Aniotek Selects ChipX Structured ASIC for Fieldbus Controller

Update: GigOptix, Inc. Announces Acquisition of ChipX (November 10, 2009)

Fast turnaround time offers the first alternative to the Yamaha YTZ420

Santa Clara, Ca – June 29, 2007 – ChipX, leading the way with a broad range of next-generation ASIC solutions, and Aniotek, a leading manufacturer of Fieldbus controller technology, announced today an ongoing successful relationship for deploying Aniotek’s critical UFC100-F1 Fieldbus Controller in an easy-to-use Structured ASIC platform.
Aniotek selected the ideal slice from ChipX’s CX3000 family of Structured ASICs supporting 3V and 5V I/O for this application. The UFC100-F1 is a pin- and software-compatible alternative to the Yamaha YTZ420 chip that offers improved jitter tolerance and a larger first-in/first-out (FIFO) memory, among other features.  Unlike the Yamaha YTZ420, The UFC100-F1 implements all time-critical functions of the Fieldbus Foundation Data Link Layer, allowing greater integration.

Speed to Market and Long Product Lifecycle

“ChipX  Structured ASICs offer special advantages for industrial applications,” said Elie Massabki, Vice President of Marketing for ChipX. “The pressure to speed products to market and to support products during their long lifecycles is the greatest challenge for competitors in this segment. Developers need a responsive and committed partner for their engineering and manufacturing solutions. Our unique, quick-turnaround Structured ASIC architecture enables us to execute on our customers’ designs swiftly and ChipX provides them with a guarantee of supply for a very long time.”

“The ChipX Structured ASIC solution allows Aniotek to bring products to market quickly, easily and economically,” said Ashok Gupta, CEO of Aniotek and pioneer of the Fieldbus standard. “ChipX’s commitment to long-term support of current products means that we don’t have to worry about the end-of-life issues presented by other ASIC alternatives.”

Based on a 5V tolerant 0.35µ CMOS process, the ChipX CX3000 Structured ASIC uses programmable metal to support affordable ASIC designs at performance levels up to 75 MHz. The CX3000 family also offers an extremely wide variety of configurable I/O options.

About Aniotek

Aniotek Inc. is a privately held company that specializes in Fieldbus technology. It develops and enhances ASICs and other Fieldbus-specific components that are used in I/O devices, controllers, linking devices and host interfaces. Aniotek also provides technical support to help customers develop their own products using its Fieldbus components. For more information, go to www.aniotek.com .

About ChipX

ChipX, Inc. is a broad ASIC supplier and a pioneer and leader in the development and manufacturing of value-added ASIC solutions, including Structured ASIC and Embedded Array technology.  The company’s innovative, patented technology consolidates wafer production tooling, reduces time-to-market and minimizes the total cost to profit. ChipX products are widely used in consumer equipment, computing peripherals, communication systems, industrial control, medical equipment, instrumentation and military/aerospace systems.  Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, ChipX is a privately held corporation, founded in the U.S. in 1989. A subsidiary, ChipX (Israel) Ltd., performs Research & Development. Investors include Elron Electronic Industries, Ltd. (NASDQ: ELRN),VantagePoint Venture Partners, Wasserstein Venture Capital, Newlight Associates, Parker Price Venture Capital, UMC, Needham Capital Partners and Insite Capital.  For more information, go to www.chipx.com .