PLX Announces General Sampling of PCI Express Bridging Chip; 17x17mm ExpressLane PEX 8114 PCI Express-to-PCI-X Bridge Features Industry's Smallest Package, Lowest Power Consumption.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- PLX Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:PLXT), the leading supplier of standard input/output (I/O) interconnect silicon to the communications, server, storage, embedded control, and consumer industries, today announced general sampling of the PLX(R) ExpressLane(TM) PEX 8114 PCI Express(TM)-to-PCI-X bridge. The PEX 8114 is the most versatile PCI Express (PCIe) bridging device in its class, capable of forward, reverse and non-transparent bridging, and features one-gigabyte-per-second throughput. The PEX 8114 also features the industry's lowest power consumption and smallest package of any PCIe-to-PCI-X bridge.

System and board designers now can order samples of the PEX 8114, which enables them to upgrade their PCI designs to rapidly growing PCIe interconnect standard. Designers also can order a PLX Rapid Development Kit (RDK) - PLX offers two versions: one for forward-bridging mode, the other for reverse-bridging mode -- to evaluate the bridging device's features, streamline product development and quickly bring PEX 8114-based designs to market.

The PEX 8114 device bridges PCIe components to conventional PCI/PCI-X chips and subsystems. In forward mode, the PEX 8114 allows legacy PCI or PCI-X chips and adapters to be used with new PCIe systems.

The PEX 8114 can also operate in reverse-bridging mode, a feature which PLX pioneered in the PCIe architecture, enabling the ever-expanding number of native-mode PCIe chips to bridge back to the PCI-X infrastructure. Reverse bridging allows conventional PCI or PCI-X processors and chipsets to configure and control advanced PCIe switches and endpoints.

The PEX 8114 features a four-lane PCIe port with integrated 2.5Gbps SerDes. The device supports the advanced PCI-X protocol - at 64-bit, 133 MHz operation -- but also provides full bus-backward compatibility with 32- and 64-bit PCI boards and systems, which helps preserve investment in and extend the life of legacy PCI/PCI-X designs.

To aid designers and manufacturers, the forward- and reverse-bridging PLX PEX 8114RDK kits provide complete development support packages for the PEX 8114 device. Each RDK includes a proven, working hardware platform incorporating the bridge chip, complete set of board schematics, symbols and layout files for hardware design, and an extensive software support package that includes a graphical utility for access to chip registers, sample drivers and support for Microsoft(R) (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows(R) and Linux operating systems. The forward-bridge RDK's board plugs into any standard PCIe slot compatible with the PCIe Card Electromechanical (CEM) spec 1.1, including PC motherboards with PCIe slots. The reverse-bridge RDK board plugs into any legacy PCI-X or 64-bit PCI motherboard for evaluating PCIe endpoint cards behind the reverse PEX 8114 bridge.

To order samples of the PEX 8114 (priced at under $20 in volume) and/or its RDKs (each priced at $495), please contact PLX at 408.328.3500 or go to www.plxtech.com/contacts.

PLX Technology, Inc. (www.plxtech.com), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is a leading supplier of standard I/O interconnect silicon to the communications, server, storage, embedded-control, and consumer industries. The PLX solution provides a competitive edge to our customers through an integrated combination of high-performance silicon, hardware and software design tools, and partnerships.

ExpressLane, PLX Technology and the PLX Technology logo are registered trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other product names that appear in this material are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.