GDA Technologies and Ample Communications Announce Ethernet Switching and Routing Reference Platform

Intel IXP2800 and Ample Harrier Ethernet MAC-Based Solution Shortens Development Cycle

FREMONT, Calif, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Ample Communications and GDA Technologies, San Jose, Calif., announced today the availability of an Ethernet switching and routing reference platform using Ample Communications' Harrier device and Intel's IXP2800 Network Processor. The reference platform is available from GDA Technologies.

The GDA reference platform is designed to reduce development time for network equipment OEMs by enabling parallel hardware and software development. In addition, by using a reference platform, network equipment manufacturers can significantly reduce cost and risk associated with new designs.

The reference platform is comprised of two interconnected cards: the PMC-3000 -- an Intel IXP2800 based mother card and the DC-3000 -- a Harrier- 12-based daughter card. The two cards are interconnected via a SPI-4.2 300-pin Meg-Array connector.

The daughter card supports four copper 10/100/1000 Ethernet interfaces using Ample's Harrier-12 Media Access Controller (MAC) device, Marvell quad PHY and RJ45 connectors. As a fully-integrated physical and link layer Ethernet interface module, the daughter card can be directly incorporated into customer designs utilizing SPI-4.2 interfaces.

"The GDA reference design provides an exceptional platform for software development and debug, as well as for hardware development," said Gopa Periyadan, VP System and Software Design Services BU, GDA Technologies. "Ample Communications' Harrier MAC device provides a robust, full-featured, off-the-shelf solution that will help customers reduce development time and costs."

"Ample is pleased to have partnered with GDA Technologies on the development of this reference design. Ample's customers are already using the DC-3000 and the PMC-3000 to accelerate software development and time-to- market," said Mat Steinberg, director of business development for Ample Communications.

The PMC-3000 and DC-3000 are now available. Pricing details are available through GDA Sales.

About Harrier

With the Harrier family of devices, shipping since September 2003, Ample Communications brought to market the first highly-integrated 10/100/1000 multiport Ethernet aggregation devices offering 24 ports in a single die. Harrier's innovative queuing, oversubscription and memory management algorithms introduced intelligence to statistically multiplexed data networks. Because of its high density and intelligence, Harrier provides network equipment manufacturers with a potential system cost savings of more than 40 percent in a typical Gigabit Ethernet system.

Ample Communications has more than 40 design wins for Harrier devices to date, 15 with Tier-1 network equipment vendors.

About Ample Communications

Ample Communications is a privately held, fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Fremont, Calif., providing advanced chip-level technologies to enterprise and metropolitan-area network equipment developers.

Founded in 2000, and with revenue shipments underway since 2001, Ample Communications has established itself as a reliable private supplier of high- speed, high-density merchant silicon for communications, network and computer equipment applications. The Company's technology is widely-deployed within Tier-1 network system OEM designs. Ample Communications has more than 40 design wins for its 10 Megabit- to 40 Gigabit-per-second SONET and Ethernet silicon. For more information, visit www.amplecomm.com.

About GDA Technologies

GDA Technologies, Inc. is a leading design services company specializing in embedded, networking and consumer electronic designs. GDA focuses on designing Systems, Boards, SOCs, ASICs, FPGAs and IPs from concept to product. GDA has successfully developed products in areas of Networking, Digital Video, Internet Appliances and Hand Held Solutions. GDA is headquartered in San Jose, CA and has satellite design centers in Sacramento, Boston, Chennai and Bangalore. The GDA web site is www.gdatech.com.

Source: Ample Communications