3Dlabs ships GLINT 300SX 3D graphics processor.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 1994--3Dlabs Inc. today announced immediate sampling of the GLINT 300SX 3D processor.

GLINT is fully functional and exceeds initial target performance levels. Currently, OpenGL applications running on GLINT-accelerated Pentium PCs are outperforming high-priced workstations. 3Dlabs' GLINT 300SX costs $150 in volume, and full-volume shipments are expected in the first quarter of 1995.

GLINT will be publicly demonstrated for the first time in the 3Dlabs' suite at Comdex Fall '94. 3Dlabs can be found at Comdex on the First Floor of the Las Vegas Hilton in Room 2 (H2), Nov. 14-18. GLINT will also be shown in the booths of a number of 3Dlabs' customers.

The GLINT chip was implemented entirely in the VHDL high level description language. Synopsys tools were used for synthesis and simulation. 3Dlabs chose IBM Microelectronics to manufacture GLINT utilizing IBM's advanced 3.3V, 0.5 micron process and technical support capability.

"We definitely chose the right partners in Synopsys and IBM," said Osman Kent, president and CEO of 3Dlabs. "GLINT is one of the largest VHDL designs ever encountered by Synopsys. It contains over 1 million transistors of hardwired logic and operates at 2.5 billion operations per second. Getting a chip like this right the first time is a major achievement. I would like to publicly thank IBM and Synopsys for their tremendous effort and support."

"We have now proven our design methodology, which shows we can rapidly develop sophisticated graphics processors," said Neil Trevett, vice president of marketing at 3Dlabs. "Getting the GLINT 300SX right first time establishes an aggressive forward momentum as we expand the GLINT processor family. This allows us to establish and expand a leadership position in 3D graphics chips."

3Dlabs is already shipping fully functional GLINT-based reference PCI-boards, with optimized drivers for Windows, Windows NT and OpenGL. Driver development has been ongoing in parallel with the chip design through the use of 3Dlabs' GLINT software simulator.

3Dlabs has a substantial software engineering team which is concentrating on porting and optimizing Windows and OpenGL for GLINT. 3Dlabs has also established partnerships with companies such as Template Graphics Software, X Inside, RenderMorphics, Argonaut and Criterion. These ISVs are developing software for harnessing GLINT using a wide range of APIs on diverse hardware platforms.

3Dlabs has also established an ISV program which is encouraging applications developers to migrate their workstation applications to Windows NT-based PCs. 3Dlabs is providing close technical support to ISVs to ensure applications take maximum advantage of GLINT acceleration.

3Dlabs already has close to 30 customers implemeting GLINT-based board designs. Boards will start shipping during the fourth quarter of 1994. As well as PC accelerators, 3Dlabs customers are developing Sbus and VME boards for workstations and embedded systems. Customers for GLINT include STB, SPEA, Omnicomp, Future Vision Technology, Diamond Flower, Aries, Barco Chromatics, Densan, Media Labs, Komatsu, and Datapath.

"The support, encouragement and feedback we have received from our early partners has been invaluable," said Trevett. "We are working closely with our customers to ensure we continue to target our efforts at providing the 3D solutions they need. GLINT is the first graphics chip to be designed around a software standard, and we intend to continue to push the envelope of graphics silicon."

S3 recently selected GLINT as a 3D co-processor for the range of S3's 2D windowing accelerators. 3Dlabs and S3 are working to provide a tightly integrated graphics solution that combines GLINT's best-of-breed 3D, with the industry's growing investment in S3's 2D accelerators.

The 3Dlabs GLINT processor incorporates the equivalent of a high-end workstation graphics board-set in a single chip. Target platforms include desktop personal computers, workstations and embedded systems. GLINT is capable of processing 300,000 shaded, depth buffered and anti-aliased polygons/second. The chip provides complete 32-bit color, 2D and 3D acceleration, an on-chip PCI-compliant local bus interface and integrated LUT-DAC control, making a complete graphics subsystem possible with minimal chip count. GLINT implements all the 3D rendering operations of OpenGL in silicon, including Gouraud shading, depth buffering, anti-aliasing and texture mapping, making it ideal for accelerating any polygon-based 3D API.

3Dlabs is a worldwide OEM supplier of chips, enabling software and technology for 3D graphics. The company's products enable board and system manufacturers to integrate 3D capabilities into their products for such applications as CAD, multimedia, simulation, virtual reality, interactive TV and video games. 3Dlabs Inc., headquartered in San Jose, was founded in April 1994 following a management buyout of Du Pont Pixel, and is privately owned. -0- Note to Editors: 3Dlabs and GLINT are trademarks of 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd. All other trademarks are acknowledged.

CONTACT: 3Dlabs Inc.

              Neil Trevett, 408/436-3456
              The Benjamin Group Inc.
              Jonathan Hirshon, Mary Sharpless, 408/559-6090