Santa Clara (Feb 11, 2010) Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced the newest addition to the ARMADA family of application processors - the Marvell ARMADA 618 for next generation HD-capable smartphones. Characteristic of the ARMADA family of application processors, the ARMADA 618 offers a CPU core with PC-class performance, integrated 1080p full-HD encode and decode, and exceptional 3D graphics - delivering a highly scalable and power optimized platform that is designed to fuel high-end applications, rich multimedia and gaming experience in a lightweight form factor with very low power requirements."Featuring a gigahertz CPU, 1080p full-HD video, 3D graphics, the industry's fastest LP-DDR, and optimized power for longer battery life, Marvell's ARMADA 618 application processor represents a dramatic leap forward in high-end, multimedia smartphones," said Ms. Weili Dai, Marvell's Co-founder and Vice President and General Manager of Marvell Semiconductor's Consumer and Computing Business Unit. "Importantly, the ARMADA 600 series of application processors gives our customers a common platform solution to build multiple products and formats for the always-on consumer--scaling from smartphones to eReaders to tablets without compromising either the multimedia performance or the battery life."The ARMADA 618 is based on a Marvell-designed ARM v7 compatible CPU offering gigahertz-class performance in a 12mm x 12mm package. It offers the flexibility to use LP-DDR1 or LP-DDR2 memory up to 533 MHz, a highly flexible display controller capable of four simultaneous displays at up to 2K x 2K resolution, and a highly robust security subsystem that includes a secure execution processor. In addition, it features a powerful 3D graphics engine that supports DirectX, Open GL ES 2.0, and Open VG 1.1, rendering up to 45 million triangles per second with a complete floating point pipeline and unified vertex and fragment/pixel shading, generating contrast-rich scenes with high-definition resolution and color. ARMADA 618 supports Linux, Android, Windows Mobile, and full Adobe Flash.Availability The ARMADA 618 will be demonstrated at the Marvell Booth (Courtyard 18) at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain next week. The ARMADA 618 is currently sampling to early customers.

Lanner Electronics has announced the FW-8910, a new 2U rackmount dual-CPU appliance built around two Intel Xeon C5500 processors and supporting up to 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports.The Lanner FW-8910 targets the performance segment of the network security, NAC, WAN Acceleration and ADC markets, and offers the features of Intel's new C5500 processor, such as integrated memory controller, integrated PCI Express 2.0 controller and Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) technology."As a member of the Intel Embedded Alliance, Lanner strives to lead the industry in developing the most advanced hardware platforms on the latest Intel technologies such as the Intel Xeon processor C5500-series and Intel 3420 chipset," said Jesse Chiang, Product Planner, Lanner Network Communications. "Network security and acceleration solutions demand the highest levels of performance for enterprise-class networks, and performance is what the Lanner FW-8910 delivers.""The new Xeon C5500-series feature multi-core and multi-threaded processing, allowing for vast improvements in network packet processing efficiency," said Frank Schapfel, director of marketing, Intel Performance Products Division. "Directly connecting GbE and 10GbE MACs to the integrated PCI Express controller allows network appliance manufacturers such as Lanner, to easily add sophisticated network connectivity."A 2U rack mount platform, the FW-8910 includes up to five customized Ethernet modules for a combination of up to 40 LAN ports combining GbE copper, fiber and bypass port options. Furthermore, the FW-8910 supports multiple 10Gbps cards, either fiber or 10G Base-T copper, Lanner highlighted. Twelve DIMM sockets support up to 96GB DDR3 memory, and four 2.5-inch hard drives allow for RAID based data protection. High availability features include optional RAID, swappable system fans and redundant 500W power supplies, Lanner added. An optional on-board Cavium Nitrox CN1620 security processor offloads high-level security commands to dramatically increase total system throughput.Lanner's modular design allows for easy replacement of front-facing network port modules, hot-swappable hard drives, rear-accessible fan assemblies and power supply units, the company pointed out.Lanner will be displaying the FW-8910 at the RSA conference, taking place from March 1 - 4, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, and the product will be available for sampling later in first-quarter 2010.Lanner FW-8910 enterprise-class network appliancePhoto: Company

RF semiconductor company Elonics and Taiwan-based networking IC design house Realtek Semiconductor have collaborated to create a multi-standard DVB-T, DAB/DAB+ and FM TV and Radio reference design. The platform can be adopted by manufacturers as an external USB dongle or internal USB Minicard.The reference design is able to receive both digital TV and radio. The same hardware is used to receive all standards by seamlessly reconfiguring the personality of the devices using the supplied software drivers. The device operates in both VHF and L band frequencies. It has low power consumption (around 650mW fully active) and the ultra low component count creates low production costs, the companies highlighted."With high sensitivity performance (-98dBm QPSK, C/R 1/2, DVB-T, 8MHz), the design is proven to work even in the weakest signal environments," said Julian Hayes, Elonics VP of sales and marketing.The production-ready TV and radio USB design contains Elonics E4000 CMOS RF tuner that uses DigitalTune technology to enable high performance and multi-standard capabilities. The companion Realtek RTL2832U is a digital TV and radio USB 2.0 demodulator with DVB-T and FM/DAB/DAB+ reception ability.The reference design surpasses Nordig 2.0, D-Book 5.0 and ETSI 300-744 requirements and can be used for PCs of any size (including notebooks and netbooks). It is available in a number of different form factors and feature options. The USB dongle comes in a number of different sizes from 31mm×18mm including USB connector.

