ColdFire Architecture Second Source and Embedded DRAM Technology Exchange Between Motorola and Mitsubishi Finalized.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1997--

Embedded DRAM Technology Exchange Will Provide a Second Source

for the ColdFire Processor

In a move that will offer customers greater systems choices, Motorola and Mitsubishi Electric  Corp. have finalized an agreement which will offer the first merchant market second source of customized solutions utilizing Motorola's ColdFire architecture.

Integrating these world-class technologies and the signing of this agreement signifies a commitment by both companies to provide the embedded market with system solutions incorporating processor and DRAM memory functions on a single chip. The agreement also enables open, synthesizable embedded processor and embedded DRAM cores that can be implemented with standard hardware and software development tools.

Under the terms of the current contract, Mitsubishi receives Motorola's version 2 and version 3 ColdFire architecture technologies, with the right to include encrypted synthesizable models and core views in its cell library for customers to design and develop products. Motorola will in turn receive Mitsubishi's 0.35-micron embedded DRAM technology and design tools for future products.

The products resulting from this technology exchange will enable OEM customers now to implement a true system-on-a-chip, utilizing embedded DRAM logic and the powerful ColdFire core. Designers will also benefit with faster time-to-market thanks to one of the industry's largest installed base of development tools already in existence with the 68K/ColdFire family of processors.

"The agreement was driven by a commitment from both companies to offer designers and customers unprecedented design options and performance solutions," said John Zucker, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Electronics America's Electronic Device Group.

"Today's announcement signifies the next step in an aggressive strategy that will allow us to increase our market solutions with highly integrated, optimized solutions for the embedded market. This strategic alliance with Mitsubishi, which will deliver a second source for ColdFire along with embedded DRAM, emphasizes Motorola's continued commitment to anticipating and delivering solutions that will meet future customer needs," said Jim George, corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola's Imaging and Storage Division.

Providing embedded DRAM as a core library that can be integrated with processor functions on a single chip results in design options and performance improvements that are truly unprecedented. Designers benefit from wider system bandwidth, lower power consumption, and shorter signal paths, and users will have a jump on the market's shift to cross-compatibility among circuit components and tool sets.

Motorola and Mitsubishi, by integrating DRAM and processor cores in the same silicon, will continue to deliver innovative solutions for the rapidly growing multimedia, imaging and mass storage markets.

Motorola Embedded Processor Technology

The ColdFire Series instruction set maintains close ties to the 680x0 architecture, which allows designers to capitalize on their familiarity with the architecture due to its 68000 heritage, interoperable tool support and enhanced integration capabilities. ColdFire microprocessors occupy the "sweet spot" between CISC and conventional, fixed-length RISC, where an optimum balance code density and transistor count can be achieved.

Well suited for applications requiring the ideal balance of price and performance, the ColdFire architecture combines conventional 32-bit RISC with a memory-saving variable-length instruction set.

By combining the optimal blend of core size, power, advanced debug capabilities and speed, the ColdFire microprocessor family speeds designs to production and products to market. In addition, designers using the ColdFire processors have access to the widest base of integrated tools solutions in the market, including compilers, debuggers, real-time operating systems and hardware tools.

Mitsubishi Embedded DRAM and Technology

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. is the world leader in embedded DRAM and system-on-chip technology. The company was the first to successfully integrate DRAM, microprocessor and other logic functions into a single integrated circuit and to date has shipped more embedded DRAM than all other suppliers combined. Embedded DRAM is the core of Mitsubishi's eRAM technology base.

eRAM encompasses Mitsubishi's technology, products and systems expertise to enable the integration of transportable system cores into a single integrated circuit. These cores include memory; microprocessor; and peripheral logic, including USB and ISDN functions, as well as software, including Java and Information Appliance software.

Mitsubishi's eRAM technology base includes standard products, such as: the M32R/D with 2 Mbytes of on-chip DRAM, 4 Kbytes of on-chip sRAM cache and a 32-bit RISC processor and the 3D-RAM with on-chip DRAM, SRAM and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) for unprecedented OpenGL-compliant 3-D graphics rendering performance.

It also includes custom products that integrate various memory functions including DRAM, SRAM or flash memory, with microprocessor (including ColdFire and Mitsubishi's M32R and M16C cores) and other logic functions, all in one piece of silicon.

Mitsubishi's eRAM technology enables system benefits unachievable with traditional, separate component system design, among them are extreme bandwidth improvements, reduced board-level RF problems, smaller form factor, significant reductions in system power consumption, no granularity problems, easier software partitioning, significantly improved reliability and lower board-level costs.

These benefits make eRAM-enabled solutions ideal for graphics, storage, consumer, communications and network switching applications.

About Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector

With 1996 worldwide sales of $7.9 billion, Motorola's semiconductor products sector is the largest U.S.-based broad line supplier of semiconductor solutions. Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of wireless communications, semiconductors and advanced electronic systems, components and services.

Major equipment businesses include cellular telephone, two-way radio, paging and data communications, personal communications, automotive, defense and space electronics and computers. Motorola semiconductors power communication devices, computers and millions of other products. Motorola's 1996 sales were $28 billion.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. is a transnational company with $37 billion in annual sales and has major businesses in nine market areas: semiconductors, power and industrial systems, public-use building systems, electronic products and systems, information and communication systems, audio-visual systems, living environment systems, factory automation systems and automotive equipment.

In addition to cutting-edge semiconductor process technologies and products, Mitsubishi Electric is renowned for its visual technologies, including televisions, monitors, plasma displays and color thin-film transistor LCD displays, as well as for its computing and communications products, including the AMiTY brand pen-based network computing devices and the MobileAccess-brand combination AMPS cellular phone and wireless IP modem. -0- NOTE: ColdFire is a registered trademark of Motorola Inc. eRAM is a trademark and eRAM-enabled is a servicemark of Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. All other tradenames, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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