesting of a stock
issuance under the Plan, then the number of shares of Common Stock available for
issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by the gross number of shares for which
the option is exercised or which vest under the stock issuance, and not by the
net number of shares of Common Stock issued to the holder of such option or
stock issuance.

          E. Should any change be made to the Common Stock by reason of any
stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange
of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class
without the Corporation's receipt of consideration, appropriate adjustments
shall be made to (i) the maximum number and/or class of securities issuable
under the Plan, (ii) the number and/or class of securities for which the share
reserve is to increase automatically each year, (iii) the number and/or class of
securities for which any one person may be granted options, separately
exercisable stock appreciation rights and direct stock issuances over the term
of the Plan, (iv) the number and/or class of securities for which automatic
option grants are to be subsequently made per Eligible Director under the
Automatic Option Grant Program and (v) the number and/or class of securities and
the exercise price per share in effect under each outstanding option (including
any option incorporated from the Predecessor Plan) in order to prevent the
dilution or enlargement of benefits thereunder. The adjustments determined by
the Plan Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive.

                                   ARTICLE TWO
                       DISCRETIONARY OPTION GRANT PROGRAM
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     I.   OPTION TERMS

          Each option shall be evidenced by one or more documents in the form
approved by the Plan Administrator; PROVIDED, however, that each such document
shall comply with the terms specified below. Each document evidencing an
Incentive Option shall, in addition, be subject to the provisions of the Plan
applicable to such options.

          A. EXERCISE PRICE.

               1.   The exercise price per share shall be fixed by the Plan
Administrator but shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair
Market Value per share of Common Stock on the option grant date.

               2.   The exercise price shall become immediately due upon
exercise of the option and shall, subject to the provisions of Section I of
Article Five and the documents evidencing the option, be payable in one or more
of the forms specified below:

                      (i) cash or check made payable to the Corporation,

                     (ii) shares of Common Stock held for the requisite period
     necessary to avoid a charge to the Corporation's earnings for financial
     reporting purposes and valued at Fair Market Value on the Exercise Date, or

                    (iii) to the extent the option is exercised for vested
     shares, through a special sale and remittance procedure pursuant to which
     the Optionee shall concurrently provide irrevocable written instructions to
     (a) a Corporation-designated brokerage firm to effect the immediate sale of
     the purchased shares and remit to the Corporation, out of the sale proceeds
     available on the settlement date, sufficient funds to cover the aggregate
     exercise price payable for the purchased shares plus all applicable
     Federal, state and local income and employment taxes required to be
     withheld by the Corporation by reason of such exercise and (b) the
     Corporation to deliver the certificates for the purchased shares directly
     to such brokerage firm in order to complete the sale transaction.

          Except to the extent such sale and remittance procedure is utilized,
payment of the exercise price for the purchased shares must be made on the
Exercise Date.

          B. EXERCISE AND TERM OF OPTIONS. Each option shall be exercisable at
such time or times, during such period and for such number of shares as shall be
determined by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the documents evidencing
the option. However, no option shall have a term in excess of ten (10) years
measured from the option grant date.

          C. EFFECT OF TERMINATION OF SERVICE.

               1. The following provisions shall govern the exercise of any
options held by the Optionee at the time of cessation of Service or death:

                      (i) Any option outstanding at the time of the Optionee's
     cessation of Service for any reason shall remain exercisable for such
     period of time thereafter as shall be determined by the Plan Administrator
     and set forth in the documents evidencing the option, but no such option
     shall be exercisable after the expiration of the option term.

                     (ii) Any option exercisable in whole or in part by the
     Optionee at the time of death may be subsequently exercised by the personal
     representative of the Optionee's estate or by the person or persons to whom
     the option is transferred pursuant to the Optionee's will or in accordance
     with the laws of descent and distribution.

                    (iii) During the applicable post-Service exercise period,
     the option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than the number
     of vested shares for which the option is exercisable on the date of the
     Optionee's cessation of Service. Upon the expiration of the applicable
     exercise period or (if earlier) upon the expiration of the option term, the
     option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding for any vested shares
     for which the option has not been exercised. However, the option shall,
     immediately upon the Optionee's cessation of Service, terminate and cease
     to be outstanding to the extent it is not exercisable for vested shares on
     the date of such cessation of Service.

                     (iv) Should the Optionee's Service be terminated for
     Misconduct, then all outstanding options held by the Optionee shall
     terminate immediately and cease to be outstanding.

                      (v) In the event of a Corporate Transaction, the
     provisions of Section III of this Article Two shall govern the period for
     which the outstanding options are to remain exercisable following the
     Optionee's cessation of Service and shall supersede any provisions to the
     contrary in this section.

               2. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion, exercisable
either at the time an option is granted or at any time while the option remains
outstanding, to:

                      (i) extend the period of time for which the option is to
     remain exercisable following the Optionee's cessation of Service from the
     period otherwise in effect for that option to such greater period of time
     as the Plan Administrator shall deem appropriate, but in no event beyond
     the expiration of the option term, and/or

                     (ii) permit the option to be exercised, during the
     applicable post-Service exercise period, not only with respect to the
     number of vested shares of Common Stock for which such option is
     exercisable at the time of the Optionee's cessation of Service but also
     with respect to one or more additional installments in which the Optionee
     would have vested under the option had the Optionee continued in Service.

          D. STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS. The holder of an option shall have no
stockholder rights with respect to the shares subject to the option until such
person shall have exercised the option, paid the exercise price and become a
holder of record of the purchased shares.

          E. REPURCHASE RIGHTS. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion
to grant options which are exercisable for unvested shares of Common Stock.
Should the Optionee cease Service while holding such unvested shares, the
Corporation shall have the right to repurchase, at the exercise price paid per
share, any or all of those unvested shares. The terms upon which such repurchase
right shall be exercisable (including the period and procedure for exercise and
the appropriate vesting schedule for the purchased shares) shall be established
by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the document evidencing such
repurchase right.

          F. LIMITED TRANSFERABILITY OF OPTIONS. During the lifetime of the
Optionee, the option shall be exercisable only by the Optionee and shall not be
assignable or transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and
distribution following the Optionee's death. However, a Non-Statutory Option may
be assigned in accordance with the terms of a Qualified Domestic Relations
Order. The assigned option may only be exercised by the person or persons who
acquire a proprietary interest in the option pursuant to such Qualified Domestic
Relations Order. The terms applicable to the assigned option (or portion
thereof) shall be the same as those in effect for the option immediately prior
to such assignment and shall be set forth in such documents issued to the
assignee as the Plan Administrator may deem appropriate.

     II.  INCENTIVE OPTIONS

          The terms specified below shall be applicable to all Incentive
Options. Except as modified by the provisions of this Section II, all the
provisions of Articles One, Two and Five shall be applicable to Incentive
Options. Options which are specifically designated as Non-Statutory Options when
issued under the Plan shall NOT be subject to the terms of this Section II.

          A. ELIGIBILITY. Incentive Options may only be granted to Employees.

          B. EXERCISE PRICE. The exercise price per share shall not be less than
one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on
the option grant date.

          C. DOLLAR LIMITATION. The aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares of
Common Stock (determined as of the respective date or dates of grant) for which
one or more options granted to any Employee under the Plan (or any other option
plan of the Corporation or any Parent or Subsidiary) may for the first time
become exercisable as Incentive Options during any one (1) calendar year shall
not exceed the sum of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000). To the extent the
Employee holds two (2) or more such options which become exercisable for the
first time in the same calendar year, the foregoing limitation on the
exercisability of such options as Incentive Options shall be applied on the
basis of the order in which such options are granted.

          D. 10% STOCKHOLDER. If any Employee to whom an Incentive Option is
granted is a 10% Stockholder, then the exercise price per share shall not be
less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per share of
Common Stock on the option grant date, and the option term shall not exceed five
(5) years measured from the option grant date.

     III. CORPORATE TRANSACTION/CHANGE IN CONTROL

          A. In the event of any Corporate Transaction, each outstanding option
shall automatically accelerate so that each such option shall, immediately prior
to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction, become fully exercisable for
all of the shares of Common Stock at the time subject to such option and may be
exercised for any or all of those shares as fully-vested shares of Common Stock.
However, an outstanding option shall NOT so accelerate if and to the extent: (i)
such option is, in connection with the Corporate Transaction, either to be
assumed by the successor corporation (or parent thereof) or to be replaced with
a comparable option to purchase shares of the capital stock of the successor
corporation (or parent thereof), (ii) such option is to be replaced with a cash
incentive program of the successor corporation which preserves the spread
existing on the unvested option shares at the time of the Corporate Transaction
and provides for subsequent payout in accordance with the same vesting schedule
applicable to such option or (iii) the acceleration of such option is subject to
other limitations imposed by the Plan Administrator at the time of the option
grant. The determination of option comparability under clause (i) above shall be
made by the Plan Administrator, and its determination shall be final, binding
and conclusive.

          B. All outstanding repurchase rights shall also terminate
automatically, and the shares of Common Stock subject to those terminated rights
shall immediately vest in full, in the event of any Corporate Transaction,
except to the extent: (i) those repurchase rights are to be assigned to the
successor corporation (or parent thereof) in connection with such Corporate
Transaction or (ii) such accelerated vesting is precluded by other limitations
imposed by the Plan Administrator at the time the repurchase right is issued.

          C. Immediately following the consummation of the Corporate
Transaction, all outstanding options shall terminate and cease to be
outstanding, except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation (or
parent thereof).

          D. Each option which is assumed in connection with a Corporate
Transaction shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such Corporate
Transaction, to apply to the number and class of securities which would have
been issuable to the Optionee in consummation of such Corporate Transaction had
the option been exercised immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction.
Appropriate adjustments shall also be made to (i) the number and class of
securities available for issuance under the Plan on both an aggregate and per
Optionee basis following the consummation of such Corporate Transaction and (ii)
the exercise price payable per share under each outstanding option, PROVIDED the
aggregate exercise price payable for such securities shall remain the same.

