QuickLogic Continues Push into Portable Applications Arena by Embedding SDIO Interfaces into Low Power FPGAs

• Provides bridging/controlling solutions for embedded processors to SDIO peripherals
• Can improve SD memory and processor performance by up to five times

Chertsey, UK & Munich, Germany -- January 12, 2006 --- QuickLogic Europe announces the availability of intellectual property for an SDIO Host Controller core that can be embedded into its Eclipse II 'microwatt' FPGAs.  Reference designs based on QL8150 and 8325 Eclipse II FPGAs - devices with 188,000 and 320,000 gates - are additionally available to shorten development cycles.

The SDIO reference design provides a complete bridging/controlling solution for interfacing Intel PXA27x embedded processors with SDIO peripherals and/or SD memory.  The inherent benefits of Eclipse II based solutions include a small footprint, ultra low power consumption, and proven high performance.  These attributes are critical for products such as portable global positioning systems, smart phones, portable media players, and portable industrial systems.

"Our Eclipse II family of low-power FPGAs, coupled with our vast experience delivering both silicon and software for portable applications based on the Intel PXA27x processor family, provide an optimal solution for SDIO-enabled products," said Owen Bateman, Sales Director of QuickLogic Europe.  "Support for low-cost, low-power SDIO interfaces is just one more way that QuickLogic enables designers to accelerate their product development in the consumer electronics arena."

QuickLogic's SDIO intellectual property, embedded in the reference design, can be operated at a clock frequency of up to 52 MHz, far exceeding the SDIO specification of 25 MHz.  The programmability of the SDIO-enabled reference design allows designers to incorporate their unique logic requirements and tune for power or performance depending on product specifications. 

QuickLogic has demonstrated that its new SDIO reference design can deliver significant improvements in the read/write performance of SD memory cards.  Using the company's Mobile Applications Board (MAB), the gains achievable were up to three times the performance versus the PXA27x processor's native mode at the same frequency, and up to five times the performance at higher frequencies. 

The SDIO reference design can be combined with further IP to support designs that implement multiple interfaces to the Intel PXA27x processor, allowing designers to add peripheral functions such as 802.11g (Wi-Fi) and USB using a single FPGA device.

The SDIO IP and reference design provides designers with an easy-to-implement and proven SDIO bridging/controlling solution.  The reference design includes a QuickLogic MAB, a QuickLogic QL8325 Eclipse II 'microwatt' FPGA, and a Microsoft Windows CE driver compatible with the Intel PXA27x processor 'Mainstone' II DVK.  The reference design has been hardware and software proven with a Kingston 1 Gbyte SD memory card, and SanDisk 64 Mbyte SD memory card.

The Eclipse II FPGA family is shipping in volume, and devices with embedded SDIO IP are available for less than $5 in volume quantities.  The Mobile Application Board is also in production and costs $999.  For more information, please visit http://www.quicklogic.com/mab

QuickLogic also plans to announce SDIO IP support for PolarPro, its new ultra low power FPGA.

About QuickLogic

QuickLogic Corporation (Nasdaq: QUIK) invented and has pioneered the Embedded Standard Product (ESP) architecture, with the introduction of first products in 1998. ESPs are semiconductor devices that deliver the guaranteed performance, lower cost and lower risk of standard products, coupled with the flexibility and time-to-market benefits of programmable logic. QuickLogic's proprietary ViaLink metal-to-metal interconnect technology offers significant benefits - including very low power consumption at high performance levels - and is the foundation of both the ESP and core FPGA products. www.quicklogic.com