AzureWave Technologies, Inc., a global leading wireless solution provider, has rolled out a complete product line of 11n and Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed (HS) wireless module IC for mobile devices, such as smartphones, mobile gaming devices, e-book readers and portable media players (PMPs), all of which require high bandwidth and efficient power management. AzureWave will showcase the latest 11n + Bluetooth 3.0 technology at MWC in Hall 2, Booth #2C09.What makes AzureWave's wireless module IC outstanding is its small footprint, cutting edge wireless performance, flexible power management and diverse OS support for multitasking smartphones and mobile devices. The coexistence of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in one module guarantees seamless and smooth data transfer. Combined with the latest Bluetooth 3.0 technology + HS, the wireless Module IC enables a wide variety of mobile devices to quickly and easily transfer rich media contents. In addition, it facilitates high speed synchronization with other BT 3.0 + HS enabled devices.According to ABI Research, 802.11n is making its official debut in higher-end smartphones in 2010 and will have at least 87 percent bundle rate by 2014. The quick growth of 802.11n is triggered by consumers' demand for higher bandwidth to transfer big data across different devices and download advanced applications via network. Especially the increasing demand to easily and quickly connect consumers' different devices and share information is far larger than ever, an easy peer to peer connection such as Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 3.0 + HS featured in AzureWave's wireless modules will help consumers' dream come true.Consumers are looking for smartphones with more powerful processors, better battery life, richer web experience and multitasking capabilities. As a result, combo solutions are growing in popularity among mobile gaming and portable CE to allow consumers to benefit from the outstanding wireless experience. AzureWave will launch the latest 11n high speed solutions in the upcoming MWC at booth #2C09 during February 15-18.

Lanner Electronics has announced the new LEC-7020, an Intel Atom-based industrial computer with 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities. The small form factor (SFF) computer has a VGA, COM, DIO, four USB ports, and an optional LVDS output, and also boasts a new simplified design allowing quick component installation, the company highlighted.With an on-board SIM card socket and mini PCI Express 3G/GPS mini-card module, the LEC-7020 can send GPS signals and communicate via a 3G modem, in addition to connections via the two built-in Gigabit Ethernet and optional Wi-Fi module, Lanner said.To drive digital content the LEC-7020 has an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics engine and features a VGA port and optional LVDS port. The addition of an LVDS port allows for a direct computer to panel connection and reduces deployment costs for system integrators, Lanner noted.The LEC-7020 is also designed to allow easy access to the motherboard for rapid hardware installation, Lanner added.Lanner LEC-7020 digital signage computer with 3G communications and GPSPhoto: Company

AMD has introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics card that fully supports DirectX 11, as well as ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology. This latest offering completes a full DirectX 11 refresh of AMD discrete graphics products, bringing customers a choice of graphics cards to match every budget and form factor, AMD highlighted.In addition to ATI Eyefinity and DirectX 11 support, the ATI Radeon HD 5570 also delivers full 1080p HD playback and supports ATI Stream technology, helping to boost performance for video playback and productivity applications, all while enabling a full Microsoft Windows 7 experience.AMD ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics cardPhoto: Company

Intel has introduced the Itanium 9300-series processor, previously codenamed Tukwila, which the company claims delivers more than double the performance of its predecessor, boosts scalability and adds reliability features to the Itanium platform that is already running mission-critical applications for 80% of the global 100 corporations.With Gartner predicting a 650% growth in IT data over the next five years, the two-billion transistor Itanium processor 9300-series can meet the need head on with twice as many cores as its predecessor (four versus two), eight threads per processor (through enhanced Intel Hyper-Threading Technology), more cache, up to 800% the interconnect bandwidth, up to 500% the memory bandwidth, and up to 700% the memory capacity using-industry standard DDR3 components.Critical corporate workloads also demand high-availability features across all platform components. The Itanium processor 9300-series adds to the architecture's resiliency with new reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features that extend across the processor, its Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology, and the memory subsystem, Intel said.The processor's machine-check architecture coordinates error handling across the hardware, firmware and operating system, and improves system availability by enabling recovery from otherwise fatal errors.The Itanium 9300 processor employs the second generation of Intel Virtualization technology to improve performance and robustness. Its Intel 7500 chipset can directly assign I/O devices to virtual machines, further boosting efficiency.OEM systems based on the Intel Itanium processor 9300-series will be binary-compatible with existing software and can provide major performance improvements without the need for additional software optimization.Poulson, codename for the next Itanium processor, will add an advanced multi-core architecture, instruction-level and hyper-threading enhancements, new reliability features and more.An enhanced form of Demand-Based Switching (DBS) lowers power consumption when utilization is low. Intel Turbo Boost Technology automatically senses and adapts to provide the right performance boost when needed, and to conserve power when it is not. The Intel Itanium processor 9300 series ranges in price from US$946 to US$3,838 in quantities of 1,000. OEM systems are expected to ship within 90 days.