          E. Any options which are assumed or replaced in the Corporate
Transaction and do not otherwise accelerate at that time, shall automatically
accelerate (and any of the Corporation's outstanding repurchase rights which do
not otherwise terminate at the time of the Corporate Transaction shall
automatically terminate and the shares of Common Stock subject to those
terminated rights shall immediately vest in full) in the event the Optionee's
Service should subsequently terminate by reason of an Involuntary Termination
within eighteen (18) months following the effective date of such Corporate
Transaction. Any options so accelerated shall remain exercisable for
fully-vested shares until the EARLIER of (i) the expiration of the option term
or (ii) the expiration of the one (1)-year period measured from the effective
date of the Involuntary Termination.

          F. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion, exercisable
either at the time the option is granted or at any time while the option remains
outstanding, to (i) provide for the automatic acceleration of one or more
outstanding options (and the automatic termination of one or more outstanding
repurchase rights with the immediate vesting of the shares of Common Stock
subject to those rights) upon the occurrence of a Change in Control or (ii)
condition any such option acceleration (and the termination of any outstanding
repurchase rights) upon the subsequent Involuntary Termination of the Optionee's
Service within a specified period following the effective date of such Change in
Control. Any options accelerated in connection with a Change in Control shall
remain fully exercisable until the expiration or sooner termination of the
option term.

          G. The portion of any Incentive Option accelerated in connection with
a Corporate Transaction or Change in Control shall remain exercisable as an
Incentive Option only to the extent the applicable One Hundred Thousand Dollar
limitation is not exceeded. To the extent such dollar limitation is exceeded,
the accelerated portion of such option shall be exercisable as a Non-Statutory
Option under the Federal tax laws.

          H. The grant of options under the Discretionary Option Grant Program
shall in no way affect the right of the Corporation to adjust, reclassify,
reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or to merge,
consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its
business or assets.

     IV.  CANCELLATION AND REGRANT OF OPTIONS

          The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to effect, at any time
and from time to time, with the consent of the affected option holders, the
cancellation of any or all outstanding options under the Discretionary Option
Grant Program (including outstanding options incorporated from the Predecessor
Plan) and to grant in substitution new options covering the same or different
number of shares of Common Stock but with an exercise price per share based on
the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the new option grant date.

     V.   STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

          A. The Plan Administrator shall have full power and authority to grant
to selected Optionees tandem stock appreciation rights and/or limited stock
appreciation rights.

          B. The following terms shall govern the grant and exercise of tandem
stock appreciation rights:

                      (i) One or more Optionees may be granted the right,
     exercisable upon such terms as the Plan Administrator may establish, to
     elect between the exercise of the underlying option for shares of Common
     Stock and the surrender of that option in exchange for a distribution from
     the Corporation in an amount equal to the excess of (A) the Fair Market
     Value (on the option surrender date) of the number of shares in which the
     Optionee is at the time vested under the surrendered option (or surrendered
     portion thereof) over (B) the aggregate exercise price payable for such
     shares.

                     (ii) No such option surrender shall be effective unless it
     is approved by the Plan Administrator. If the surrender is so approved,
     then the distribution to which the Optionee shall be entitled may be made
     in shares of Common Stock valued at Fair Market Value on the option
     surrender date, in cash, or partly in shares and partly in cash, as the
     Plan Administrator shall in its sole discretion deem appropriate.

                    (iii) If the surrender of an option is rejected by the Plan
     Administrator, then the Optionee shall retain whatever rights the Optionee
     had under the surrendered option (or surrendered portion thereof) on the
     option surrender date and may exercise such rights at any time prior to the
     LATER of (A) five (5) business days after the receipt of the rejection
     notice or (B) the last day on which the option is otherwise exercisable in
     accordance with the terms of the documents evidencing such option, but in
     no event may such rights be exercised more than ten (10) years after the
     option grant date.

          C. The following terms shall govern the grant and exercise of limited
stock appreciation rights:

                      (i) One or more Section 16 Insiders may be granted limited
     stock appreciation rights with respect to their outstanding options.

                     (ii) Upon the occurrence of a Hostile Take-Over, each such
     individual holding one or more options with such a limited stock
     appreciation right in effect for at least six (6) months shall have the
     unconditional right (exercisable for a thirty (30)-day period following
     such Hostile Take-Over) to surrender each such option to the Corporation,
     to the extent the option is at the time exercisable for vested shares of
     Common Stock. In return for the surrendered option, the Optionee shall
     receive a cash distribution from the Corporation in an amount equal to the
     excess of (A) the Take-Over Price of the shares of Common Stock which are
     at the time vested under each surrendered option (or surrendered portion
     thereof) over (B) the aggregate exercise price payable for such shares.
     Such cash distribution shall be paid within five (5) days following the
     option surrender date.

                    (iii) Neither the approval of the Plan Administrator nor
     the consent of the Board shall be required in connection with such option
     surrender and cash distribution.

                     (iv) The balance of the option (if any) shall continue in
     full force and effect in accordance with the documents evidencing such
     option.

                                  ARTICLE THREE
                             STOCK ISSUANCE PROGRAM
                             ----------------------

     I.   STOCK ISSUANCE TERMS

          Shares of Common Stock may be issued under the Stock Issuance Program
through direct and immediate issuances without any intervening option grants.
Each such stock issuance shall be evidenced by a Stock Issuance Agreement which
complies with the terms specified below.

          A.   PURCHASE PRICE.

               1. The purchase price per share shall be fixed by the Plan
Administrator, but shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair
Market Value per share of Common Stock on the stock issuance date.

               2. Subject to the provisions of Section I of Article Five, shares
of Common Stock may be issued under the Stock Issuance Program for one or both
of the following items of consideration which the Plan Administrator may deem
appropriate in each individual instance:

                      (i) cash or check made payable to the Corporation, or

                     (ii) past services rendered to the Corporation (or any
     Parent or Subsidiary).

          B.   VESTING PROVISIONS.

               1. Shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock Issuance Program
may, in the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be fully and immediately
vested upon issuance or may vest in one or more installments over the
Participant's period of Service or upon attainment of specified performance
objectives. The elements of the vesting schedule applicable to any unvested
shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock Issuance Program, namely:

                      (i) the Service period to be completed by the Participant
     or the performance objectives to be attained,

                     (ii) the number of installments in which the shares are to
     vest,

                    (iii) the interval or intervals (if any) which are to lapse
     between installments, and

                     (iv) the effect which death, Permanent Disability or other
         event designated by the Plan Administrator is to have upon the vesting
         schedule, shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and
         incorporated into the Stock Issuance Agreement.

               2. Any new, substituted or additional securities or other
property (including money paid other than as a regular cash dividend) which the
Participant may have the right to receive with respect to the Participant's
unvested shares of Common Stock by reason of any stock dividend, stock split,
recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange of shares or other change
affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class without the Corporation's
receipt of consideration shall be issued subject to (i) the same vesting
requirements applicable to the Participant's unvested shares of Common Stock and
(ii) such escrow arrangements as the Plan Administrator shall deem appropriate.

               3. The Participant shall have full stockholder rights with
respect to any shares of Common Stock issued to the Participant under the Stock
Issuance Program, whether or not the Participant's interest in those shares is
vested. Accordingly, the Participant shall have the right to vote such shares
and to receive any regular cash dividends paid on such shares.

               4. Should the Participant cease to remain in Service while
holding one or more unvested shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock
Issuance Program or should the performance objectives not be attained with
respect to one or more such unvested shares of Common Stock, then those shares
shall be immediately surrendered to the Corporation for cancellation, and the
Participant shall have no further stockholder rights with respect to those
shares. To the extent the surrendered shares were previously issued to the
Participant for consideration paid in cash or cash equivalent (including the
Participant's purchase-money indebtedness), the Corporation shall repay to the
Participant the cash consideration paid for the surrendered shares and shall
cancel the unpaid principal balance of any outstanding purchase-money note of
the Participant attributable to such surrendered shares.

               5. The Plan Administrator may in its discretion waive the
surrender and cancellation of one or more unvested shares of Common Stock (or
other assets attributable thereto) which would otherwise occur upon the
cessation of the Participant's Service or the non-completion of the vesting
schedule applicable to such shares. Such waiver shall result in the immediate
vesting of the Participant's interest in the shares of Common Stock as to which
the waiver applies. Such waiver may be effected at any time, whether before or
after the Participant's cessation of Service or the attainment or non-attainment
of the applicable performance objectives.

     II.  CORPORATE TRANSACTION/CHANGE IN CONTROL

          A. All of the outstanding repurchase rights under the Stock Issuance
Program shall terminate automatically, and all the shares of Common Stock
subject to those terminated rights shall immediately vest in full, in the event
of any Corporate Transaction, except to the extent (i) those repurchase rights
are assigned to the successor corporation (or parent thereof) in connection with
such Corporate Transaction or (ii) such accelerated vesting is precluded by
other limitations imposed in the Stock Issuance Agreement.

          B. Any repurchase rights that are assigned in the Corporate
Transaction shall automatically terminate, and all the shares of Common Stock
subject to those terminated rights shall immediately vest in full, in the event
the Participant's Service should subsequently terminate by reason of an
Involuntary Termination within eighteen (18) months following the effective date
of such Corporate Transaction.

          C. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion, exercisable
either at the time the unvested shares are issued or at any time while the
Corporation's repurchase right remains outstanding, to (i) provide for the
automatic termination of one or more outstanding repurchase rights and the
immediate vesting of the shares of Common Stock subject to those rights upon the
occurrence of a Change in Control or (ii) condition any such accelerated vesting
upon the subsequent Involuntary Termination of the Participant's Service within
a specified period following the effective date of such Change in Control.

     III. SHARE ESCROW/LEGENDS

          Unvested shares may, in the Plan Administrator's discretion, be held
in escrow by the Corporation until the Participant's interest in such shares
vests or may be issued directly to the Participant with restrictive legends on
the certificates evidencing those unvested shares.

