National Semiconductor to Work Closely With HP to Speed Deployment of Gigabit-Over-Copper Ethernets.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2000

National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) today announced that it will be working with Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HWP) to further drive the deployment of Gigabit Ethernet over copper wiring. This cooperative effort by National Semiconductor and HP will lead to faster growth and deployment of Gigabit Ethernet over copper technology by removing any uncertainty associated with broad deployment of the new networking standard.

To achieve this goal, HP, the company that has led the industry in the deployment of 1000BASE-T switches, is qualifying National's IEEE-compliant DP83891solution that will provide support for existing Gigabit-over-copper installations.

"We are extremely pleased to be working closely with HP to ensure compatibility with its products," said Gobi Padmanabhan, vice president, Network Products Group, National Semiconductor. "As we all know, interoperability with the installed base is critical to the successful launch of any new technology."

The Gig PHYTER will also provide the ability to transfer data at rates of 10/100/1000 Mbps. "HP believes that National's entry into the 1000BASE-T market will help to build the market by providing interoperable standard compatible devices," said John McHugh, general manager, HP ProCurve Networking.

National's DP83891 Gig PHYTER(TM) is the only chip in the industry that combines three speeds of Ethernet operation on a single chip, allowing manufacturers to install it in applications such as switches, workgroups, uplinks, workstations and node cards. Since the triple-speed Gig PHYTER operates over the Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) copper wiring that already exists in most office buildings, network administrators are able to upgrade their Ethernet easily and inexpensively. As companies integrate voice, video and data onto a single network, they require higher bandwidth to support the enormous volumes of information flow.

Ethernet constitutes roughly 85 percent of local area network (LAN) deployment, and Gigabit is predicted to ship 24 million ports by 2002.

On January 31, 2000 National Semiconductor released the Gig PHYTER, the industry's only 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet transceiver. It is sampling to key customers.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.