Toshiba Electronics Europe Licenses SMSC's MediaLB Technology; Integration of MediaLB Interface Adds MOST(R) Connectivity to Advanced Automotive Display SoCs.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. -- SMSC (Nasdaq: SMSC) today announced that the company and Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH (Toshiba) have reached a licensing agreement under which Toshiba is integrating SMSC's Media Local Bus (LB) technology to provide an interface from its Capricorn SoCs (System on Chip) to a MOST(R) (Media Oriented System Transport) automotive multimedia network. The Capricorn family of devices serves the automotive embedded display market worldwide. With the integration of MediaLB, Capricorn integrated circuits will be capable of interfacing with existing and upcoming MOST speed grades and physical layers. MOST is a de facto industry standard for automotive multimedia networking deployed by virtually every major European automobile manufacturer.

"We are pleased to be a select partner to Toshiba in providing a key network interface to their high performance ICs for dashboard and console displays," said Christian Thiel, Managing Director of SMSC's Automotive Infotainment Systems group. "Players in the automotive environment are increasingly seeking ways to connect high bandwidth consumer applications into standard automobile networks based on MOST. In providing them a dedicated connectivity interface through MediaLB, we succeed in creating a more open and efficient environment that not only meets strict design requirements but enhances the end user experience."

"Automotive manufacturers are under pressure to reduce component counts and minimize system cost while delivering advanced, high-performance infotainment systems," said Thomas Kuschel, Senior Manager of Toshiba's Microcomputer, Automotive & Consumer IC Marketing in Europe. "Integrating SMSC's MediaLB technology into Toshiba's Capricorn SoC solutions allows those manufacturers to choose a single IC that will address the demanding requirements of dashboard and centre console displays, while significantly simplifying the integration of those displays into new and emerging MOST-based applications."

MOST multimedia networking technology enables new classes of multimedia applications in automobiles. It facilitates the efficient transport of real-time streaming multimedia, control and packet information over a single optical fiber or twisted pair wire, eliminating the need to run multiple wires throughout a vehicle, and enables automakers to decentralize infotainment functions into various components distributed around the vehicle. MediaLB, available on all of SMSC's INICs, is a low cost, low pin count, serial on-PCB and inter-chip communication standard for multimedia applications. Its synchronous connection to the MOST network can transport diverse multimedia signals.

Toshiba's Capricorn-M and -L designs integrate into a single chip a powerful 64-bit processor, a floating point unit, an advanced graphical display controller with dedicated accelerator functions and a comprehensive range of on-board peripherals and interfaces for automotive displays.

About SMSC:

Many of the world's most successful global technology companies rely upon SMSC as a go-to resource for semiconductor system solutions that span analog, digital and mixed-signal technologies. Leveraging substantial intellectual property, integration expertise and a comprehensive global infrastructure, SMSC solves design challenges and delivers performance, space, cost and time-to-market advantages to its customers. SMSC's application focus targets key vertical markets including mobile and desktop PCs, servers, consumer electronics, automotive infotainment and industrial applications. The Company has developed leadership positions in its select markets by providing application specific solutions such as mixed-signal PC system controllers, non-PCI Ethernet, ARCNET, MOST and Hi-Speed USB.

SMSC is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York with operations in North America, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China and Europe. Engineering design centers are located in Arizona, New York, Texas and Karlsruhe, Germany. Additional information is available at http://www.smsc.com.

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