                                  ARTICLE FOUR
                         AUTOMATIC OPTION GRANT PROGRAM
                         ------------------------------

     I.   OPTION TERMS

          A. GRANT DATES. Option grants shall be made on the dates specified
below:

               1. Each Eligible Director who is a non-employee Board member on
the Effective Date and each Eligible Director who is first elected or appointed
as a non-employee Board member after such date shall automatically be granted,
on the Effective Date or on the date of such initial election or appointment (as
the case may be), a Non-Statutory Option to purchase 20,000 shares of Common
Stock.

               2. On the date of each Annual Stockholders Meeting, beginning
with the 1996 Annual Meeting, each individual who is to continue to serve as an
Eligible Director after such meeting shall automatically be granted, whether or
not such individual is standing for re-election as a Board member at that Annual
Meeting, a Non-Statutory Option to purchase an additional 5,000 shares of Common
Stock, provided such individual has served as a non-employee Board member for at
least six (6) months prior to the date of such Annual Meeting. There shall be no
limit on the number of such 5,000-share option grants any one Eligible Director
may receive over his or her period of Board service.

          B. EXERCISE PRICE.

               1. The exercise price per share shall be equal to one hundred
percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the option
grant date.

               2. The exercise price shall be payable in one or more of the
alternative forms authorized under the Discretionary Option Grant Program.
Except to the extent the sale and remittance procedure specified thereunder is
utilized, payment of the exercise price for the purchased shares must be made on
the Exercise Date.

          C. OPTION TERM. Each option shall have a term of ten (10) years
measured from the option grant date.

          D. EXERCISE AND VESTING OF OPTIONS. Each option shall be immediately
exercisable for any or all of the option shares. However, any shares purchased
under the option shall be subject to repurchase by the Corporation, at the
exercise price paid per share, upon the termination of the Optionee's Service
prior to vesting in those shares. Each initial grant shall vest, and the
Corporation's repurchase right shall lapse, in a series of four (4) equal and
successive annual installments over the Optionee's period of continued Service,
with the first such installment to vest upon the Optionee's completion of one
(1) year of Service measured from the option grant date. Each annual grant shall
vest, and the Corporation's repurchase right shall lapse, upon the Optionee's
completion of one (1) year of Service measured from the option grant date.

          E. EFFECT OF TERMINATION OF SERVICE. The following provisions shall
govern the exercise of any options held by the Optionee at the time the
Optionee's Service terminates:

                      (i) The Optionee (or, in the event of Optionee's death,
     the personal representative of the Optionee's estate or the person or
     persons to whom the option is transferred pursuant to the Optionee's will
     or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution) shall have a
     twelve (12)-month period following the date of the termination of the
     Optionee's Service in which to exercise each such option.

                     (ii) During the twelve (12)-month exercise period, the
     option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than the number of
     vested shares of Common Stock for which the option is exercisable at the
     time of the termination of the Optionee's Service.

                    (iii) Should the Optionee's Service terminate by reason of
     death or Permanent Disability, then all shares at the time subject to the
     option shall immediately vest so that such option may, during the twelve
     (12)-month exercise period following the termination of the Optionee's
     Service, be exercised for all or any portion of such shares as fully-vested
     shares of Common Stock.

                     (iv) In no event shall the option remain exercisable after
     the expiration of the option term. Upon the expiration of the twelve
     (12)-month exercise period or (if earlier) upon the expiration of the
     option term, the option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding for any
     vested shares for which the option has not been exercised. However, the
     option shall, immediately upon the termination of the Optionee's Service,
     terminate and cease to be outstanding to the extent it is not exercisable
     for vested shares on the date of the termination of the Optionee's Service.

     II.  CORPORATE TRANSACTION/CHANGE IN CONTROL/HOSTILE TAKE-OVER

          A. In the event of any Corporate Transaction, the shares of Common
Stock at the time subject to each outstanding option but not otherwise vested
shall automatically vest in full so that each such option shall, immediately
prior to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction, become fully
exercisable for all of the shares of Common Stock at the time subject to such
option and may be exercised for all or any portion of such shares as
fully-vested shares of Common Stock. Immediately following the consummation of
the Corporate Transaction, each automatic option grant shall terminate and cease
to be outstanding, except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation (or
parent thereof).

          B. In connection with any Change in Control, the shares of Common
Stock at the time subject to each outstanding option but not otherwise vested
shall automatically vest in full so that each such option shall, immediately
prior to the effective date of the Change in Control, become fully exercisable
for all of the shares of Common Stock at the time subject to such option and may
be exercised for all or any portion of such shares as fully-vested shares of
Common Stock. Each such option shall remain exercisable for such fully-vested
option shares until the expiration or sooner termination of the option term or
the surrender of the option in connection with a Hostile Take-Over.

          C. Upon the occurrence of a Hostile Take-Over, the Optionee shall have
a thirty (30)-day period in which to surrender to the Corporation each automatic
option held by him or her for a period of at least six (6) months. The Optionee
shall in return be entitled to a cash distribution from the Corporation in an
amount equal to the excess of (i) the Take-Over Price of the shares of Common
Stock at the time subject to the surrendered option (whether or not the Optionee
is otherwise at the time vested in those shares) over (ii) the aggregate
exercise price payable for such shares. Such cash distribution shall be paid
within five (5) days following the surrender of the option to the Corporation.
No approval or consent of the Board shall be required in connection with such
option surrender and cash distribution.

          D. The grant of options under the Automatic Option Grant Program shall
in no way affect the right of the Corporation to adjust, reclassify, reorganize
or otherwise change its capital or business structure or to merge, consolidate,
dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its business or
assets.

     III. REMAINING TERMS

          The remaining terms of each option granted under the Automatic Option
Grant Program shall be the same as the terms in effect for option grants made
under the Discretionary Option Grant Program.

                                  ARTICLE FIVE
                                  MISCELLANEOUS
                                  -------------

     I.   FINANCING

          A. The Plan Administrator may permit any Optionee or Participant to
pay the option exercise price under the Discretionary Option Grant Program or
the purchase price for shares issued under the Stock Issuance Program by
delivering a promissory note payable in one or more installments. The terms of
any such promissory note (including the interest rate and the terms of
repayment) shall be established by the Plan Administrator in its sole
discretion. Promissory notes may be authorized with or without security or
collateral. In all events, the maximum credit available to the Optionee or
Participant may not exceed the sum of (i) the aggregate option exercise price or
purchase price payable for the purchased shares plus (ii) any Federal, state and
local income and employment tax liability incurred by the Optionee or the
Participant in connection with the option exercise or share purchase.

          B. The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, determine that one
or more such promissory notes shall be subject to forgiveness by the Corporation
in whole or in part upon such terms as the Plan Administrator may deem
appropriate.

     II.  TAX WITHHOLDING

          A. The Corporation's obligation to deliver shares of Common Stock upon
the exercise of options or stock appreciation rights or upon the issuance or
vesting of such shares under the Plan shall be subject to the satisfaction of
all applicable Federal, state and local income and employment tax withholding
requirements.

          B. The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, provide any or all
holders of Non-Statutory Options or unvested shares of Common Stock under the
Plan (other than the options granted or the shares issued under the Automatic
Option Grant Program) with the right to use shares of Common Stock in
satisfaction of all or part of the Taxes incurred by such holders in connection
with the exercise of their options or the vesting of their shares. Such right
may be provided to any such holder in either or both of the following formats:

                      (i) STOCK WITHHOLDING: The election to have the
         Corporation withhold, from the shares of Common Stock otherwise
         issuable upon the exercise of such Non-Statutory Option or the vesting
         of such shares, a portion of those shares with an aggregate Fair Market
         Value equal to the percentage of the Taxes (not to exceed one hundred
         percent (100%)) designated by the holder.

                     (ii) STOCK DELIVERY:  The election to deliver to the
        Corporation, at the time the Non-Statutory Option is exercised or the
        shares vest, one or more shares of Common Stock previously acquired by
        such holder (other than in connection with the option exercise or share
        vesting triggering the Taxes)with an aggregate Fair Market Value equal
        to the percentage of the Taxes (not to exceed one hundred percent
        (100%)) designated by the holder.

     III. EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM OF THE PLAN

          A. The Plan became effective on the Effective Date and the initial
options under the Automatic Option Grant Program were made to the Eligible
Directors at that time. The Plan serves as the successor to the Predecessor
Plan, and no further option grants shall be made under the Predecessor Plan
after the Effective Date. All options outstanding under the Predecessor Plan as
of such date were incorporated into the Plan and treated as outstanding options
under the Plan, upon approval of the Plan by the Corporation's stockholders.
However, each outstanding option so incorporated shall continue to be governed
solely by the terms of the documents evidencing such option, and no provision of
the Plan shall be deemed to affect or otherwise modify the rights or obligations
of the holders of such incorporated options with respect to their acquisition of
shares of Common Stock.

          B. One or more provisions of the Plan, including (without limitation)
the option/vesting acceleration provisions of Article Two relating to Corporate
Transactions and Changes in Control, may, in the Plan Administrator's
discretion, be extended to one or more options incorporated from the Predecessor
Plan which do not otherwise contain such provisions.

          C. The Plan shall terminate upon the EARLIEST of (i) March 31, 2005,
(ii) the date on which all shares available for issuance under the Plan shall
have been issued pursuant to the exercise of the options or the issuance of
shares (whether vested or unvested) under the Plan or (iii) the termination of
all outstanding options in connection with a Corporate Transaction. Upon such
Plan termination, all options and unvested stock issuances outstanding on such
date shall thereafter continue to have force and effect in accordance with the
provisions of the documents evidencing such options or issuances.

     IV.  AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN

          A. The Board shall have complete and exclusive power and authority to
amend or modify the Plan in any or all respects. However, no such amendment or
modification shall adversely affect the rights and obligations with respect to
options, stock appreciation rights or unvested stock issuances at the time
outstanding under the Plan, unless the Optionee or the Participant consents to
such amendment or modification. In addition, the Board shall not, without the
approval of the Corporation's stockholders, (i) materially increase the maximum
number of shares issuable under the Plan, the number of shares for which options
may be granted under the Automatic Option Grant Program or the maximum number of
shares for which any one person may be granted options, separately exercisable
stock appreciation rights and direct stock issuances in the aggregate over the
term of the Plan, except for permissible adjustments in the event of certain
changes in the Corporation's capitalization, or (ii) materially modify the
eligibility requirements for Plan participation.

          B. Options to purchase shares of Common Stock may be granted under the
Discretionary Option Grant Program and shares of Common Stock may be issued
under the Stock Issuance Program that are in each instance in excess of the
number of shares then available for issuance under the Plan, provided any excess
shares actually issued under those programs are held in escrow until there is
obtained stockholder approval of an amendment sufficiently increasing the number
of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan. If such
stockholder approval is not obtained within twelve (12) months after the date
the first such excess issuances are made, then (i) any unexercised options
granted on the basis of such excess shares shall terminate and cease to be
outstanding and (ii) the Corporation shall promptly refund to the Optionees and
the Participants the exercise or purchase price paid for any excess shares
issued under the Plan and held in escrow, together with interest (at the
applicable Short Term Federal Rate) for the period the shares were held in
escrow, and such shares shall thereupon be automatically canceled and cease to
be outstanding.

     V.   USE OF PROCEEDS

          Any cash proceeds received by the Corporation from the sale of shares
of Common Stock under the Plan shall be used for general corporate purposes.

     VI.  REGULATORY APPROVALS

          A. The implementation of the Plan, the granting of any option or stock
appreciation right under the Plan and the issuance of any shares of Common Stock
(i) upon the exercise of any option or stock appreciation right or (ii) under
the Stock Issuance Program shall be subject to the Corporation's procurement of
all approvals and permits required by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction
over the Plan, the options and stock appreciation rights granted under it and
the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to it.

          B. No shares of Common Stock or other assets shall be issued or
delivered under the Plan unless and until there shall have been compliance with
all applicable requirements of Federal and state securities laws, including the
filing and effectiveness of the Form S-8 registration statement for the shares
of Common Stock issuable under the Plan, and all applicable listing requirements
of any stock exchange (or the Nasdaq National Market, if applicable) on which
Common Stock is then listed for trading.

     VII. NO EMPLOYMENT/SERVICE RIGHTS

          Nothing in the Plan shall confer upon the Optionee or the Participant
any right to continue in Service for any period of specific duration or
interfere with or otherwise restrict in any way the rights of the Corporation
(or any Parent or Subsidiary employing or retaining such person) or of the
Optionee or the Participant, which rights are hereby expressly reserved by each,
to terminate such person's Service at any time for any reason, with or without
cause.

<PAGE>
                                    APPENDIX
                                    --------

          The following definitions shall be in effect under the Plan:

          A. AUTOMATIC OPTION GRANT PROGRAM shall mean the automatic option
grant program in effect under the Plan.

          B. BOARD shall mean the Corporation's Board of Directors.

          C. CHANGE IN CONTROL shall mean a change in ownership or control of
the Corporation effected through either of the following transactions:

                      (i) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any person
          or related group of persons (other than the Corporation or a person
          that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under
          common control with, the Corporation), of beneficial ownership (within
          the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the 1934 Act) of securities possessing
          more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
          the Corporation's outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or
          exchange offer made directly to the Corporation's stockholders which
          the Board does not recommend such stockholders to accept, or

                     (ii) a change in the composition of the Board over a period
          of thirty-six (36) consecutive months or less such that a majority of
          the Board members ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections
          for Board membership, to be comprised of individuals who either (A)
          have been Board members continuously since the beginning of such
          period or (B) have been elected or nominated for election as Board
          members during such period by at least a majority of the Board members
          described in clause (A) who were still in office at the time the Board
          approved such election or nomination.

          D. CODE shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

          E. COMMON STOCK shall mean the Corporation's common stock.

          F. CORPORATE TRANSACTION shall mean either of the following
stockholder-approved transactions to which the Corporation is a party:

                      (i) a merger or consolidation in which securities
          possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting
          power of the Corporation's outstanding securities are transferred to a
          person or persons different from the persons holding those immediately
          prior to such transaction; or

                      (ii) the sale, transfer or other disposition all or
          substantially all of the Corporation's assets in complete liquidation
          or dissolution of the Corporation.

          G. CORPORATION shall mean Avant! Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

          H. DISCRETIONARY OPTION GRANT PROGRAM shall mean the discretionary
option grant program in effect under the Plan.

          I. DOMESTIC RELATIONS ORDER shall mean any judgment, decree or order
(including approval of a property settlement agreement) which provides or
otherwise conveys, pursuant to applicable State domestic relations laws
(including community property laws), marital property rights to any spouse or
former spouse of the Optionee.

          J. EFFECTIVE DATE shall mean the date on which the Underwriting
Agreement is executed and the initial public offering price of the Common Stock
is established.

          K. ELIGIBLE DIRECTOR shall mean a non-employee Board member eligible
to participate in the Automatic Option Grant Program in accordance with the
eligibility provisions of Article One.

          L. EMPLOYEE shall mean an individual who is in the employ of the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary), subject to the control and direction
of the employer entity as to both the work to be performed and the manner and
method of performance.

          M. EXERCISE DATE shall mean the date on which the Corporation shall
have received written notice of the option exercise.

          N. FAIR MARKET VALUE per share of Common Stock on any relevant date
shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions:

                      (i) If the Common Stock is at the time traded on the
          Nasdaq National Market, then the Fair Market Value shall be the
          closing price per share of Common Stock on the date in question, as
          such price is reported by the National Association of Securities
          Dealers on the Nasdaq National Market or any successor system. If
          there is no closing price for the Common Stock on the date in
          question, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing price on the
          last preceding date for which such quotation exists.

                     (ii) If the Common Stock is at the time listed on any Stock
          Exchange, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling
          price per share of Common Stock on the date in question on the Stock
          Exchange determined by the Plan Administrator to be the primary market
          for the Common Stock, as such price is officially quoted in the
          composite tape of transactions on such exchange. If there is no
          closing selling price for the Common Stock on the date in question,
          then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling price on the
          last preceding date for which such quotation exists.

                    (iii) For purposes of option grants made on the Effective
          Date, the Fair Market Value shall be deemed to be equal to the initial
          public offering price per share of Common Stock established at the
          time the Underwriting Agreement is executed.

          O. HOSTILE TAKE-OVER shall mean a change in ownership of the
Corporation effected through the following transaction:

                      (i) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any person
          or related group of persons (other than the Corporation or a person
          that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under
          common control with, the Corporation) of beneficial ownership (within
          the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the 1934 Act) of securities possessing
          more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
          the Corporation's outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or
          exchange offer made directly to the Corporation's stockholders which
          the Board does not recommend such stockholders to accept, AND

                     (ii) more than fifty percent (50%) of the securities so
          acquired are accepted from persons other than Section 16 Insiders.

          P. INCENTIVE OPTION shall mean an option which satisfies the
requirements of Code Section 422.

          Q. INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION shall mean the termination of the Service
of any individual which occurs by reason of:

                     (i) such individual's involuntary dismissal or
          discharge by the Corporation for reasons other than Misconduct,
          or

                     (ii) such individual's voluntary resignation following (A)
          a change in his or her position with the Corporation which materially
          reduces his or her level of responsibility, (B) a reduction in his or
          her level of compensation (including base salary, fringe benefits and
          any non-discretionary and objective-standard incentive payment or
          bonus award) by more than fifteen percent (15%) or (C) a relocation of
          such individual's place of employment by more than fifty (50) miles,
          provided and only if such change, reduction or relocation is effected
          by the Corporation without the individual's consent.

          R. MISCONDUCT shall mean the commission of any act of fraud,
embezzlement or dishonesty by the Optionee or Participant, any unauthorized use
or disclosure by such person of confidential information or trade secrets of the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary), or any other intentional misconduct
by such person adversely affecting the business or affairs of the Corporation
(or any Parent or Subsidiary) in a material manner. The foregoing definition
shall not be deemed to be inclusive of all the acts or omissions which the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary) may consider as grounds for the
dismissal or discharge of any Optionee, Participant or other person in the
Service of the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

          S. 1934 ACT shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.

          T. NON-STATUTORY OPTION shall mean an option not intended to satisfy
the requirements of Code Section 422.

          U. OPTIONEE shall mean any person to whom an option is granted under
the Discretionary Option Grant or Automatic Option Grant Program.

          V. PARENT shall mean any corporation (other than the Corporation) in
an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Corporation, provided each
corporation in the unbroken chain (other than the Corporation) owns, at the time
of the determination, stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total
combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations
in such chain.

          W. PARTICIPANT shall mean any person who is issued shares of Common
Stock under the Stock Issuance Program.

          X. PERMANENT DISABILITY OR PERMANENTLY DISABLED shall mean the
inability of the Optionee or the Participant to engage in any substantial
gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental
impairment expected to result in death or to be of continuous duration of twelve
(12) months or more. However, solely for the purposes of the Automatic Option
Grant Program, Permanent Disability or Permanently Disabled shall mean the
inability of the non-employee Board member to perform his or her usual duties as
a Board member by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental
impairment expected to result in death or to be of continuous duration of twelve
(12) months or more.

          Y. PLAN shall mean the Corporation's 1995 Stock Option/Stock Issuance
Plan, as set forth in this document.

          Z. PLAN ADMINISTRATOR shall mean the particular entity, whether the
Primary Committee, the Board or the Secondary Committee, which is authorized to
administer the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with
respect to one or more classes of eligible persons, to the extent such entity is
carrying out its administrative functions under those programs with respect to
the persons under its jurisdiction.

          AA. PREDECESSOR PLAN shall mean the Corporation's 1993 Stock
Option/Stock Issuance Plan.

