Chipidea and PLM Unveil New Chip Design Allowing Billions of People to Enjoy HD Content on CRT TVs

Update: MIPS Technologies Acquires Chipidea (August 27, 2007)

Analog IP Leader Creates Multi-Format Video Analog Front-End for Integration in SoC

LISBON, Portugal & HONG KONG -- October 23, 2007 -- Chipidea, the Analog Business Group of MIPS Technologies, Inc., and PowerLayer Microsystems Inc. (PLM) today announced the successful release of an innovative video television chip called the PLM1000, that allows CRT televisions to receive HDTV content ranging from camcorder video to high-definition video games and broadcasts. The PLM1000 video chip will enable more than a billion viewers in China to watch high-resolution, digital broadcasts of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on their CRT television sets.

The chip’s completion is the result of Chipidea’s analog IP design expertise and years of application-specific experience in video analog front-end (AFE) technology, in combination with PLM’s extensive system-level experience in the research, design, development and manufacturing of video and audio processing chips.

“In PLM1000, we were able to design a new low-cost video chip that suits the requirements of television manufacturers, with first-time silicon success and within a competitive time schedule,” said Dr Ming Liu, CEO and Chairman of PLM. “PLM favored Chipidea’s AFE solution because many of our team members were familiar with Chipidea’s IP from their experience at other top electronic manufacturers where Chipidea IP cores and services were pivotal parts of successful chips that have been shipped worldwide in multitudes of products.”

Dr Liu added, “We needed a high level of confidence that the AFE subsystem IP would integrate successfully with our SoC design, and reduce time-to-market and time-to-production. Chipidea has silicon-proven experience in this area and presented an unprecedented level of technical support that helped ensure our design success. Our strength in partnering with major TV manufacturers and Chipidea’s ability to deliver high-quality IP are enabling consumers to enjoy digital and other high-definition content that was previously unavailable to them.”

Chipidea Provides IDM-level Access to IP

Many fabless companies like PLM have limited resources and often can’t afford the deep in-house analog expertise that rival IDM design teams have at their disposal. Chipidea provided to PLM a multi-format video AFE IP subsystem, and the company’s engineers provided the application experience that comes with a successful track record in multiple design integrations.

“Chipidea’s multiple design engineering sites are dedicated to seeing the first-time right success of our customers’ advanced SoC devices, leveraging the geographical, timing and communication advantages of direct local technical cooperation,” said Ben Seng Pan U, vice president of IP Operations, Asia Pacific, at Chipidea, and the general manager of Chipidea Macau (Macau SAR, China). “Our local design engineering teams provided PLM with comprehensive engagement in their integration process and resolved technical questions from television manufacturers who wanted to use the PLM1000 chip.”

“PLM was up against considerable time constraints to get its SoC to market because the window of opportunity was rapidly approaching,” said João Vital, vice president of data converter solutions at Chipidea. “Dr. Liu and his team chose Chipidea because of the company’s reputation in the industry for having the kind of experience that leads to successful tape outs. Such success has definitely created the opportunity for further cooperation between Chipidea and PLM. In parallel, PLM recently licensed the MIPS32® 24KEc™ processor core for a new generation of digital TV chips, and our teams will continue to work together in bringing PLM’s chips to production.”

About PLM

PowerLayer Microsystems, Inc., with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shenzhen, is a private fabless IC company specializing in the research, production, sales and support of video/audio chips for HDTV. It holds various key patents with regard to coding, modulation technology for HDTV and STB. The company has many years of experience in the entire IC development cycle including chip architecture, C-model, RTL, emulation, backend, production, and testing. PLM’s strength and scope in R&D cover applications for wireless, cable, mobile, satellite, and appliances. These advantages have enabled PowerLayer Microsystems to attract multiple rounds of funding from international venture capital firms.

About Chipidea

Chipidea Microelectrónica S.A., the Analog Business Group of MIPS Technologies, Inc., is the world’s leading analog/mixed-signal intellectual property provider, according to market researcher Gartner Dataquest Inc. Chipidea is a key supplier to the system-on-chip designers targeting fast-growing wireless communications, digital media and consumer electronics market segments. With the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of silicon-proven technology across a variety of product lines, Chipidea offers a breadth of solutions ranging from intellectual property to multi-function integrated circuits. Chipidea works hand-in-hand with its customers to ensure that its unique analog/mixed signal expertise results in silicon success. More information can be found at www.chipidea.com.