AMI to Present Firmware and Diagnostic Support for EFI At Intel Developer Forum.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

Intel Developer Forum 2002

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

Editorial Summary

-- AMI presents EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) compliant BIOS and
utilities at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) - Booth 607

-- Products offered include AMIBIOS8, Enterprise64 firmware, AMIDiag for EFI
and other utilities

-- EFI can be integrated into AMIBIOS8 projects using a simple expansion module

American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leader in storage and computing innovations worldwide, presents a number of Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) products at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) Spring 2002, booth 607 (February 25-28, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA).

EFI support is available with AMIBIOS8(TM), Enterprise64(TM), AMIDiag(R) and other software utility product lines.

The EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) specification defines a set of interfaces and structures for platform firmware on next-generation computer systems. EFI is intended for both Intel(R) Itanium(TM) Processor Family platforms and traditional 32-bit systems.

Intel has proposed EFI as an evolutionary path from the current legacy "PC-AT" style firmware interface to a new standard for firmware development. EFI "isolates" the operating system from the platform, simplifying software development when new hardware is introduced. Ultimately, the purpose of EFI is to accelerate the introduction of new platforms by simplifying the supporting firmware layer.

AMI offers EFI support in a number of its products.

Enterprise64, AMI's firmware offering for platforms based on the Intel Itanium Processor Family, is compliant with EFI 1.1. Adopted by several leading OEMs worldwide, Enterprise64 includes an integrated EFI shell that provides a pre-boot environment for hardware diagnostics and system configuration. Enterprise64's feature set includes support for multiple CPU nodes, multiple I/O nodes, dynamic reconfiguration, Machine Check Abort (MCA), INIT and Platform Management Interrupt (PMI) support, and dynamic error detection and recovery.

AMIBIOS8, a leading edge solution for 32-bit based BIOS development, also offers EFI firmware support. AMIBIOS8 uses snap-in expansion modules, called "eModules," to facilitate new technologies. The EFI eModule can be added to any AMIBIOS8 solution. "The AMIBIOS8 modular architecture easily supports new technology to benefit the OEM and ODM," said Mike Shields, AMI Software Sales Manager.

"AMI's implementation of EFI on 32-bit platforms is designed to facilitate the transition from the legacy PC interface to a fully compliant EFI platform. Our EFI module operates side-by-side with the legacy BIOS," added Brian Richardson, BIOS Sales Engineer.

The EFI pre-OS environment offers an optional shell environment, similar to the DOS prompt, ideal for launching utility programs before the main operating system loads.

American Megatrends, Inc. introduced the first PC software diagnostic package for EFI, AMIDiag for EFI, offering a broad testing package for both 32-bit and Itanium-based platforms. AMIDiag for EFI tests all the system components, from processors, memories and storage devices to network, video and other peripherals. With AMIDiag for EFI, motherboard manufacturers are not required to pay an operating system license to test their motherboards. AMIDiag test results can be sent remotely, thus greatly easing the task of servicing computers.

AMI's support for EFI extends beyond firmware and diagnostics. AMI provides an EFI-based AMIBIOS Flash Utility, allowing BIOS upgrades from the EFI shell. The AMI Debug utility, normally used for troubleshooting during BIOS development, offers future support for source-level debugging of EFI applications.

"The Intel Itanium processor is designed for the highest ends of enterprise computing, where customization and flexibility are valued by both system manufactures and end users," said Mike Graf, marketing manager, Intel Itanium processor family. "The AMIBIOS8(TM), Enterprise64(TM), and AMIDiag(R) products from American Megatrends enable OEMs and end users to build customized Itanium processor family solutions on top of a flexible and open EFI framework."

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 AMIBIOS, 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.

Statement of Liability:(c)2002 American Megatrends Inc. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. Intel and Itanium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. AMIBIOS, AMIDiag and AMIBOS8 are trademarks or registered trademarks of American MegaTrends, Inc. Other 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 these products at anytime.