HITACHI SIGNS LETTER OF INTENT TO JOIN QDR CO-DEVELOPMENT
TEAM
Multiple Vendor Sources and Advanced Technology Products
Make the QDR Family the Definitive Choice for High-Performance
Communications Memory Architectures
Boise Idaho, September 24, 2001 - Cypress Semiconductor
Corp. (NYSE: CY), Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:
IDTI), Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE: MU), NEC Corporation
(NASDAQ: NIPNY), and Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. (KSE: 05930)
today announced that Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) has signed
a letter of intent to join the Quad Data Rate (QDR)
co-development team to design and manufacture a complete family
of Quad Data Rate and Double Data Rate (DDR) static RAM (SRAM)
devices. QDR and DDR devices are multi-sourced, high-performance
memory architectures designed to provide customers with the
highest performance data-rate family of products needed for
use in switches, routers and other communications applications.
"We are pleased to announce we are joining the QDR co-development
team," said Bob Fusco, Director of System Memory Product
Business Unit, Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc. "The
QDR group defined a complete family of networking SRAM products
with superior timing and functionality. Our customers tell
us QDR products are their choice for networking applications."
"The addition of Hitachi to the QDR co-development team
enhances our strength in the marketplace," said Hiroyuki
Goto, Senior Manager, Memory Engineering and Marketing for
NEC Electronics. "Hitachi is a well-known SRAM technology
leader, and their participation enhances the capabilities
of the team throughout the world and, specifically, gives
our customers in Asia increased local support."
Each member company provides system expertise and product
direction. Customers receive the collective benefit of the
members' wide-range of market experience and innovative technology.
"With the addition of Hitachi, the QDR co-development
team will comprise six leading SRAM suppliers, each contributing
its own state-of-the-art technology," said Jerry Johnson,
Micron's Strategic Product Marketing Director for Networking.
"Having multiple, independent suppliers ensures that
QDR and DDR customers will always have an assured supply of
leading-edge SRAM products for their networking and communications
applications."
Rather than depending on foundries, each company uses its
own state-of-the-art fabrication facilities. This provides
assurance for customers using QDR products on key critical
factors. For instance, each QDR member has the ability to
directly control all resources required to respond to customers'
needs. Also, customers are assured that future generations
of QDR products will be based on the latest fabrication technology
and product specifications. Lastly, customers can be assured
that packaging footprints for QDR products are leading edge.
"Hitachi's extensive high-speed SRAM experience and
their 0.13 micron process capability adds to a strong foundation
already established by the other five suppliers," said
Mario Martinez, Strategic Marketing Director for Cypress's
Memory Products Division. "With such a powerful team
of suppliers on board, QDR and DDR customers are assured of
a memory architecture that will handle their design requirements
well into the future."
Like other co-development team members, Hitachi will design
their devices using their own technology and will manufacture
them in their own fabrication facilities. Hitachi products
will be delivered to market according to the company's internal
schedules.
"The Networking Community has voiced a strong need for
high-performance SRAM products tailored specifically to meet
their unique system requirements. QDR products offer the best
solution to their needs," said Mike Pearson, Director
of Networking Business Development, Samsung Semiconductor,
Inc. "We welcome Hitachi joining the QDR co-development
team. It is a strategic move that will benefit all our customers."
About QDR
In 1999, the QDR co-development team was created to define
a new family of SRAM architectures for high-performance communications
applications. In a revolutionary relationship, participating
companies work closely together to ensure multiple sources
for the new QDR SRAMs by developing pin- and function-compatible
products. The QDR family of SRAM products incorporates extensive
input from networking industry leaders. QDR devices have two
ports independently running at twice the rate of conventional
synchronous memories, resulting in four data items per clock
cycle. The QDR family of products also includes double data
rate common and separate I/O definitions. Depending on the
applications, products in the QDR SRAM family can more than
double SRAM device efficiency per pin.
The QDR co-development team consists of Cypress (www.cypress.com
), IDT
(www.idt.com ), Micron (www.micron.com ), NEC (www.nec-global.com
), and Samsung
(www.samsungelectronics.com). These companies cooperate in
the development of the QDR family of networking SRAMs. Additional
information on the QDR SRAM technologies, including roadmaps,
are available on our website at www.qdrsram.com.
For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's
Web site at http://global.hitachi.com.
QDR RAMs and Quad Data Rate RAMs comprise a new family of
products developed by Cypress, IDT, Micron Technology, Inc.,
NEC, and Samsung. All other registered trademarks or trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
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