Samsung To Benefit From ARM And National Semiconductor Power Management Collaboration

Samsung will offer extended battery life to mobile phones through their highly integrated application processors incorporating the Advanced Power Controller

SANTA CLARA, CALIF., AND CAMBRIDGE, UK – June 21, 2006 – National Semiconductor Corp. [NYSE:NSM] and ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY)] today announced that Samsung [KSE:005930] has become the first ARM® Partner to publicly announce its license of the National Semiconductor PowerWise® technology, specifically the Advanced Power Controller (APC™). This technology will enable Samsung to offer customers faster, feature-rich mobile phone applications, incorporating “intelligent” power control for increased battery efficiency.

National Semiconductor’s PowerWise technology features a synthesizable AMBA® methodology-compliant macrocell called the APC, which includes a hardware performance monitor. This combination allows the APC block to automatically compensate and minimize the voltage supply based upon real-time, on-chip system conditions.  This results in reduced system power and energy consumption for extended battery life.  APC technology, in conjunction with a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling SoC and ARM Intelligent Energy Manager (IEM™) Software, can further reduce power and energy consumption demands upon the battery by as much as 25 percent to 30 percent.

The APC communicates to an external Power Management Unit (PMU) through the open-standard PWI interface® (PWI) (www.pwistandard.org). The PMU then delivers the lowest level of required voltage to the SoC, minimizing active and static system power and energy consumption.   

“Today’s leading portable device manufacturers need to ensure that consumers are able to enjoy high-data rate features and extended battery life,” said Ravi Ambatipudi, director of advanced power management products, National Semiconductor. “By combining PowerWise technology and PWI, Samsung will be able to deliver the benefits of extremely power and energy-efficient SoC semiconductor integrated circuits to the mobile phone market.”

The APC forms an integral part of the ARM IEM technology, which includes ARM Artisan® Physical IP, AMBA 3 AXI™ interconnect, IEM software and IEC hardware.

“The collaboration between ARM and National Semiconductor is designed to bring technologies to market that deliver increased power and energy efficiency to mobile and wireless devices,” said Kevin McIntyre, IEM product manager, ARM. “The continuing collaboration between ARM and National Semiconductor will help realize the full performance potential of advanced mobile phones, enabling these rich new applications.”

Availability

National Semiconductor’s AMBA technology-compliant PowerWise technology, APC, is available for licensing through ARM or National Semiconductor for use with any ARM processor. The ARM IEM technology is available today from ARM.  There are currently three IEM technology-enabled processors: the ARM1176JF-S™ processor, the ARM1176JZF-S™ processor, and the ARM11™ MPCore™ multiprocessor. The technology is also available in the Cortex™ family of processors.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from mobile, home and enterprise solutions to embedded and emerging applications. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, 3D processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor, the industry’s premier analog company, creates high-value analog devices and subsystems.  National’s leading-edge products include power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, interface products and data conversion solutions. National’s key analog markets include wireless handsets, displays and a variety of broad electronics markets, including medical, automotive, industrial, and test and measurement applications. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $2.16 billion for fiscal 2006, which ended May 28, 2006.  Additional company and product information is available at www.national.com.