          BB. PRIMARY COMMITTEE shall mean a committee of two (2) or more
non-employee Board members appointed by the Board to administer the
Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with respect to Section
16 Insiders.

          CC. QUALIFIED DOMESTIC RELATIONS ORDER shall mean a Domestic Relations
Order which substantially complies with the requirements of Code Section 414(p).
The Plan Administrator shall have the sole discretion to determine whether a
Domestic Relations Order is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order.

          DD. SECONDARY COMMITTEE shall mean a committee of one (1) or more
Board members appointed by the Board to administer the Discretionary Option
Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with respect to eligible persons other than
Section 16 Insiders.

          EE. SECTION 16 INSIDER shall mean an officer or director of the
Corporation subject to the short-swing profit liabilities of Section 16 of the
1934 Act.

          FF. SECTION 12(g) REGISTRATION DATE shall mean the first date on which
the Common Stock is registered under Section 12(g) of the 1934 Act.

          GG. SERVICE shall mean the provision of services to the Corporation
(or any Parent or Subsidiary) by a person in the capacity of an Employee, a
non-employee member of the board of directors or a consultant or independent
advisor, except to the extent otherwise specifically provided in the documents
evidencing the option grant or stock issuance.

          HH. STOCK EXCHANGE shall mean either the American Stock Exchange or
the New York Stock Exchange.

          II. STOCK ISSUANCE AGREEMENT shall mean the agreement entered into by
the Corporation and the Participant at the time of issuance of shares of Common
Stock under the Stock Issuance Program.

          JJ. STOCK ISSUANCE PROGRAM shall mean the stock issuance program in
effect under the Plan.

          KK. SUBSIDIARY shall mean any corporation (other than the Corporation)
in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Corporation, provided
each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the unbroken chain owns,
at the time of the determination, stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more
of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other
corporations in such chain.

          LL. TAKE-OVER PRICE shall mean the greater of (i) the Fair Market
Value per share of Common Stock on the date the option is surrendered to the
Corporation in connection with a Hostile Take-Over or (ii) the highest reported
price per share of Common Stock paid by the tender offeror in effecting such
Hostile Take-Over. However, if the surrendered option is an Incentive Option,
the Take-Over Price shall not exceed the clause (i) price per share.

          MM. TAXES shall mean the Federal, state and local income and
employment tax liabilities incurred by the holder of Non-Statutory Options or
unvested shares of Common Stock in connection with the exercise of such holder's
options or the vesting of his or her shares.

          NN. 10% STOCKHOLDER shall mean the owner of stock (as determined under
Code Section 424(d)) possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total
combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Corporation (or any Parent
or Subsidiary).

          OO. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT shall mean the agreement between the
Corporation and the underwriter or underwriters managing the initial public
offering of the Common Stock.Exhibit 4.5
                                                                     -----------
                               AVANT! CORPORATION
                      2000 STOCK OPTION/STOCK ISSUANCE PLAN

                                   ARTICLE ONE
                               GENERAL PROVISIONS
                               ------------------

I.       PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
                  This 2000 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan is intended to
promote the interests of Avant! Corporation, a Delaware corporation, by
providing eligible persons with the opportunity to acquire a proprietary
interest, or otherwise increase their proprietary interest, in the Corporation
as an incentive for them to remain in the service of the Corporation.

                  Capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such
terms in the attached Appendix.

II.      STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN
                  A. The Plan shall be divided into two separate equity
programs:

                           (i) the Discretionary Option Grant Program under
         which eligible persons may, at the discretion of the Plan
         Administrator, be granted options to purchase shares of Common Stock,
         and

                          (ii) the Stock Issuance Program under which eligible
         persons may, at the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be issued
         shares of Common Stock directly, either through the immediate purchase
         of such shares or as a bonus for services rendered to the Corporation
         (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

                  B. The provisions of Articles One and Four shall apply to all
equity programs under the Plan and shall accordingly govern the interests of all
persons under the Plan.

III.     ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN

                  A. The Board and the Primary Committee shall have the
authority to administer the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance
Programs with respect to Section 16 Insiders.

                  B. Administration of the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock
Issuance Programs with respect to all other persons eligible to participate in
these programs may, at the Board's discretion, be vested in the Primary
Committee or a Secondary Committee, or the Board may retain the power to
administer these programs with respect to all such persons. The members of the
Secondary Committee may be individuals who are Employees eligible to receive
discretionary option grants or direct stock issuances under the Plan or any
stock option, stock appreciation, stock bonus or other stock plan of the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

                  C. Members of the Primary Committee or any Secondary Committee
shall serve for such period of time as the Board may determine and shall be
subject to removal by the Board at any time. The Board may also at any time
terminate the functions of any Secondary Committee and reassume all powers and
authority previously delegated to such committee.

                  D. The Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its
administrative functions under the Plan, have full power and authority (subject
to the provisions of the Plan) to establish such rules and regulations as it may
deem appropriate for proper administration of the Discretionary Option Grant and
Stock Issuance Programs and to make such determinations under, and issue such
interpretations of, the provisions of such programs and any outstanding options
or stock issuances thereunder as it may deem necessary or advisable. Decisions
of the Plan Administrator within the scope of its administrative functions under
the Plan shall be final and binding on all parties who have an interest in the
Discretionary Option Grant or Stock Issuance Program under its jurisdiction or
any option or stock issuance thereunder.

                  E. Service on the Primary Committee or the Secondary Committee
shall constitute service as a Board member, and members of each such committee
shall accordingly be entitled to full indemnification and reimbursement as Board
members for their service on such committee. No member of the Primary Committee
or the Secondary Committee shall be liable for any act or omission made in good
faith with respect to the Plan or any option grants or stock issuances under the
Plan.

IV.      ELIGIBILITY
                  A. The persons eligible to participate in the Discretionary
Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs are as follows:

                           (i) Employees,

                          (ii) non-employee members of the Board or the board
         of directors of any Parent or Subsidiary, and

                         (iii) consultants and other independent advisors who
         provide services to the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

                  B. The Plan Administrator shall, within the scope of its
administrative jurisdiction under the Plan, have full authority to determine (i)
with respect to the option grants under the Discretionary Option Grant Program,
which eligible persons are to receive option grants, the time or times when such
option grants are to be made, the number of shares to be covered by each such
grant, the time or times at which each option is to become exercisable, the
vesting schedule (if any) applicable to the option shares and the maximum term
for which the option is to remain outstanding and (ii) with respect to stock
issuances under the Stock Issuance Program, which eligible persons are to
receive stock issuances, the time or times when such issuances are to be made,
the number of shares to be issued to each Participant, the vesting schedule (if
any) applicable to the issued shares and the consideration to be paid by the
Participant for such shares.

                  C. The Plan Administrator shall have the absolute discretion
either to grant options in accordance with the Discretionary Option Grant
Program or to effect stock issuances in accordance with the Stock Issuance
Program.

V.       STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
                  A. The stock issuable under the Plan shall be shares of
authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased
by the Corporation on the open market. The number of shares of Common Stock that
may be issued over the term of the Plan shall be equal to the sum of (i)
2,000,000 shares of Common Stock, and (ii) additional shares of Common Stock, to
the extent authorized by the Board, that are reacquired by the Corporation in
the open market or in private transactions after the Effective Date. All options
granted under the Plan will be Non-Statutory Options..

                  B. The number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance
under the Plan shall automatically increase by 500,000 shares on the first day
of each calendar year during the term of the Plan, beginning with the 2001
calendar year.

                  C. Shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding options shall
be available for subsequent issuance under the Plan to the extent (i) the
options expire, terminate or are forfeited for any reason prior to exercise in
full, (ii) the options are canceled in accordance with the cancellation-regrant
provisions of Article Two, Section IV, or (iii) the shares acquired upon
exercise are repurchased by the Corporation pursuant to its repurchase rights
under the Plan All other shares issued under the Plan shall reduce on a
share-for-share basis the number of shares of Common Stock available for
subsequent issuance under the Plan. In addition, should the exercise price of an
option under the Plan be paid with shares of Common Stock or should shares of
Common Stock otherwise issuable under the Plan be withheld by the Corporation in
satisfaction of the withholding taxes incurred in connection with the exercise
of an option or the vesting of a stock issuance under the Plan, then the number
of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced
only by the net number of shares of Common Stock issued to the holder of such
option or stock issuance and not by the gross number of shares for which the
option is exercised or which vest under the stock issuance.

                  D. Should any change be made to the Common Stock by reason of
any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination of shares,
exchange of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a
class without the Corporation's receipt of consideration, appropriate
adjustments shall be made to (i) the maximum number and/or class of securities
issuable under the Plan, (ii) the number and/or class of securities for which
the share reserve is to increase automatically each year, (iii) the number
and/or class of securities for which any one person may be granted options,
separately exercisable stock appreciation rights and direct stock issuances over
the term of the Plan, and (iv) the number and/or class of securities and the
exercise price per share in effect under each outstanding option in order to
prevent the dilution or enlargement thereof. The adjustments determined by the
Plan Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive.

                                   ARTICLE TWO
                       DISCRETIONARY OPTION GRANT PROGRAM
                       ----------------------------------

I.       OPTION TERMS
                  Each option shall be evidenced by one or more documents in the
form approved by the Plan Administrator; provided, however, that each such
document shall comply with the terms specified below.

                  A. Exercise Price.

                           1. The exercise price per share shall be fixed by the
Plan Administrator but shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the
Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the option grant date.

                           2. The exercise price shall become immediately due
upon exercise of the option and shall, subject to the provisions of Section I of
Article Four and the documents evidencing the option, be payable in one or more
of the forms specified below:

                              (i) cash or check made payable to the Corporation,

                              (ii) shares of Common Stock held for the requisite
         period necessary to avoid a charge to the Corporation's earnings for
         financial reporting purposes and valued at Fair Market Value on the
         Exercise Date, or

                              (iii) to the extent the option is exercised for
         vested shares, through a special sale and remittance procedure pursuant
         to which the Optionee shall concurrently provide irrevocable written
         instructions to (a) a Corporation-designated brokerage firm to effect
         the immediate sale of the purchased shares and remit to the
         Corporation, out of the sale proceeds available on the settlement date,
         sufficient funds to cover the aggregate exercise price payable for the
         purchased shares plus all applicable Federal, state and local income
         and employment taxes required to be withheld by the Corporation by
         reason of such exercise and (b) the Corporation to deliver the
         certificates for the purchased shares directly to such brokerage firm
         in order to complete the sale transaction.

