Carnegie Mellon's Red Team Selects ATI Technologies to Power 3D Mapping and Navigation for DARPA Challenge.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MARKHAM, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 2004

ATI's FireGL(TM) graphics boards enable

real-time terrain visualization and routing applications

for off-road autonomous vehicle race

ATI Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYT)(TSX:ATY) announced today that its FireGL(TM) workstation graphics technology was selected by the Red Team, headed by Professor William L. "Red" Whittaker of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, for their entry in the $1 Million Grand Challenge. Carnegie Mellon's Red Team is using FireGL powered workstations for advanced terrain visualization, route planning and vehicle simulation in the unmanned off-road race for autonomous robotic vehicles sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The Grand Challenge is an historic 210-mile off-road race for unmanned vehicles from the Barstow, California area to just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. As many as 20 race teams will be given the course details just two hours before the start of the event, and will not be able to communicate with their vehicles once the race begins.

The Red Team has been relying on advanced FireGL graphics technology to develop and visualize extensive 3D terrain maps, forming a massive database of potential race routings. The power and stability of ATI's FireGL graphics boards have helped the team to create the most comprehensive and detailed map of the Mojave Desert ever, giving the Red Team's vehicle a distinct competitive advantage during the ten hour race.

"ATI's FireGL technology has enabled our mapping team to rapidly process an immense amount of information, including aerial and space imagery, GPS coordinates, and topographical maps," said Whittaker, Director of the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. "By integrating these various data sources, and utilizing the FireGL's onboard graphics memory, we can now easily create and manipulate very detailed 3D maps of the course."

On race day, the Red Team's vehicle will maneuver autonomously, using laser scanners, radar sensors and stereoscopic cameras to continuously correct its steering and adjust its speed. Based on the terrain data and its real-time visualization systems the vehicle is free to decide on alternate routes as it avoids obstacles and other vehicles.

"The ability of our FireGL workstation products to push the boundaries of what has been done previously in the areas of visualization and simulation will be uniquely valuable to the Red Team and the Robotics Institute," said Dinesh Sharma, Director of ATI Workstation Products. "We are very excited to be working with Carnegie Mellon, along with other technology leaders on this groundbreaking event."

The $1 Million Dollar DARPA Grand Challenge takes place on Saturday, March 13, 2004, with a starting point near Barstow, California. The Qualification, Inspection and Demonstration (QID) event will be held March 8 - 12, 2004 at the California Motor Speedway in Fontana, California. For more information on the Red Team, please visit www.redteamracing.org or www.ati.com/online/redteam.

About ATI Technologies

ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world's foremost visual processor unit (VPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console and handheld markets. With 2003 revenues in excess of US $1.3 billion, ATI has more than 2,200 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).

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