PLX TECHNOLOGY ANNOUNCES 64-BIT SWITCH FABRIC ARCHITECTURE CONTROLLER.

PLX Technology (Nasdaq:PLXT), a supplier of high-speed interconnect silicon and software to the communications industry, recently announced the PLX GigaBridge GBP64, the first 64-bit controller based on PLX's adaptive switch fabric architecture. Expanding the GigaBridge line and effectively doubling bandwidth in networking and communication systems, the GBP64 enables full 32- and 64-bit Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) co-existence in communications systems, thus preserving hardware and software investments and creating truly scalable systems.

PLX also announced that designs based on the GBP64 and GBP32 -- the GBP32 is the original, 32-bit member of the GigaBridge family -- presently are underway for a variety of communications and networking applications. Additionally, the company announced that it will conduct a seminar series, "I/O Interconnect Made Simple," on GigaBridge as well as all PLX I/O products. The seminars, to be held in several cities in October, will provide professionals with market and technical information, as well as demonstrations in selected cities on how PLX's entire line of I/O interconnect chips can be designed into a wide range of networking and communication systems.

"With the demand rising for equipment based on 64-bit architectures, manufacturers are looking for interconnect technology that allows them to satisfy this demand while enabling compatibility with existing systems," said Larry Chisvin, vice president of marketing at PLX. "The GigaBridge GBP64 enables just such designs. Its ability to double throughput via its 64-bit architecture and blend it with existing 32-bit hardware and software delivers tremendously powerful and cost-effective design opportunities to the communications infrastructure."

The GigaBridge architecture enables PCI-based telecommunications, data communications and embedded systems to incorporate 224 PCI bus segments, aggregate tens of gigabits per second, and connect two adjacent PCI devices on the fabric up to 15 feet away, via a high-performance link. A cell-based fabric with independent PCI bus segments connected to each port, each GBP64 controller can drive up to four PCI slots and interoperates with other GBP64 controllers as ports on the fabric. Each GBP64 is linked via two 16-bit-wide, point-to-point, low-voltage-differential links clocked at 400MHz. This results in an aggregate fabric bandwidth of more than 50 gigabits per second.

The PLX GigaBridge GBP64 controller is offered in a 388-pin, 27mm2 PBGA package. It will begin sampling to PLX customers in Q4, at prices starting at $62 in 5,000-unit quantities. To order, contact PLX Technology at 800/759-3735 in the U.S. or Canada, or visit the PLX Web site -- www.plxtech.com -- for a complete list of worldwide distributors. [sections]