AMI announces support for Upcoming AMD Opteron and eighth-generation AMD Athlon processor-based platforms.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JUNE 4, 2002

American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leading developer of computing and storage solutions, today announced full support for the AMD Opteron(TM) and eighth-generation AMD Athlon(TM) processors with AMIBIOS8.

"We have been working with AMD for several months and are on track to provide motherboard manufacturers with advanced, reliable and stable BIOS technology to support AMD Opteron and eighth-generation AMD Athlon processors," said Bill Clark, AMI's strategic account manager.

The AMIBIOS8 modular design eases porting on new technologies and chipsets, allowing AMIBIOS8 to serve desktop, notebook, mobile and embedded PC architectures. AMIBIOS8 is composed by a far lower number of files than ordinary BIOS and e-modules can be inserted or eliminated as needed. The Visual Development Environment, Visual eBIOS, offers a powerful tool to system developers for navigating through the source. AMIBIOS8 offers two views of the BIOS project: the actual directory tree and a tree organized by BIOS components, or e-modules, demonstrating functionality components.

AMIBIOS8 enables x86-64 platforms to take full advantage of state-of-the-art BIOS technologies and to handle a wide set of peripherals:

-- Fast POST - AMIBIOS8 meets Microsoft and PC2001 boot time requirements.
Power-On Self Test (POST) is executed in a matter of seconds.

-- 48bit-LBA support allows AMIBIOS8 to support IDE hard disks with capacity
greater than 137GB.

-- Boot from USB mass storage devices, including iomega Zip, CDROM, flash
storage, floppy, hard drives and LS120/LS-240.

-- Console Redirection and Remote Flash capability improve the manageability of
headless systems.

-- Allow products to support future technologies by adding AMIBIOS8 eModules

The AMD Opteron and eighth-generation AMD Athlon platforms are built on x86-64 microprocessor technology, aimed at providing a seamless transition to 64-bit computing while maintaining native compatibility with existing 32-bit applications. It features an integrated memory controller designed to reduce memory bottlenecks and utilizes HyperTransport(TM) technology, designed to improve bandwidth and diminish latency by removing or reducing I/O bottlenecks.

"For 64-bit systems based on AMD's eighth-generation processors and AMBIOS technology, the modular BIOS architecture and Visual eBIOS development environment will enable manufacturers to greatly improve time to market," said Mike Shields, Global Software Sales Manager at American Megatrends.

"Our shared customers benefit from the collaborative relationship between AMI and AMD," said Rich Heye, vice president platform engineering and infrastructure, AMD. "AMIBIOS8, in concert with the evolutionary x86-64 platform of the AMD Opteron and eighth-generation AMD Athlon processors, will provide stable and reliable 64-bit performance, with 32-bit backward-compatibility for current and future applications."

About AMI

Founded in 1985, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) has dedicated its resources to providing OEMs, resellers and systems integrators with leading edge computer technologies. Privately held, AMI is best known for its BIOS, but it also supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software and utilities to over 55 percent of today's high-tech manufacturers. AMI offers high-density motherboards, disk subsystems and innovative storage solutions and is a voting member of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA). Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S. and throughout the world including Chennai, Munich, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI products and services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visit www.ami.com.

About the AMD Opteron(TM) Processor

The AMD Opteron processor is based on AMD's eighth-generation processor core, which is planned to mark the introduction of the industry's first x86-64 technology. This technology is planned to preserve companies' investments in 32-bit applications while allowing a seamless transition to 64-bit computing, as those companies require. The AMD Opteron processor is designed to deliver high-performance server and workstation solutions for today's most demanding enterprise applications. The processor is designed to be scalable, reliable and compatible, which can result in lower total cost of ownership. Key AMD Opteron processor innovations include an integrated memory controller, which reduces memory bottlenecks, and HyperTransport(TM) technology, which increases overall performance by removing or reducing I/O bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and reducing latency.

About AMD

AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor's 500 company, produces microprocessors, Flash memory devices, and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $3.9 billion in 2001. (NYSE: AMD).

Statement of Liability: (c) 2002 American Megatrends Inc. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. Products mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. All rights reserved. No warranties are made, either express or implied, with regard to the contents of this work, its merchantability or fitness for a particular use. This publication contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. American Megatrends reserves the right to update, change and/or modify this product at anytime.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport is a trademark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium.