USI Selects Intersil's PRISM GT Chip Set for Their Next Generation 802.11g Wireless Products.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2003

Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL)

-- USI is Developing an 802.11g PC Card and Mini-PCI Solution for Embedded Applications

-- PRISM GT Chip Set Delivers the Speed of 802.11a and Range of 802.11b WLAN Systems

Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions, today announced that USI, a world leader in offering end-to-end service from product plan to after sale service in the EMS industry, has selected Intersil's PRISM GT(TM) Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) chip set for their next generation 802.11g WLAN solutions. USI is developing an 802.11g mini-PCI solution for embedded applications and a Wireless PC Card.

"Intersil is a leader in wireless networking technology and was a logical choice for USI when designing our PC card and mini-PCI solution," said Chen-Yen Wei, Senior Vice President of Communication Group of USI. "PRISM GT's proven reliability, excellent range and best-in-class throughput are exactly what we needed to develop a new line of high speed wireless products. We needed a solution that would be both compliant to the 802.11g draft standard and fully backward compatible to our entire 802.11b product line and Intersil could step up to that challenge."

"USI has a long and proven track record in the WLAN space with impressive production and test capabilities, as well as their ability to address both stand alone and embedded wireless applications," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil's Wireless Networking Product Group. "The combination of PRISM GT with the broad global reach and experience of USI will provide key end customers with the solutions optimized for their applications and markets."

The PRISM GT chip set combines the 802.11g Draft Standard's mandatory modulation schemes -- Complementary Code Keying (CCK) used in 802.11b and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) used in 802.11a. Intersil design engineers have skillfully incorporated these modulation schemes with Intersil's proven low-cost Zero-IF (ZIF) architecture, which allows what is called direct down conversion of radio frequency signals, in crafting the PRISM GT chip set.

PRISM GT provides twice the range and throughput for currently marketed 802.11a products and over five times the throughput of 802.11b products while remaining 100 percent backward compatible to the existing installed base of over 35 million 802.11b systems worldwide. The highly integrated Prism GT chip set offers the ideal blend of high performance and low power consumption at an attractive price point, making it ideal for embedded wireless solutions.

About USI

Established in 1976, USI views herself as a long-term trustworthy manufacturing partner for her customers to serve their mutual customers worldwide. Today, USI has been expanding her operations at a global basis, and having business ventures in Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, US, China, as well as UK, plus more to come. Started from designed and manufacturing Thick Film Hybrid, USI has become a world leader in offering services from components level to system level in EMS Industry, including SMT Board assembly and Systems assembly to fulfill various production requirements of customers. To cope with healthy growth in the Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) industry and demand for more integrated services, USI has committed to continue to develop state-of-the-art processes that support retaining competitive position to deliver timely quality products to her customers.

About Intersil

Intersil Corporation is a global semiconductor leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions. Intersil's product portfolios address four fast growing markets -- flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), power management and wireless networking. Intersil brings added customer value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that enhance the computing experience for people wherever they live, work or travel. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at: http://www.intersil.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are based upon Intersil Corporation's ("Intersil") management's current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about Intersil's business and industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "potential," "continue," and variations of these words (or negatives of these words) or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil's WLAN product group include, but are not limited to: the slowdown in the technology sector generally and the semiconductor industry specifically; our ability to successfully deploy our up integration strategy; the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances and portable computing devices in enterprises and in homes; the rate at which consumers purchase small handheld Internet appliances, portable computing devices, and notebook computers with embedded wireless; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil's wireless access technologies; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the ability of our customers to manage inventory; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability and quality of our foundry capacity and raw materials; availability, pricing, and quality of third party foundry and assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party foundries and assembly and test facilities, and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly and test facilities; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies; the effectiveness of Intersil's expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks inherent in acquisitions, including the acquisition of Elantec Semiconductor, Inc. (including integration issues; costs and unanticipated expenditures; changing relationships with customers, suppliers, and strategic partners; potential contractual, employment, and intellectual property issues; or that the anticipated benefits of the acquisition are not realized); intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil's ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner; the quality of Intersil's products and any repair or replacement costs; the risks and uncertainties associated with Intersil's global operations, particularly in light of the war on terrorism; the effects of natural disasters, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received and the ability to fill those orders in a given fiscal quarter; and other factors. Intersil's Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") (which you may obtain for free at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this communication and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements.

PRISM GT is a trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.

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