"Avalanche of demand" from PC vendors hits NexGen for Nx586 processor used in 5th generation systems; Huge surge across all PC market segments for affordable new Pentium alternative despite "stormy weather" at Pentium's primary supplier.MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 1994--NexGen Thursday announced it is experiencing both a significantly higher pick-up in demand for its Nx586 processor family and an accelerated rate of commitments by personal computer OEMs planning to use the fifth-generation performance, x86-compatible processors. The Nx586, which entered volume production in September at four performance levels is the only Pentium alternative currently in production and shipping. Manufactured for NexGen by IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) Microelectronics, the Nx586 processor family matches the highest levels of x86 performance available. The products are being offered at aggressive prices to allow for widespread adoption by mainstream PC OEMs and end-users. "Earlier this fall, we began experiencing what has virtually become an avalanche avalanche, rapidly descending large mass of snow, ice, soil, rock, or mixtures of these materials, sliding or falling in response to the force of gravity. Avalanches, which are natural forms of erosion and often seasonal, are usually classified by their content such of demand and interest activity, and a faster rate of sign-ups from PC OEMs, for our Nx586 processor family," said Atiq Raza, president and chief executive officer of NexGen. Furthermore, he noted, "This huge swell of demand and interest is not limited to a particular customer segment, but is coming from new Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies, in addition to the Tier 3 PC OEMs that have been the early adopters of our Nx586 family." Raza did not know what portion, if any, of the Nx586 demand surge was directly attributable to the industry and public controversy over the flawed flaw 1 n. 1. An imperfection, often concealed, that impairs soundness: a flaw in the crystal that caused it to shatter. See Synonyms at blemish. 2. Pentium chips shipped and still in production by Intel Corp. Rather, he stated: "Each PC OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and is distinguishing itself by how it's addressing the flawed Pentium issued and supporting customers. "An increasing number of OEMs recognize the value to their customers is associated with their own name and branded PCs, rather than with the name on the microprocessor, and are demanding our Pentium alternative." At this time last month, just over three dozen PC manufacturers worldwide were selling NexGen Nx586 processor-based PCs offering Pentium-level performance at typical price points between $1,500 and $2,000. "Now the number of OEMs signed-up is rapidly approaching 50, with several placing orders for tens of thousands of Nx586 family members," Raza stated. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Nexgen official, satisfying the market demand for Nx586s will not be an issue. "We are getting very good production volumes from IBM Microelectronics, and they are able to increase their capacity committed to us, so we can sustain delivery of large volumes of Nx586 family members to our customers." "Furthermore," Raza added, "The yield from IBM is higher than we expected." The Nx586 processors are being manufactured using IBM's CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. 5L process consisting of 0.5 micron micron: see micrometer. One micrometer, which is one millionth of a meter or approximately 1/25,000 of an inch. The tiny elements that make up a transistor on a chip are measured in micrometers and nanometers. See process technology. CMOS silicon technology, up to 5 layers of metal interconnect (1) To attach one device to another. (2) A physical port (plug, socket) or wireless port (transmitter, receiver) used to attach one device to another. , and 8-inch silicon wafers. This is one of the most advanced volume production processes available in the industry. Additionally, IBM's C4 "flip-chip" packaging technology is being used in the manufacture of the Nexgen products whereby the silicon die is attached via solder solder (sŏd`ər), metal alloy used in the molten state as a metallic binder. The type of solder to be used is determined by the metals to be united. Soft solders are commonly composed of lead and tin and have low melting points. Hard solders (i. bumps within the die, resulting in high reliability and low cost. NexGen recently reported that it is on track to ship several tens of thousands of units this year and is preparing to produce, at least, several hundreds of thousands in 1995. An additional foundry is expected to be announced To be announced (TBA) A contract for the purchase or sale of an MBS to be delivered at an agreed-upon future date but does not include a specified pool number and number of pools or precise amount to be delivered. in 1995 to address future demand requirements. The Nx586 family of processors are the first to combine 586-class performance with x86 binary software compatibility at a significantly more affordable level than Intel's Pentium processor. NexGen's processors combine the five key performance elements also found in Pentium (5th generation x86 processors) plus three major advances including NexGen's patented RISC RISC in full Reduced Instruction Set Computing Computer architecture that uses a limited number of instructions. RISC became popular in microprocessors in the 1980s. 86 microarchitecture. These capabilities allow NexGen products to offer the best combination of price/performance today, and significantly higher performance in the future. All these advanced technologies are designed to be fully x86 binary-code compatible. Most recently, NexGen has received the right from Microsoft Corp. to use the Windows Compatible logo with its Nx586 processor assuring OEMs and end-users of full compatibility with Windows. In addition, XXCAL, a leading independent compatibility testing Compatibility testing, part of software non-functional tests, is testing conducted on the application to evaluate the application's compatibility with the computing environment. laboratory, has tested the Nx586 processor with their most rigorous compatibility test suites and awarded the NexGen processor with its highest seal of compatibility -- the Platinum certification. NexGen Inc., founded in 1986, develops and utilizes industry-leading processor technologies to deliver high performance x86 processors to mainstream PC users. The Milpitas-based company currently holds many patents for its leading-edge x86 processor technology and has several more patents in process. NexGen is funded by several blue chip technology investors including Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers, ASCII ASCII or American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a set of codes used to represent letters, numbers, a few symbols, and control characters. Originally designed for teletype operations, it has found wide application in computers. Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Olivetti Corp., PaineWebber Inc. and Harvard Management Co. For product information, call 1-800-8NEXGEN (1-800-863-9436) or 408/435-0202. CONTACT: Nexgen Inc.
David Kulbarsh, 408/435-0202
ChipShots Inc.
Bruce LeBoss, 408/541-8744
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