NEC Electronics Introduces World's First USB 3.0 Host Controller

DUESSELDORF (Germany), KAWASAKI (Japan), SANTA CLARA (U.S.A.) -- May 18, 2009 -- NEC Electronics today introduced the world’s first Universal Serial Bus (USB) host controller (part number µPD720200) for the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard. NEC Electronics expects rapid adoption of the device and standard as the need to transfer larger and larger amounts of information between PCs to external hard-drives, portable electronics devices, and flash-based thumb drives, continues to grow rapidly.

The µPD720200 device is a host controller for PCs and other digital devices, and is based on the new version of the Super Speed USB standard. Supporting the world’s fastest USB transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps) of data, which is 10 times faster than previous USB 2.0 transfer speeds. The NEC Electronics device, as well as the standard, is fully backward compatible with the USB 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 versions of the USB standard.

With its high-speed transfer capability, the μPD720200 host controller makes it possible to expand the boundaries of digital appliances such as PCs, digital TVs, and DVD recorders. The new Super-Speed USB 3.0 chip from NEC Electronics requires only 70 seconds to transfer 25 Gbyte of video content on a blu-ray disc, compared to 14 minutes to transfer the same content when using the high-speed USB 2.0 with 480 Mbps transfer capability. This enormous increase in transfer speed will enable system designers to transfer large-volume data quickly and without stress and develop a new generation of high-performance consumer electronic products.

USB is the next-generation interface standard used in a wide range of electronic devices including PCs and PC peripherals. Originally designed as an interface for relatively low-speed computer peripherals, USB made it possible to connect keyboards, mice, and other devices with the same USB standard cables. Later, version 2.0 of the standard defined a high-speed transfer mode that made USB a practical and popular interface for devices such as digital televisions, digital cameras, and DVD recorders. USB version 3.0 builds on this success by offering a ten-fold increase in speed, for stress-free transfers of large volumes of data.

The high data transfer rate also offers compatibility with recent high-performance computer interfacessuch as PCI Express® and SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), which are capable of data transfer at speeds in excess of 3 Gbps.

As a member of the USB Implementers Forum since 1996, NEC Electronics has played a leading role both in defining the USB standards and in developing USB technology. In 2000, the company launched the μPD720100, the world's first USB 2.0-compliant host controller chip. It has also developed hub controllers and an extensive lineup of other USB devices, all of which are certified to display the USB logo. As a result, the company has won the trust of the marketplace and shipped 161 million USB devices as of March 2009.

NEC Electronics expects the market for USB 3.0 products to begin a rapid expansion in 2010. It intends to market the new μPD720200 USB 3.0 controller aggressively, and to offer a range of related products by incorporating USB 3.0 communications as an IP (intellectual property) core function in various application specific ICs.

Please refer to the separate sheet for the main specifications of µPD720200.

Availability

Samples of NEC Electronics’ µPD720200 host controller are expected to be available in June 2009, along with free Windows® device driver software. Monthly production is expected to reach approximately 1,000,000 units in September 2009. Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice. More information can be found at http://www.necel.com/usb/en/index.html

Exhibition at SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference

NEC Electronics plans to exhibit the µPD720200 USB 3.0 host controller in its booth at the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference to be held in Tokyo, Japan from May 20-21, 2009.

About NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH

NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH, headquartered in Duesseldorf, Germany, is a leading developer and supplier of semiconductor products in Europe. Committed to meeting customers' cost, performance and time-to-market requirements, the company offers solutions ranging from standard products to system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions, as well as customized products for next-generation designs. Our customers also benefit from state-of-the-art manufacturing from the global production network of our parent company, NEC Electronics Corporation. Additionally, NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH is the exclusive European sales and marketing channel of LCD modules from NEC LCD Technologies Ltd.. For more information visit http://www.eu.necel.com.

About NEC Electronics Corporation

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets, system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripherals, automotive and digital consumer markets, and platform solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. (www.am.necel.com) and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH (www.eu.necel.com). For additional information about NEC Electronics worldwide, visit www.necel.com.

About NEC Electronics America, Inc.

NEC Electronics America, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Electronics Corporation. NEC Electronics America offers solutions ranging from standard products to system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions, customized products for next-generation designs, a local manufacturing facility in Roseville, California, and the global manufacturing capabilities of its parent company. NEC Electronics America is also the exclusive sales supplier of NEC active-matrix LCD and PDP modules in North America. More information about the products offered by NEC Electronics America, Inc. can be found at  http://www.am.necel.com.