Intersil Selects ARM Solutions for Next-Generation PRISM WLAN Products

Intersil Selects ARM Solutions for Next-Generation PRISM WLAN Products
INTERSIL licenses the ARM946E core for wireless LAN product development -- Use of the ARM MicroPack tool kit and Embedded Trace Macrocell solutions for next-generation PRISM development further strengthens ARM's momentum in networking

CAMBRIDGE, UK and IRVINE, CA, USA - May 9, 2001 - ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor solutions, and Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq: ISIL), the world's leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), today announced that Intersil has licensed the ARM946E[tm] microprocessor core for use in its PRISM® wireless LAN product line. The ARM946E solution is ideally suited to applications such as IEEE 802.11-based WLANs, where low-power consumption in small form factors is critical.

Intersil has also licensed the ARM Embedded Trace Macrocell[tm] (ETM) solution for advanced system-on-chip (SoC) debug capabilities and the ARM MicroPack[tm] tool kit. The MicroPack tool kit allows developers to successfully create AMBA[tm] bus-based SoC designs, and will enable Intersil to develop the internal bus structure for its wireless LAN products.

"Our partnership with ARM further positions Intersil as the world's leading silicon resource for building high performance wireless networking products," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager for PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "The ARM® technology will be a key element of our roadmaps going forward and will be leveraged in our products for both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band. ARM core-based PRISM Medium Access Controller (MAC) chips are highly programmable and offer an extensive third-party tool set, thus enabling WLAN vendors to easily customize product features and options entirely in software."

"This licensing agreement with Intersil further underlines ARM's strength in the networking space and demonstrates our commitment to providing network device manufacturers with the support they need to build leading-edge products," said Steve Evans, VP of Segment Marketing for ARM. "ARM technology, from core IP to applications software, has enabled a new generation of networking products including ADSL and cable modems, intelligent ethernet network interface cards and wireless LAN solutions."

Adoption of PRISM WLAN Technology
Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, over fifty companies have incorporated PRISM chips in more than 100 product designs. In a May 2000 report, Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil "the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chip sets holding the majority of market share." PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE's 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi[tm] brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. PRISM/work[tm] and PRISM/home[tm] products are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Siemens, SOHOware, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.

About INTERSIL
Intersil is a leading supplier of semiconductors, reference designs and software for wireless access and communications analog markets. Intersil applies analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency (RF) expertise to products that enable wireless access to broadband media; provide reliable power management for PCs, files servers and portable information appliances; and convert analog and digital signals in cellular and Internet infrastructure. For more information about Intersil, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.intersil.com or call John Allen, Director of Communications, (321) 729-4928 or e-mail: jallen02@intersil.com.

About ARM
ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-on-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming the volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at www.arm.com.

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ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. ARM946E, Embedded Trace Macrocell, MicroPack and AMBA are trademarks of ARM Limited, "ARM'' is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM, INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc. PRISM/work and PRISM/home are trademarks of Intersil Americas Inc. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance.