Belkin Selects Cypress for High-End USB 2.0 Hubs; Cypress's TetraHub Technology Lets Users Simultaneously Operate Multiple Full-Speed USB Devices.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY), the market share leader in USB, today announced that its TetraHub(TM) USB hub controller chips are shipping in a new multiport hub being announced this week by Belkin, the world's leading manufacturer of USB hub devices. Cypress's TetraHub technology provides end-users of Belkin's new TetraHub (F5U231) four-port USB hub a significant increase in device performance and productivity.

Cypress's TetraHub chip (CY7C65640) is the industry's first USB hub controller to integrate one "transaction translator" (TT) in each downstream port, delivering a full 12 Mbps of bandwidth to each connected full-speed USB peripheral. Transaction translators are crucial in ensuring the forward and backward compatibility of USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices. Competing hubs force connected peripherals to share a single 12 Mbps data channel, which can bottleneck data and render a system inoperable when multiple devices are used simultaneously.

"The PC has evolved into a multimedia studio, with CD burners, DVD players, video and storage devices competing for system bandwidth," said Paul Novell, managing director of the Wired Business Unit of Cypress Semiconductor's Personal Communications Division. "Why should you have to wait for your CD to finish burning before you can start on other projects? Cypress's TetraHub technology eliminates the 'downtime penalty' of single-TT hubs, enabling end-users to enjoy the full potential of their peripheral devices."

"Today's peripherals are much more sophisticated than in the past," said Gavin Downey, business unit manager, at Belkin. "Digital cameras, speakers, scanners and other multimedia devices consume considerable bandwidth that must be shared in a traditional multi-port hub. Leveraging Cypress's TetraHub technology, Belkin's new hub allows consumers to enjoy the full capabilities of these devices."

Cypress's TetraHub solution provides USB hubs with the system intelligence needed for high levels of data control. It supports all three USB speeds: low-speed (1.5 Mbps), full-speed (12 Mbps) and hi-speed (480 Mbps), enabling multiple devices of varying speeds to operate on the hub simultaneously. The TetraHub device may be used as a high-bandwidth controller in standalone hubs, monitor hubs, port replicators, and docking stations, or to increase the number of USB ports on a PC without integrating additional host controllers. It is available in a space-saving, cost-effective 56-lead QFN package. Cypress also offers a hub reference design and evaluation kit to shorten and simplify product design cycles.

Photos:

Photos related to this announcement are available online at www.cypress.com/support/link.cfm?mr=tetrahub.

About Cypress

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY) is Connecting From Last Mile to First Mile(TM) with high-performance solutions for personal, network access, enterprise, metro switch and core communications-system applications. Cypress Connects(TM) using wireless, wireline, digital and optical transmission standards, including USB, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH, Gigabit Ethernet and DWDM. Leveraging its process and system-level expertise, Cypress makes industry-leading physical layer devices, framers and network search engines, along with a broad portfolio of high-bandwidth memories, timing technology solutions and reconfigurable mixed-signal arrays. More information about Cypress is accessible online at www.cypress.com.

About Belkin

Belkin Corporation, the global leader in connectivity solutions, offers a range of innovations for the computer, electronics, and mobile consumer. With a diverse and far-reaching product mix consisting of home and enterprise networking, audio video solutions, KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) and peripheral sharing, power protection and cabling, as well as USB and FireWire devices, Belkin extends its reach also to Bluetooth(TM), cellular, PDA, iPod(TM), and other solutions for mobile computing. In addition, Belkin has introduced multiple types of messaging services, using iNuntius Inc.'s technology, that allows users to send or receive email, voicemail, faxes, and mobile text messages through one IP-based portal, from any computer and web-enabled device. Belkin products are available through www.belkin.com as well as through a network of major distributors, resellers, and superstores.

Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. "Connecting From Last Mile to First Mile," "TetraHub" and "Cypress Connects" are trademarks of Cypress. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.