                  Except to the extent such sale and remittance procedure is
utilized, payment of the exercise price for the purchased shares must be made on
the Exercise Date.

                  B. Exercise and Term of Options. Each option shall be
exercisable at such time or times, during such period and for such number of
shares as shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the
documents evidencing the option. However, no option shall have a term in excess
of ten (10) years measured from the option grant date.

                  C. Effect of Termination of Service.

                           1. The following provisions shall govern the exercise
of any options held by the Optionee at the time of cessation of Service or
death:

                              (i) Any option outstanding at the time of the
         Optionee's cessation of Service for any reason shall remain exercisable
         for such period of time thereafter as shall be determined by the Plan
         Administrator and set forth in the documents evidencing the option, but
         no such option shall be exercisable after the expiration of the option
         term.

                              (ii) Any option exercisable in whole or in part by
         the Optionee at the time of death may be subsequently exercised by the
         personal representative of the Optionee's estate or by the person or
         persons to whom the option is transferred pursuant to the Optionee's
         will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution.

                              (iii) During the applicable post-Service exercise
         period, the option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than
         the number of vested shares for which the option is exercisable on the
         date of the Optionee's cessation of Service. Upon the expiration of the
         applicable exercise period or (if earlier) upon the expiration of the
         option term, the option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding for
         any vested shares for which the option has not been exercised. However,
         the option shall, immediately upon the Optionee's cessation of Service,
         terminate and cease to be outstanding to the extent it is not
         exercisable for vested shares on the date of such cessation of Service.

                              (iv) Should the Optionee's Service be terminated
         for Misconduct, then all outstanding options held by the Optionee shall
         terminate immediately and cease to be outstanding.

                              (v) In the event of a Corporate Transaction, the
         provisions of Section III of this Article Two shall govern the period
         for which the outstanding options are to remain exercisable following
         the Optionee's cessation of Service and shall supersede any provisions
         to the contrary in this section.

                           2. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion,
exercisable either at the time an option is granted or at any time while the
option remains outstanding, to:

                              (i) extend the period of time for which the option
         is to remain exercisable following the Optionee's cessation of Service
         from the period otherwise in effect for that option to such greater
         period of time as the Plan Administrator shall deem appropriate, but in
         no event beyond the expiration of the option term, and/or

                              (ii) permit the option to be exercised, during the
         applicable post-Service exercise period, not only with respect to the
         number of vested shares of Common Stock for which such option is
         exercisable at the time of the Optionee's cessation of Service but also
         with respect to one or more additional installments in which the
         Optionee would have vested under the option had the Optionee continued
         in Service.

                  D. Stockholder Rights. The holder of an option shall have no
stockholder rights with respect to the shares subject to the option until such
person shall have exercised the option, paid the exercise price and become a
holder of record of the purchased shares.

                  E. Repurchase Rights. The Plan Administrator shall have the
discretion to grant options which are exercisable for unvested shares of Common
Stock. Should the Optionee cease Service while holding such unvested shares, the
Corporation shall have the right to repurchase, at the exercise price paid per
share, any or all of those unvested shares. The terms upon which such repurchase
right shall be exercisable (including the period and procedure for exercise and
the appropriate vesting schedule for the purchased shares) shall be established
by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the document evidencing such
repurchase right.

                  F. Limited Transferability of Options. During the lifetime of
the Optionee, the option shall be exercisable only by the Optionee unless the
option is assigned or transferred in accordance with this paragraph. Except as
otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator and incorporated in the documents
evidencing the option, an option shall not be assignable or transferable other
than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution following the Optionee's
death. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an option may be assigned in accordance
with the terms of a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. An assigned option may
only be exercised by the person or persons who acquire a proprietary interest in
the option in accordance with this paragraph. . The terms applicable to an
assigned option (or portion thereof) shall be the same as those in effect for
the option immediately prior to such assignment and shall be set forth in such
documents issued to the assignee as the Plan Administrator may deem appropriate.

II.      CORPORATE TRANSACTION/CHANGE IN CONTROL
                  A. In the event of any Corporate Transaction, each outstanding
option shall automatically accelerate so that each such option shall,
immediately prior to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction, become
fully exercisable for all of the shares of Common Stock at the time subject to
such option and may be exercised for any or all of those shares as fully-vested
shares of Common Stock. However, an outstanding option shall not so accelerate
if and to the extent: (i) such option is, in connection with the Corporate
Transaction, either to be assumed by the successor corporation (or parent
thereof) or to be replaced with a comparable option to purchase shares of the
capital stock of the successor corporation (or parent thereof), (ii) such option
is to be replaced with a cash incentive program of the successor corporation
which preserves the spread existing on the unvested option shares at the time of
the Corporate Transaction and provides for subsequent payout in accordance with
the same vesting schedule applicable to such option or (iii) the acceleration of
such option is subject to other limitations imposed by the Plan Administrator at
the time of the option grant. The determination of option comparability under
clause (i) above shall be made by the Plan Administrator, and its determination
shall be final, binding and conclusive.

                  B. All outstanding repurchase rights shall also terminate
automatically, and the shares of Common Stock subject to those terminated rights
shall immediately vest in full, in the event of any Corporate Transaction,
except to the extent: (i) those repurchase rights are to be assigned to the
successor corporation (or parent thereof) in connection with such Corporate
Transaction or (ii) such accelerated vesting is precluded by other limitations
imposed by the Plan Administrator at the time the repurchase right is issued.

                  C. Immediately following the consummation of the Corporate
Transaction, all outstanding options shall terminate and cease to be
outstanding, except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation (or
parent thereof).

                  D. Each option which is assumed in connection with a Corporate
Transaction shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such Corporate
Transaction, to apply to the number and class of securities which would have
been issuable to the Optionee in consummation of such Corporate Transaction had
the option been exercised immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction.
Appropriate adjustments shall also be made to (i) the number and class of
securities available for issuance under the Plan on both an aggregate and per
Optionee basis following the consummation of such Corporate Transaction and (ii)
the exercise price payable per share under each outstanding option, provided the
aggregate exercise price payable for such securities shall remain the same.

                  E. Any options which are assumed or replaced in the Corporate
Transaction and do not otherwise accelerate at that time, shall automatically
accelerate (and any of the Corporation's outstanding repurchase rights which do
not otherwise terminate at the time of the Corporate Transaction shall
automatically terminate and the shares of Common Stock subject to those
terminated rights shall immediately vest in full) in the event the Optionee's
Service should subsequently terminate by reason of an Involuntary Termination
within eighteen (18) months following the effective date of such Corporate
Transaction. Any options so accelerated shall remain exercisable for
fully-vested shares until the earlier of (i) the expiration of the option term
or (ii) the expiration of the one (1)-year period measured from the effective
date of the Involuntary Termination.

                  F. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion,
exercisable either at the time the option is granted or at any time while the
option remains outstanding, to (i) provide for the automatic acceleration of one
or more outstanding options (and the automatic termination of one or more
outstanding repurchase rights with the immediate vesting of the shares of Common
Stock subject to those rights) upon the occurrence of a Change in Control or
(ii) condition any such option acceleration (and the termination of any
outstanding repurchase rights) upon the subsequent Involuntary Termination of
the Optionee's Service within a specified period following the effective date of
such Change in Control. Any options accelerated in connection with a Change in
Control shall remain fully exercisable until the expiration or sooner
termination of the option term.

                  G. The grant of options under the Discretionary Option Grant
Program shall in no way affect the right of the Corporation to adjust,
reclassify, reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or
to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part
of its business or assets.

III.     CANCELLATION AND REGRANT OF OPTIONS
                  The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to effect, at
any time and from time to time, with the consent of the affected option holders,
the cancellation of any or all outstanding options under the Discretionary
Option Grant Program and to grant in substitution new options covering the same
or different number of shares of Common Stock but with an exercise price per
share based on the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the new option
grant date.

IV.      STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
                  A. The Plan Administrator shall have full power and authority
to grant to selected Optionees tandem stock appreciation rights and/or limited
stock appreciation rights.

                  B. The following terms shall govern the grant and exercise of
tandem stock appreciation rights:

                           (i) One or more Optionees may be granted the right,
         exercisable upon such terms as the Plan Administrator may establish, to
         elect between the exercise of the underlying option for shares of
         Common Stock and the surrender of that option in exchange for a
         distribution from the Corporation in an amount equal to the excess of
         (A) the Fair Market Value (on the option surrender date) of the number
         of shares in which the Optionee is at the time vested under the
         surrendered option (or surrendered portion thereof) over (B) the
         aggregate exercise price payable for such shares.

                           (ii) No such option surrender shall be effective
         unless it is approved by the Plan Administrator. If the surrender is so
         approved, then the distribution to which the Optionee shall be entitled
         may be made in shares of Common Stock valued at Fair Market Value on
         the option surrender date, in cash, or partly in shares and partly in
         cash, as the Plan Administrator shall in its sole discretion deem
         appropriate.

                           (iii) If the surrender of an option is rejected by
         the Plan Administrator, then the Optionee shall retain whatever rights
         the Optionee had under the surrendered option (or surrendered portion
         thereof) on the option surrender date and may exercise such rights at
         any time prior to the later of (A) five (5) business days after the
         receipt of the rejection notice or (B) the last day on which the option
         is otherwise exercisable in accordance with the terms of the documents
         evidencing such option, but in no event may such rights be exercised
         more than ten (10) years after the option grant date.

                  C. The following  terms shall govern the grant and exercise of
limited  stock  appreciation rights:

                           (i) One or more Section 16 Insiders may be granted
         limited stock appreciation rights with respect to their outstanding
         options.

                           (ii) Upon the occurrence of a Hostile Take-Over, each
         such individual holding one or more options with such a limited stock
         appreciation right in effect for at least six (6) months shall have the
         unconditional right (exercisable for a thirty (30)-day period following
         such Hostile Take-Over) to surrender each such option to the
         Corporation, to the extent the option is at the time exercisable for
         vested shares of Common Stock. In return for the surrendered option,
         the Optionee shall receive a cash distribution from the Corporation in
         an amount equal to the excess of (A) the Take-Over Price of the shares
         of Common Stock which are at the time vested under each surrendered
         option (or surrendered portion thereof) over (B) the aggregate exercise
         price payable for such shares. Such cash distribution shall be paid
         within five (5) days following the option surrender date.

                           (iii) Neither the approval of the Plan Administrator
         nor the consent of the Board shall be required in connection with such
         option surrender and cash distribution.

                           (iv) The balance of the option (if any) shall
         continue in full force and effect in accordance with the documents
         evidencing such option.

                                  ARTICLE THREE
                             STOCK ISSUANCE PROGRAM
                             ----------------------

I.       STOCK ISSUANCE TERMS
                  Shares of Common Stock may be issued under the Stock Issuance
Program through direct and immediate issuances without any intervening option
grants. Each such stock issuance shall be evidenced by a Stock Issuance
Agreement which complies with the terms specified below.

                  A. Purchase Price.

                           1. The purchase price per share shall be fixed by the
Plan Administrator, but shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the
Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the stock issuance date.

                           2. Subject to the provisions of Section I of Article
Five, shares of Common Stock may be issued under the Stock Issuance Program for
one or both of the following items of consideration which the Plan Administrator
may deem appropriate in each individual instance:

                           (i) cash or check made payable to the Corporation, or

                           (ii) past services rendered to the Corporation (or
         any Parent or Subsidiary).

                  B.       Vesting Provisions.

                           1. Shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock
Issuance Program may, in the discretion of the Plan Administrator, be fully and
immediately vested upon issuance or may vest in one or more installments over
the Participant's period of Service or upon attainment of specified performance
objectives. The elements of the vesting schedule applicable to any unvested
shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock Issuance Program, namely:

                           (i) the Service period to be completed by the
         Participant or the performance objectives to be attained,

                           (ii) the number of installments in which the shares
         are to vest,

                           (iii) the interval or intervals (if any) which are to
         lapse between installments, and

                           (iv) the effect which death, Permanent Disability or
         other event designated by the Plan Administrator is to have upon the
         vesting schedule,

shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and incorporated into the Stock
Issuance Agreement.

                           2. Any new, substituted or additional securities or
other property (including money paid other than as a regular cash dividend)
which the Participant may have the right to receive with respect to the
Participant's unvested shares of Common Stock by reason of any stock dividend,
stock split, recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange of shares or
other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class without the
Corporation's receipt of consideration shall be issued subject to (i) the same
vesting requirements applicable to the Participant's unvested shares of Common
Stock and (ii) such escrow arrangements as the Plan Administrator shall deem
appropriate.

                           3. The Participant shall have full stockholder rights
with respect to any shares of Common Stock issued to the Participant under the
Stock Issuance Program, whether or not the Participant's interest in those
shares is vested. Accordingly, the Participant shall have the right to vote such
shares and to receive any regular cash dividends paid on such shares.

                           4. Should the Participant cease to remain in Service
while holding one or more unvested shares of Common Stock issued under the Stock
Issuance Program or should the performance objectives not be attained with
respect to one or more such unvested shares of Common Stock, then those shares
shall be immediately surrendered to the Corporation for cancellation, and the
Participant shall have no further stockholder rights with respect to those
shares. To the extent the surrendered shares were previously issued to the
Participant for consideration paid in cash or cash equivalent (including the
Participant's purchase-money indebtedness), the Corporation shall repay to the
Participant the cash consideration paid for the surrendered shares and shall
cancel the unpaid principal balance of any outstanding purchase-money note of
the Participant attributable to such surrendered shares.

                           5. The Plan Administrator may in its discretion waive
the surrender and cancellation of one or more unvested shares of Common Stock
(or other assets attributable thereto) which would otherwise occur upon the
cessation of the Participant's Service or the non-completion of the vesting
schedule applicable to such shares. Such waiver shall result in the immediate
vesting of the Participant's interest in the shares of Common Stock as to which
the waiver applies. Such waiver may be effected at any time, whether before or
after the Participant's cessation of Service or the attainment or non-attainment
of the applicable performance objectives.

II.      CORPORATE TRANSACTION/CHANGE IN CONTROL
                  A. All of the outstanding repurchase rights under the Stock
Issuance Program shall terminate automatically, and all the shares of Common
Stock subject to those terminated rights shall immediately vest in full, in the
event of any Corporate Transaction, except to the extent (i) those repurchase
rights are assigned to the successor corporation (or parent thereof) in
connection with such Corporate Transaction or (ii) such accelerated vesting is
precluded by other limitations imposed in the Stock Issuance Agreement.

                  B. Any repurchase rights that are assigned in the Corporate
Transaction shall automatically terminate, and all the shares of Common Stock
subject to those terminated rights shall immediately vest in full, in the event
the Participant's Service should subsequently terminate by reason of an
Involuntary Termination within eighteen (18) months following the effective date
of such Corporate Transaction.

                  C. The Plan Administrator shall have the discretion,
exercisable either at the time the unvested shares are issued or at any time
while the Corporation's repurchase right remains outstanding, to (i) provide for
the automatic termination of one or more outstanding repurchase rights and the
immediate vesting of the shares of Common Stock subject to those rights upon the
occurrence of a Change in Control or (ii) condition any such accelerated vesting
upon the subsequent Involuntary Termination of the Participant's Service within
a specified period following the effective date of such Change in Control.

III.     SHARE ESCROW/LEGENDS
                  Unvested shares may, in the Plan Administrator's discretion,
be held in escrow by the Corporation until the Participant's interest in such
shares vests or may be issued directly to the Participant with restrictive
legends on the certificates evidencing those unvested shares.

                                  ARTICLE FOUR
                                  MISCELLANEOUS
                                  -------------

I.       FINANCING
                  A. The Plan Administrator may permit any Optionee or
Participant to pay the option exercise price under the Discretionary Option
Grant Program or the purchase price for shares issued under the Stock Issuance
Program by delivering a promissory note payable in one or more installments. The
terms of any such promissory note (including the interest rate and the terms of
repayment) shall be established by the Plan Administrator in its sole
discretion. Promissory notes may be authorized with or without security or
collateral. In all events, the maximum credit available to the Optionee or
Participant may not exceed the sum of (i) the aggregate option exercise price or
purchase price payable for the purchased shares plus (ii) any Federal, state and
local income and employment tax liability incurred by the Optionee or the
Participant in connection with the option exercise or share purchase.

                  B. The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, determine
that one or more such promissory notes shall be subject to forgiveness by the
Corporation in whole or in part upon such terms as the Plan Administrator may
deem appropriate.

II.      TAX WITHHOLDING
                  A. The Corporation's obligation to deliver shares of Common
Stock upon the exercise of options or stock appreciation rights or upon the
issuance or vesting of such shares under the Plan shall be subject to the
satisfaction of all applicable Federal, state and local income and employment
tax withholding requirements.

                  B. The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, provide any
or all holders of options or unvested shares of Common Stock under the Plan with
the right to use shares of Common Stock in satisfaction of all or part of the
Taxes incurred by such holders in connection with the exercise of their options
or the vesting of their shares. Such right may be provided to any such holder in
either or both of the following formats:

                           (i) Stock Withholding: The election to have the
         Corporation withhold, from the shares of Common Stock otherwise
         issuable upon the exercise of such option or the vesting of such
         shares, a portion of those shares with an aggregate Fair Market Value
         equal to the percentage of the Taxes (not to exceed one hundred percent
         (100%)) designated by the holder.

                           (ii) Stock Delivery: The election to deliver to the
         Corporation, at the time the option is exercised or the shares vest,
         one or more shares of Common Stock previously acquired by such holder
         (other than in connection with the option exercise or share vesting
         triggering the Taxes) with an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the
         percentage of the Taxes (not to exceed one hundred percent (100%))
         designated by the holder.

III.     EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM OF THE PLAN
                  A. The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date.

                  B. The Plan shall remain in effect until it is terminated. The
Board may terminate the Plan at any time and for any reason, provided, however,
that upon such Plan termination, all options, stock appreciation rights and
unvested stock issuances outstanding on such date shall thereafter continue to
have force and effect in accordance with the provisions of the documents
evidencing such options or issuances.

IV.      AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN
                  A. The Board shall have complete and exclusive power and
authority to amend or modify the Plan in any or all respects. However, no such
amendment or modification shall adversely affect the rights and obligations with
respect to options, stock appreciation rights or unvested stock issuances at the
time outstanding under the Plan, unless the Optionee or the Participant consents
to such amendment or modification.

                  B. Options to purchase shares of Common Stock may be granted
under the Discretionary Option Grant Program and shares of Common Stock may be
issued under the Stock Issuance Program that are in each instance in excess of
the number of shares then available for issuance under the Plan, provided any
excess shares actually issued under those programs are held in escrow until
there is obtained approval by the Board of an amendment sufficiently increasing
the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan. If
such approval is not obtained within twelve (12) months after the date the first
such excess issuances are made, then (i) any unexercised options granted on the
basis of such excess shares shall terminate and cease to be outstanding and (ii)
the Corporation shall promptly refund to the Optionees and the Participants the
exercise or purchase price paid for any excess shares issued under the Plan and
held in escrow, together with interest (at the applicable Short Term Federal
Rate) for the period the shares were held in escrow, and such shares shall
thereupon be automatically canceled and cease to be outstanding.

