INTERSIL SELECTS ARM SOLUTIONS FOR NEXT-GEN PRISM WLAN PRODUCTS.

ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], a provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor solutions, and Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq: ISIL), a developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), have announced that Intersil has licensed the ARM946E microprocessor core for use in its PRISM wireless LAN product line. The ARM946E solution is ideally suited to applications such as IEEE 802.11-based WLANs, where low-power consumption in small form factors is critical.

Intersil has also licensed the ARM Embedded Trace Macrocell (ETM) solution for advanced system-on-chip (SoC) debug capabilities and the ARM MicroPack tool kit. The MicroPack tool kit allows developers to successfully create AMBA bus-based SoC designs, and will enable Intersil to develop the internal bus structure for its wireless LAN products.

"Our partnership with ARM further positions Intersil as the world's leading silicon resource for building high performance wireless networking products," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager for PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "The ARM technology will be a key element of our roadmaps going forward and will be leveraged in our products for both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band. ARM core-based PRISM Medium Access Controller (MAC) chips are highly programmable and offer an extensive third-party tool set, thus enabling WLAN vendors to easily customize product features and options entirely in software."

"This licensing agreement with Intersil further underlines ARM's strength in the networking space and demonstrates our commitment to providing network device manufacturers with the support they need to build leading-edge products," said Steve Evans, VP of Segment Marketing for ARM. "ARM technology, from core IP to applications software, has enabled a new generation of networking products including ADSL and cable modems, intelligent ethernet network interface cards and wireless LAN solutions."

Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, over fifty companies have incorporated PRISM chips in more than 100 product designs. In a May 2000 report, Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil "the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chip sets holding the majority of market share." PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE's 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. PRISM/work and PRISM/home products are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Siemens, SOHOware, SpectraLink, Symbol, and Zoom.