LSI Logic Expands Xtreme Family of RapidChip(TM) Platform ASICs

• Compelling RapidChip Solutions Speed Platform ASIC Technology Adoption in Major Geographies
• Aggressive Time-to-Market Schedules and Need for Broad Choice of Intellectual Property Drives RapidChip Selection

MILPITAS, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE: LSI) extended its Platform ASIC technology leadership today with the expansion of its application driven RapidChip(TM) Xtreme family of pre-built slices and associated IP. The expansion includes two new slices, the RC11XT531 and the RC11XT432 (www.rapidchip.com).

The new RC11XT531 Xtreme configurable platform is optimized for high performance, high-bandwidth communications applications such as telecommunications and networking equipment, while the RC11XT432 Xtreme configurable platform is targeted for data intensive storage applications. Customers in North America, Europe, Japan and China have accelerated the migration from traditional approaches to the RapidChip Platform ASIC technology as a means of bringing complex systems to market.

"With the announcement of these new RapidChip slices optimized for communications and storage applications, we are once again delivering on our promise to make high-performance chip design accessible, affordable and easy to use," said Ronnie Vasishta, LSI Logic vice president, Technology Marketing and CoreWare Engineering. "The RapidChip Platform ASIC offers a compelling value to our customers because the most complex IP is already built and proven in silicon, waiting for their custom logic. This is striking a chord with customers across geographies and markets."

To significantly reduce development time, complexity and risk, both existing and new LSI Logic customers are utilizing the RapidChip family of pre-manufactured and pre-verified "slices" from all LSI Logic slice families. Three unique RapidChip families, Xtreme, Integrator, and Foundation, have been designed-in to market-specific applications worldwide, providing system and custom logic designers unprecedented levels of functionality and bandwidth at an affordable price.

"LSI Logic's ability to demonstrate the benefits of faster time-to-market and lower barriers to high-performance custom silicon through platform-based design is accelerating the growth of the global platform ASIC market," said Handel Jones, president of market research firm International Business Strategies. "The underserved middle of the global logic market is expected to reach $11 billion by 2006 and is evolving as a result of increasing pressure in the industry to create high-density chips faster, more predictably, and at a lower cost as well as the availability of application-specific IP. LSI Logic is showing an understanding of the needs of a wide range of customers."

The Xtreme family is ideally suited to address the needs of the most demanding high I/O bandwidth applications by leveraging LSI Logic's proven-in-silicon and standards-compliant SerDes technology. The Xtreme family currently supports slices with 4, 16 or 32 GigaBlaze(R) channels of up to 4.25 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) SerDes, compliant with standards such as 1 and 10Gbit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Serial ATA, Serial Attached SCSI and PCI Express. Complementing GigaBlaze, the Xtreme family also includes support for LSI Logic's proven HyperPHY(TM) transceivers, at 155 to 3200 Mb/s per channel, enabling multiple OIF SPI4.2 and SFI4.1 link interfaces.

The RC11XT531 and RC11XT432 are available for design starts today.

About RapidChip

The RapidChip Platform ASICs combines the high-density, high-performance benefits of cell-based ASICs with the fast time-to-market and customization benefits of FPGAs, and the proven IP benefits of ASSPs. Targeting the Communications, Consumer, Storage and other markets,

RapidChip uses LSI Logic's high-performance field-tested CoreWare(R) IP, customizable logic, embedded memory, and innovative design concepts to significantly reduce design and manufacturing risk and costs. RapidChip also provides a fast and seamless migration path to full standard-cell ASIC -- driving unit costs even lower.

Unique to RapidChip is the customer-friendly interface that dramatically simplifies the underlying complexity of the design tools and flows associated with SoC design. Rule sets automatically manage architectural design, verification, and physical design. As a result, design schedules for high- performance chips are very predictable. Information on RapidChip technology is available through LSI Logic's direct sales channels and worldwide distribution partners.

About LSI Logic Corporation

LSI Logic Corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of communications, consumer and storage semiconductors for applications that access, interconnect and store data, voice and video. In addition, the company supplies storage network solutions for the enterprise. LSI Logic is headquartered at 1621 Barber Lane, Milpitas, CA 95035, http://www.lsilogic.com .

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SOURCE LSI Logic Corporation