10 More Companies Join RapidIO Trade Association; Expanding Infrastructure for Open Standard Interconnect

AUSTIN, Texas, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The RapidIO(TM) Trade Association today announced ten more companies have joined the open-standard interconnect organization, including semiconductor manufacturers Cypress Semiconductor Corp., Integrated Device Technology, Inc., National Semiconductor Corp., PMC-Sierra and STMicroelectronics. The other new members are electronic design automation firms Cadence Design Systems, Inc. and Synopsys, Inc., real- time operating system provider OSE Systems, Inc., and intellectual property developers IC4IC and Leopard Logic, further expanding the infrastructure for the open-standard, switch-fabric interconnect.

The continued growth of the RapidIO Trade Association reflects the need for a chip and board interconnect with performance and reliability levels that exceed the requirements of the traditional computing market, according to Sam Fuller, RapidIO president. The RapidIO interconnect was developed as an open standard specifically for networking, embedded and communications applications, and the trade association now has over 50 members representing major customers and vendors serving this market.

New Members Support Open Standards

Synopsys" IP and Systems Group Senior Vice President and General Manager John Chilton noted the importance of RapidIO as a standard. "Synopsys is a leader in developing and providing standards-based implementation and verification IP for system-on-chip designs. We see broadband interconnect technology becoming critical to manufacturers of high-performance network infrastructure equipment. Through our collaboration with this trade association, we will be delivering RapidIO verification models to enable design for RapidIO-based products."

Cadence System and Functional Verification Group Vice President and General Manager Rahul Razdan said, "Our customers in the communications marketplace tell us they are looking for standards to help them achieve higher performance in their solutions. As the first EDA company to join the RapidIO Trade Association, Cadence is better able to help these customers meet their design goals. The move also is consistent with our strategy to link customers in the design chain through open standards."

Among the new semiconductor companies joining RapidIO, PMC-Sierra"s chief technology officer and vice president of research and development Kevin Huscroft said, "PMC-Sierra has long been a proponent of high-speed interconnect bus standards for communications ICs and we are active in a wide range of standards bodies. PMC-Sierra is a customer-driven company and we have seen a growing interest in RapidIO from communications equipment manufacturers. Therefore, we have added RapidIO to the portfolio of interfaces that our products support."

Jim Wieser, Chief Technologist of National Semiconductor"s Wired Communications Division, added, "National Semiconductor"s leadership and strategic focus in the high speed interface area is perfectly aligned to the RapidIO charter and objective. We have been developing low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), Bus-LVDS as well as other GHz speed serial backplane solutions for years and RapidIO is a natural extension of our focus and roadmap. National Semiconductor fully supports the RapidIO initiative and objectives and we look forward to a strong partnership moving forward."

OSE Systems, a leader in distributed multiprocessing RTOS platforms, "is a perfect match for RapidIO," said Bob Monkman, chief technology strategist for OSE Systems, Inc. "OSE"s unique direct message-passing architecture maps well with the RapidIO model offering out-of-the-box capability for application multiprocessing and powerful multi-core debugging. OSE is actively working with key silicon vendors to enable RapidIO solutions for our mutual customers," he said.

    Expanding RapidIO Infrastructure
    The group of new companies joining the trade association adds to the
ecosystem supporting the RapidIO standard:
    --  Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CDN - News), San Jose, Calif., is the
        largest supplier of electronic design technologies, methodology
        services and design services.  The company"s solutions are used to
        accelerate and manage the design of semiconductors, computer systems,
        networking and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, and
        a variety of other electronics-based products.  ( www.cadence.com )
    --  Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY - News), San Jose, Calif., provides
        high-performance integrated circuits for network infrastructure and
        access equipment.  Its communications product lines include
        programmable high-speed physical layer devices, wirespeed network
        search engines and network coprocessors, and datapath switching
        elements.  Cypress is the industry"s leader in communications timing
        solutions, networking-optimized communications memories and personal
        connectivity solutions, such as USB and Bluetooth.
        ( www.cypress.com )
    --  IC4IC, Intellectual Capital for Integrated Circuits in Yokneam,
        Israel, is a fabless semiconductor company developing cutting-edge
        VLSI solutions for the next generation wireless access network market.
        IC4IC is focused on becoming a leading supplier of high-performance
        VLSI solutions facilitating smooth migration to next generation
        Wireless Access Networks.  The company is currently designing
        high-performance silicon semiconductor integrated circuit solutions
        for ATM and IP infrastructure equipment vendors serving the emerging
        3G wireless markets.  ( www.IC4IC.com )
    --  Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT) (Nasdaq: IDTI - News), headquartered
        in Santa Clara, Calif., provides semiconductor solutions for
        communications companies that drive convergence in voice, data and
        wireless networks.  It is the leading vendor of switching and routing
        semiconductors, and the market leader in the subcategory of
        classification devices, according to a February 2002 report by market
        research firm RHK, Inc.  ( www.idt.com )
    --  Leopard Logic, Inc. headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., provides
        embedded FPGA solutions that increase performance and flexibility
        while reducing risk and system costs for System-on-Chip devices.  Used
        to create next generation programmable device platforms, Leopard
        Logic"s cores are ideally suited for DSP or packet processing
        intensive applications targeting markets like communication
        infrastructure and network access.  ( www.leopardlogic.com )
    --  National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM - News), headquartered in Santa Clara,
        Calif., is the premier analog company driving the information age.
        Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology,
        the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless
        handsets, displays, information infrastructure and information
        appliances.  ( www.national.com )
    --  OSE Systems, Inc. in San Jose, Calif., a subsidiary of Stockholm,
        Sweden-based Enea Data (SAXESS: ENEA), is a leading technological
        provider of real-time operating systems software and services for the
        communications market.  OSE also is used in safety-critical,
        high-availability, distributed and fault-tolerant applications such as
        avionics and industrial control.  ( www.ose.com ).
    --  PMC-Sierra (Nasdaq: PMCS - News), with headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.,
        is a leading provider of high speed broadband communications
        semiconductors and MIPS-based processors for enterprise, access, metro
        optical transport, storage area networking, and wireless network
        equipment that makes up the backbone of the Internet.
        ( www.pmc-sierra.com )
    --  Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS - News), headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.,
        creates leading electronic design automation (EDA) tools for the
        global electronics market.  The company delivers advanced design
        technologies and solutions to developers of complex integrated
        circuits, electronic systems and systems-on-a-chip.  Synopsys also
        provides consulting and support services to simplify the overall
        integrated circuits (IC) design process and accelerate time to market
        for its customers.  ( www.synopsys.com )
    --  STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM - News), Geneva, is the world"s third largest
        semiconductor company and a global leader in developing and delivering
        semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics
        applications.  With its silicon and system expertise, manufacturing
        strength, intellectual property portfolio and strategic partnerships,
        it is at the forefront of system-on-chip technology and its products
        play a key role in enabling today"s convergence markets.
        ( www.eu.st.com ).

About the RapidIO Trade Association

The RapidIO Trade Association is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Austin, Texas, that was formed to drive the adoption of an open standard, high-performance interconnect architecture. Since incorporating in June 2000, the association has grown to over 50 member companies worldwide. Membership provides early access to the specifications, the ability to propose changes to RapidIO standards, and the opportunity to actively participate in the adoption process. A complete list of member companies, RapidIO specifications and technical information are available at the association"s web site, www.RapidIO.org .

RapidIO and the RapidIO logo are trademarks and service marks of the RapidIO Trade Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.