Breakthrough 802.11a/b/g Baseband Processors Combine Industry's Lowest Power Consumption with DSP-Like Flexibility.

SAN DIEGO -- Innovative Multi-Mode Broadband Architecture Proven with First Commercial Chips

CommASIC formally announced today commercial availability of its LP1071 and LP1072 integrated circuits (ICs), the industry's most energy-efficient 802.11a/b/g baseband processors. The chips are designed specifically for VOIP handsets, wireless PDAs, digital cameras and other high volume portable consumer applications. Reference designs for evaluation and design integration are also available now. The two chips are the initial product offerings from CommASIC, a fabless semiconductor supplier, who have introduced a revolutionary architecture, designed with programmability, for multimode broadband wireless applications.

The CommASIC 802.11a/g baseband processors set a new industry benchmark for power consumption, drawing only 50 mA during active receive mode at 54 Mbps. For end-users, that means more than doubling talk (and usage) time with no compromise on range or reliability. Laboratory testing further showed that standby-power consumption, at 0.4 mA, is also the lowest in the industry.

Samples of both chips have been beta tested with several key Asian OEM/ODMs. "There are many claims in the marketplace for lowest power. But it's different when our customers can validate the LP1070's extraordinary power-efficiency advantage for themselves," said L. C. Lee, CommASIC President and CEO.

The LP1071 and LP1072 revolutionizes conventional ASIC design, employing a single common hardware engine to support multiple communication modes -- 802.11 b CCK and 802.11a/g OFDM. Based on the company's new WBSP technology, these baseband processors can be "programmed" for optimum power/performance, unlike conventional fixed pipelined ASIC architecture in which the chip cannot be modified after tape-out. The benefit is finally a solution that meets all the user requirements of power consumption, cost and performance.

Final production-ready ICs are available now in limited supply. "As a new entrant into WiFi, we felt it absolutely critical to provide the complete solution to our customers with a full array of reference designs," remarked Mr. Lee. The LP1071 and LP1072 come with a development platform, SDIO and CF form fit reference designs to start customer design integration immediately.

The LP1071, at 9 x 9 x 1.0 mm, supports SDIO host interface and is the smallest integrated MAC/BB package available. The LP1072 baseband processor supports SDIO, CF+, and SRAM-to-host interfaces for increase performance. Both products fully embed upper and lower MAC functionality inside the chip, which is essential when adding WLAN capability into applications such as mobile phones and consumer electronics.

WBSP(TM) Technology

Powered by CommASIC's core WBSP(TM) technology, these two commercially available ICs demonstrate only a fraction of the power savings that is possible. The company expects further sizeable improvements from future WiFi BB products and multimode offerings.

CommASIC is a fabless, semiconductor company that designs and supplies baseband solutions for next generation broadband wireless devices. Implementing an entirely new wireless signal processor, CommASIC is the only company offering technology that combines low power and affordability with high performance broadband capability. The company's premier offering, an 802.11 a/g baseband chip and reference design that uses one-eighth the active power of competing products, demonstrates the superiority of CommASIC's breakthrough solution. Founded in 2001, CommASIC is a privately held company, headquartered in San Diego, California, with a subsidiary in Taiwan.

For more information, please visit www.CommASIC.com.