AMD has announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics chip, the latest addition to the line-up of ATI Radeon HD 5000 series GPUs.The ATI Radeon HD 5450 delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and game experience at a value price, claimed AMD. Sharing the same features found in the ATI Radeon HD 5800 series (support for DirectX 11, ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology and ATI Stream technology) the ATI Radeon HD 5450 provides an uncompromising Microsoft Windows 7 experience.The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card offers great performance, allowing users to get the true Windows 7 experience with full DirectX 11 support, for less than US$60 for a 512MB memory configuration.The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics enable high quality, high-definition home theater experiences with features such as HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for media PC.The ATI Radeon HD 5450 is available immediately from a number of partners, including Asustek Computer, ASK, Club 3D, DMM, GBT, HIS, LDLC.com, Micro-Star International (MSI), Sapphire, TUL (PowerColor), VT and XFX.AMD ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics cardPhoto: Company

Gigabyte has launched a new flagship motherboard for the Intel P55 chipset platform, the GA-P55A-UD7, which continues the tradition of the company's UD7-series of packing as many extra features on the board as it can find space for. In the case on the GA-P55A-UD7 value-added extras not seen on common P55-based boards include support for Nvidia 3-Way SLI. USB 3.0 with Power Boost, and SATA 6Gbpss, as well as a 24-phase power design to increase overclocking potential.Although Intel has licensed both Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossfireX for its Core i7 and i5 CPUs, in order to ensure there is enough PCI Express bandwidth to meet the demands of even the fastest GPUs (perhaps for example Nvidia's upcoming Fermi range) running together at the same time, Gigabyte has also added the Nvidia NF200 chip to the GA-P55A-UD7 board.Gigabyte has also included a chips from NEC to add support for SuperSpeed USB 3.0, an upgrade from the P55's native support for USB 2.0, and a SATA 6Gbp controller from Marvell, meaning owners will not find themselves limited to the current standard transfer rates once components and peripherals supporting the new faster standards become readily available on the market. Of course, USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps maintain backwards compatibility with existing devices.Some might question the logic behind adding so many extra features, which increase the selling price of the board, to what is essentially a mid-range platform (Intel has its X58 chipset for the high-end segment). But with the potential for overclocking, the wider choice and more affordable pricing of LGA 1156 CPUs versus LGA 1366 models, as well as future-proofing thanks to USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps, the GA-P55A-UD7 could make a better long-term investment providing near enthusiast performance without the premium price.Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7 motherboardPhoto: Company

San Jose, Calif., February 1, 2010 - Building on its history of technology leadership, Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) announced today new innovations that will be incorporated into upcoming 28-nm FPGAs. Embedded HardCopy Blocks, a new method for partial reconfiguration and embedded 28Gbps transceivers will dramatically improve the density and I/O performance of next-generation Altera FPGAs and further strengthen their competitive position versus ASICs and ASSPs. The rapid growth of bandwidth-intensive applications such as high-definition (HD) video, cloud computing, online data storage and mobile video has created a challenge for both infrastructure and end-user equipment developers. How can they quickly increase system bandwidth while staying within strict power and cost budgets? Altera has developed its latest innovations to solve these challenges. The new Embedded HardCopy Blocks are customizable hard intellectual property (IP) blocks that leverage Altera's unique HardCopy ASIC capabilities. They are used to harden standard or logic-intensive functions such as interface protocols, application-specific functions, and proprietary custom IP. The Embedded HardCopy Blocks offer customers faster time to market for their designs while also reducing cost and power. For Altera, this innovation allows the company to quickly create variant products and target specific market segments. Partial reconfiguration allows designers to reconfigure part of the FPGA while other sections remain running. This is extremely important in systems where uptime is critical because it allows designers to make updates or adjust functionality without disrupting services. Lowering power and cost, partial reconfiguration also improves effective logic density by removing the necessity to place in the FPGA functions that do not operate simultaneously. Instead, these functions can be stored in external memory and loaded as needed. This reduces the size of the FPGA by allowing multiple applications on a single FPGA, saving board space and reducing power. To date, partial reconfiguration solutions have been time-intensive tasks that required designers to know all of the intricate FPGA architecture details. Altera is simplifying the partial reconfiguration process by building the capability on top of the proven incremental compile design flow in its Quartus II design software. Extending its leadership in embedded transceiver technology, Altera has developed 28Gbps embedded transceivers, which will also be implemented in upcoming 28nm FPGAs. These high-speed transceivers will enable customers to implement next-generation designs such as 400G systems on a single chip without the need for costly external components. "Two years ago, Altera introduced the industry's first 40nm FPGAs, and continued delivering industry firsts such as embedded 11.3-Gbps transceivers," said John Daane, president, chairman and CEO of Altera. "As we move to the next process node, these new innovations from Altera will take the industry beyond the benefits of Moore's Law to solve bandwidth challenges while staying within cost and power requirements."