Eau Claire, WI, April 26 th, 2005-- Silicon Logic Engineering (SLE), today announced a recent research and development defense contract award in the amount of 2.2 million dollars, resulting from FY05 Defense Appropriations. Jeff West, President of SLE commented, “SLE is pleased to be applying its engineering expertise to projects critical to the US Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command (CERDEC). It is our goal to engineer high-quality, cost-efficient solutions that provide more safety for US
soldiers.â€
The first contract award is valued at $1,362,000: SLE will research and develop a low-cost instrument to indicate the battery life on high-power, disposable batteries used by the US Army. Soldiers utilizing necessary electronic devices routinely swap out their equipment batteries without knowing the amount of energy remaining. Without knowing the battery state-of-charge, Army units purchase, stock, transport, carry, and dispose of more batteries than are required to successfully complete their mission. This product would significantly reduce premature and wasteful disposal of good batteries resulting in considerable cost reductions and decreased logistical support.
The second contract award is valued at $862,000: SLE will research and develop the data acquisition hardware required to provide a speech recognition product for use in military battlefield systems. US soldiers are
exceedingly challenged during on-the-move battlefield situations to communicate with command centers utilizing a standard keyboard, mouse, or touch-screen input device. The researched solution will address the deficiencies of current technology and allow for implementation of other potentially desirable features for military use. The proposed product provides a much-needed technical solution, improves the speech recognition
technology in military applications, and saves the government significant integration costs.
Assistance from Congressman Ron Kind and Senator Herb Kohl: US Congressman Ron Kind was instrumental in pushing SLE’s defense requests through the lengthy defense appropriation process. Ron Kind stated, "Silicon Logic Engineering is developing exceptional, cutting-edge technology that will help our service men and women do their jobs more efficiently, safely, and at a lower cost to our government. The innovation behind this technology is a prime example of how Wisconsin companies can not only succeed, but also excel in today's changing economy. I am pleased that SLE will receive this funding."
US Senator Herb Kohl also worked very hard to secure these defense appropriations as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “When our soldiers are in the field, their safety is our paramount concern. Better technology and enhanced communication are essential to that goal, and I'm pleased that this federal funding will help equip our troops with the best support available. I'm proud Wisconsin industries are an important partner to our armed services," Kohl said.
About SLE
SLE specializes in right-first-time, leading edge, digital ASIC and system design services that address all aspects of complex ASIC development from concept to silicon. SLE's proven and repeatable Think Physical design process, tools, and semiconductor intellectual property reduce time-to-market and are provided by one of the most experienced VLSI design teams in the industry. Founded in 1996 by former Cray Research engineers, SLE is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For more information, visit us at www.siliconlogic.com.
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