NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH Licenses SMSC's MediaLB Technology

NEC Electronics Europe is licensing SMSC's MediaLB technology,supported by SMSC's network interface controllers for its MediaOriented Systems Transport (MOST(R)). MOST is a de facto industrystandard for automotive multimedia networking deployed by virtuallyevery major European automobile manufacturer.

MOST multimedia networking technology enables new classes ofmultimedia applications in automobiles. It facilitates the efficienttransport of real-time streaming multimedia, control and packetinformation over a single optical fiber or twisted pair wire,eliminating the need to run multiple wires throughout a vehicle, andenables automakers to decentralize infotainment functions into variouscomponents distributed around the vehicle. MediaLB, available on allof SMSC's Intelligent Network Interface Controllers (INICs), is a lowcost, low pin count, serial on-PCB and inter-chip communicationstandard for multimedia applications. Its synchronous connection tothe MOST network can transport diverse multimedia signals.

"As the sophistication of in-vehicle communication systems grows,SMSC's MediaLB technology is increasingly being adopted as a naturalinterface to connect those applications into the MOST networkbackbone," said Christian Thiel, Managing Director of SMSC'sAutomotive Infotainment Systems group. "We are pleased that NECElectronics has selected the MediaLB interface to provide the linkbetween its gateway bus controllers and the network system, whichgives NEC seamless access to all speed grades and physical layers ofMOST."

"A key goal for NEC Electronics' automotive business is to enhanceour leading position in the automotive gateway and audio markets,"Gerd Look, General Manager Automotive Business Group, NEC Electronics(Europe) GmbH stated. "With the first integration of the MediaLBtechnology into our gateway microcontrollers, NEC Electronics willcomplement its current roadmap for this business, supporting theinnovative communications network requirements required by futureautomotive applications."

About NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH

NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH, headquartered in Duesseldorf,Germany, is a leading developer and supplier of semiconductor productsin Europe. Committed to meeting customers' cost, performance andtime-to-market requirements, the company offers solutions ranging fromstandard products to system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions, as well ascustomized products for next-generation designs. Our customers alsobenefit from state-of-the-art manufacturing from the global productionnetwork of our parent company, NEC Electronics Corporation.Additionally, NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH is the exclusive Europeansales and marketing channel of LCD modules from NEC LCD TechnologiesLtd. For more information visit http://www.eu.necel.com.

The Automotive Business Unit bundles all of NEC Electronics'European automotive activities. Engineers with first-class siliconknow-how who talk the customers' language provide highly competentsupport for car makers and system suppliers. The product portfolioincludes a broad range of automotive-specific microcontrollers,PowerMOSFETs and other components for applications such as bodycontrol, dashboard, gateway, airbag, car audio and infotainmentsystems. For more information on NEC's automotive semiconductors visitwww.eu.necel.com/automotive.

About SMSC:

Many of the world's most successful global technology companiesrely upon SMSC as a go-to resource for semiconductor system solutionsthat span analog, digital and mixed-signal technologies. Leveragingsubstantial intellectual property, integration expertise and acomprehensive global infrastructure, SMSC solves design challenges anddelivers performance, space, cost and time-to-market advantages to itscustomers. SMSC's application focus targets key vertical marketsincluding mobile and desktop PCs, servers, consumer electronics,automotive infotainment and industrial applications. The Company hasdeveloped leadership positions in its select markets by providingapplication specific solutions such as mixed-signal PC systemcontrollers, non-PCI Ethernet, ARCNET, MOST and Hi-Speed USB.

SMSC is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York with operations inNorth America, Taiwan, Asia and Europe. Engineering design centers arelocated in Arizona, New York, Texas and Karlsruhe, Germany. Additionalinformation is available at http://www.smsc.com.

SMSC is a registered trademark of Standard MicrosystemsCorporation. Product names and company names are trademarks of theirrespective holders.

Notes:

MediaLB is a new inter-chip communication technology developed bySMSC and proposed to the industry as an open standard to efficientlytransport multimedia data between ICs. Today's chip to chip interfacesolutions are lacking a high-speed but low pin-count bus able to carryall types of multimedia data which can occur in modern multimediasystems, such as audio and video streams, control data and packet datasuch as navigation map information. MediaLB is a local de-multiplexedversion of MOST. It is a serial bus that can connect several ICs tothe MOST network interface controllers and runs synchronous to MOST.MediaLB provides highly efficient access to the MOST network through ahigh-speed low-cost interface. SMSC's MediaLB IP implements bothphysical and application layers of MediaLB and supports up to 31programmable logical channels and various host interfaces.