V.       USE OF PROCEEDS
                  Any cash proceeds received by the Corporation from the sale of
shares of Common Stock under the Plan shall be used for general corporate
purposes.

VI.      REGULATORY APPROVALS
                  A. The implementation of the Plan, the granting of any option
or stock appreciation right under the Plan and the issuance of any shares of
Common Stock (i) upon the exercise of any option or stock appreciation right or
(ii) under the Stock Issuance Program shall be subject to the Corporation's
procurement of all approvals and permits required by regulatory authorities
having jurisdiction over the Plan, the options and stock appreciation rights
granted under it and the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to it.

                  B. No shares of Common Stock or other assets shall be issued
or delivered under the Plan unless and until there shall have been compliance
with all applicable requirements of Federal and state securities laws, including
the filing and effectiveness of the Form S-8 registration statement for the
shares of Common Stock issuable under the Plan, and all applicable listing
requirements of any stock exchange (or the Nasdaq National Market, if
applicable) on which Common Stock is then listed for trading.

VII.     NO EMPLOYMENT/SERVICE RIGHTS
                  Nothing in the Plan shall confer upon the Optionee or the
Participant any right to continue in Service for any period of specific duration
or interfere with or otherwise restrict in any way the rights of the Corporation
(or any Parent or Subsidiary employing or retaining such person) or of the
Optionee or the Participant, which rights are hereby expressly reserved by each,
to terminate such person's Service at any time for any reason, with or without
cause.

<PAGE>
                                    APPENDIX

                  The following definitions shall be in effect under the Plan:

                  A. Board shall mean the Corporation's Board of Directors.

                  B. Change in Control shall mean a change in ownership or
control of the Corporation effected through either of the following
transactions:

                           (i) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any
                  person or related group of persons (other than the Corporation
                  or a person that directly or indirectly controls, is
                  controlled by, or is under common control with, the
                  Corporation), of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of
                  Rule 13d-3 of the 1934 Act) of securities possessing more than
                  fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the
                  Corporation's outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or
                  exchange offer made directly to the Corporation's stockholders
                  which the Board does not recommend such stockholders to
                  accept, or

                           (ii) a change in the composition of the Board over a
                  period of thirty-six (36) consecutive months or less such that
                  a majority of the Board members ceases, by reason of one or
                  more contested elections for Board membership, to be comprised
                  of individuals who either (A) have been Board members
                  continuously since the beginning of such period or (B) have
                  been elected or nominated for election as Board members during
                  such period by at least a majority of the Board members
                  described in clause (A) who were still in office at the time
                  the Board approved such election or nomination.

                  C. Code shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.

                  D. Common Stock shall mean the Corporation's common stock.

                  E. Corporate Transaction shall mean either of the following
stockholder-approved transactions to which the Corporation is a party:

                           (i) a merger or consolidation in which securities
                  possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined
                  voting power of the Corporation's outstanding securities are
                  transferred to a person or persons different from the persons
                  holding those immediately prior to such transaction; or

                           (ii) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all
                  or substantially all of the Corporation's assets in complete
                  liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation.

                  F. Corporation shall mean Avant! Corporation, a Delaware
corporation.

                  G. Discretionary Option Grant Program shall mean the
discretionary option grant program in effect under the Plan.

                  H. Domestic Relations Order shall mean any judgment, decree or
order (including approval of a property settlement agreement) which provides or
otherwise conveys, pursuant to applicable State domestic relations laws
(including community property laws), marital property rights to any spouse or
former spouse of the Optionee.

                  I. Effective Date shall mean the date on which the Plan is
adopted by the Board.

                  J. Eligible Director shall mean a non-employee Board member
eligible to participate in the Option Grant Program in accordance with the
eligibility provisions of Article One.

                  K. Employee shall mean an individual who is in the employ of
the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary), subject to the control and
direction of the employer entity as to both the work to be performed and the
manner and method of performance.

                  L. Exercise Date shall mean the date on which the Corporation
shall have received written notice of the option exercise.

                  M. Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on any relevant
date shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions:

                           (i) If the Common Stock is at the time traded on the
                  Nasdaq National Market, then the Fair Market Value shall be
                  the closing price per share of Common Stock on the date in
                  question, as such price is reported by the National
                  Association of Securities Dealers on the Nasdaq National
                  Market or any successor system. If there is no closing price
                  for the Common Stock on the date in question, then the Fair
                  Market Value shall be the closing price on the last preceding
                  date for which such quotation exists.

                           (ii) If the Common Stock is at the time listed on any
                  Stock Exchange, then the Fair Market Value shall be the
                  closing selling price per share of Common Stock on the date in
                  question on the Stock Exchange determined by the Plan
                  Administrator to be the primary market for the Common Stock,
                  as such price is officially quoted in the composite tape of
                  transactions on such exchange. If there is no closing selling
                  price for the Common Stock on the date in question, then the
                  Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling price on the
                  last preceding date for which such quotation exists.

                  N. Hostile Take-Over shall mean a change in ownership of the
Corporation effected through the following transaction:

                           (i) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any
                  person or related group of persons (other than the Corporation
                  or a person that directly or indirectly controls, is
                  controlled by, or is under common control with, the
                  Corporation) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of
                  Rule 13d-3 of the 1934 Act) of securities possessing more than
                  fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the
                  Corporation's outstanding securities pursuant to a tender or
                  exchange offer made directly to the Corporation's stockholders
                  which the Board does not recommend such stockholders to
                  accept, and

                           (ii) more than fifty percent (50%) of the securities
                  so acquired are accepted from persons other than Section 16
                  Insiders.

                  O. Involuntary Termination shall mean the termination of the
Service of any individual which occurs by reason of:

                           (i) such individual's involuntary dismissal or
                  discharge by the Corporation for reasons other than
                  Misconduct, or

                           (ii) such individual's voluntary resignation
                  following (A) a change in his or her position with the
                  Corporation which materially reduces his or her level of
                  responsibility, (B) a reduction in his or her level of
                  compensation (including base salary, fringe benefits and any
                  non-discretionary and objective-standard incentive payment or
                  bonus award) by more than fifteen percent (15%) or (C) a
                  relocation of such individual's place of employment by more
                  than fifty (50) miles, provided and only if such change,
                  reduction or relocation is effected by the Corporation without
                  the individual's consent.

                  P. Misconduct shall mean the commission of any act of fraud,
embezzlement or dishonesty by the Optionee or Participant, any unauthorized use
or disclosure by such person of confidential information or trade secrets of the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary), or any other intentional misconduct
by such person adversely affecting the business or affairs of the Corporation
(or any Parent or Subsidiary) in a material manner. The foregoing definition
shall not be deemed to be inclusive of all the acts or omissions which the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary) may consider as grounds for the
dismissal or discharge of any Optionee, Participant or other person in the
Service of the Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary).

                  Q. 1934 Act shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.

                  R. Non-Statutory Options shall mean options not intended to
satisfy the requirements of Code Section 422.

                  S. Optionee shall mean any person to whom an option is granted
under the Discretionary Option Grant Program.

                  T. Parent shall mean any corporation (other than the
Corporation) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Corporation,
provided each corporation in the unbroken chain (other than the Corporation)
owns, at the time of the determination, stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or
more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the
other corporations in such chain.

                  U. Participant shall mean any person who is issued shares of
Common Stock under the Stock Issuance Program.

                  V. Permanent Disability or Permanently Disabled shall mean the
inability of the Optionee or the Participant to engage in any substantial
gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental
impairment expected to result in death or to be of continuous duration of twelve
(12) months or more.

                  W. Plan shall mean the Corporation's 2000 Stock Option/Stock
Issuance Plan, as set forth in this document.

                  X. Plan Administrator shall mean the particular entity,
whether the Primary Committee, the Board or the Secondary Committee, which is
authorized to administer the Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance
Programs with respect to one or more classes of eligible persons, to the extent
such entity is carrying out its administrative functions under those programs
with respect to the persons under its jurisdiction.

                  Y. Primary Committee shall mean a committee of two (2) or more
non-employee Board members appointed by the Board to administer the
Discretionary Option Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with respect to Section
16 Insiders.

                  Z. Qualified Domestic Relations Order shall mean a Domestic
Relations Order which substantially complies with the requirements of Code
Section 414(p). The Plan Administrator shall have the sole discretion to
determine whether a Domestic Relations Order is a Qualified Domestic Relations
Order.

                  AA. Secondary Committee shall mean a committee of one (1) or
more Board members appointed by the Board to administer the Discretionary Option
Grant and Stock Issuance Programs with respect to eligible persons other than
Section 16 Insiders.

                  BB. Section 16 Insider shall mean an officer or director of
the Corporation subject to the short-swing profit liabilities of Section 16 of
the 1934 Act.

                  CC. Service shall mean the provision of services to the
Corporation (or any Parent or Subsidiary) by a person in the capacity of an
Employee, a non-employee member of the board of directors or a consultant or
independent advisor, except to the extent otherwise specifically provided in the
documents evidencing the option grant or stock issuance.

                  DD. Stock Exchange shall mean either the American Stock
Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange.

                  EE. Stock Issuance Agreement shall mean the agreement entered
into by the Corporation and the Participant at the time of issuance of shares of
Common Stock under the Stock Issuance Program.

                  FF. Stock Issuance Program shall mean the stock issuance
program in effect under the Plan.

                  GG. Subsidiary shall mean any corporation (other than the
Corporation) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the
Corporation, provided each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the
unbroken chain owns, at the time of the determination, stock possessing fifty
percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock
in one of the other corporations in such chain.

                  HH. Take-Over Price shall mean the greater of (i) the Fair
Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date the option is surrendered to
the Corporation in connection with a Hostile Take-Over or (ii) the highest
reported price per share of Common Stock paid by the tender offeror in effecting
such Hostile Take-Over.

                  II. Taxes shall mean the Federal, state and local income and
employment tax liabilities incurred by the holder of Non-Statutory Options or
unvested shares of Common Stock in connection with the exercise of such holder's
options or the vesting of his or her shares.

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