ChipX Achieves PCI Express Compliance Certification

Update: GigOptix, Inc. Announces Acquisition of ChipX (November 10, 2009)

Silicon-proven integrated PHY and Controller combination make PCI Express ASIC designs faster and easier

Santa Clara, January 15, 2008 – ChipX, Inc, a Mixed-Signal ASIC company with the broadest offering of ASIC solutions, today announces that it has passed full PCI Express (PCIe) compliance at the December 2007 PCI-SIG compliance workshop in Milpitas, California. The certification gives customers confidence that their ASIC, built by ChipX, passes PCI SIG certification as well.

ChipX offers PCI Express solutions consisting of silicon proven controller and PHY that can be integrated in a mixed signal Standard Cell ASIC, Hybrid ASIC, Embedded Array, or Structured ASIC platform. Using the ”Trusted PHY” PCIe development system, designers can implement a ChipX-supplied controller in FPGA and then interface to a test chip with the exact same PHY that will be used in the final mixed-signal ASIC. By doing so, the interface implementation risk is greatly reduced. Most other systems available today cannot be tested in a FPGA with the same PHY that will be used in the final ASIC.

“We are delighted to announce full PCI Express compliance for our one to multi-lane PCI Express solutions,” said Wouter Suverkropp, Director of Marketing for ChipX. “Designers now have the broadest choice of mixed signal ASIC options available to them, and can select the optimum solution based on their sensitivities to time to market, unit cost, and NRE.”

Companies that want to keep their initial NRE investment low and get to market quickly--while taking advantage of the performance, power, and cost benefits of an ASIC--can go to market with a PCI Express Structured ASIC platform. Using ChipX XPath methodology, customers can seamlessly migrate to a mixed-signal Standard Cell ASIC once the market and features are proven. Alternatively, customers can start with a Hybrid ASIC or mixed-signal Standard Cell ASIC from day one.

To celebrate the PCI-SIG approval of its PCIe PHY, ChipX has a drawing for free PCI Express development kits, which include a PCI Express endpoint controller, a PCI Express development board with FPGA, as well as software. The entire system is geared towards mixed-signal Standard Cell, Embedded Array, or Structured ASIC design prototyping. Registration for a free PCI Express development kit is at www.chipx.com/win. For more information about ChipX Mixed-Signal ASIC solutions, visit us at www.ChipX.com.

About ChipX

ChipX, Inc. is a Mixed-Signal ASIC company with the broadest offering of value-added ASIC solutions, including Standard Cell, Structured ASIC, Embedded Array and Hybrid ASIC technology. ChipX has unique expertise in PCI Express, USB 2.0, DDR/DDR2 and data conversion mixed-signal cores; all are silicon proven and certified and they can be integrated in customers’ ASICs with a record first-time to market success. ChipX products are widely used in consumer equipment, computing peripherals, communication systems, instrumentation and industrial control, medical equipment and military/aerospace systems. Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, ChipX is a privately held corporation, with a Research and Development subsidiary in Israel. Investors include Elron Electronic Industries, Ltd. (NASDQ: ELRN), VantagePoint Venture Partners, Wasserstein Venture Capital, UMC and Needham Capital Partners.