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Microprocessor Report Analysts Nominate Nomadik Application Processor for Best In Class Award

Posted on: Friday, 19 December 2003, 06:00 CST

GENEVA, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics, Inc. today announced that its STn8800 Nomadik multimedia application processor chip has been nominated as a finalist in the Microprocessor Report Analysts' Choice Award in the category of Best Application Processor.

Designed for ultra-low power consumption, unsurpassed audio and video quality, easy application development, and scalability, the STn8800 belongs to a category of processors that, according to Microprocessor Report, promises "not just new systems, but whole classes of systems, especially in the consumer electronics and networking industries."

Equipped with the Nomadik application processor, portable terminals like mobile phones and personal digital assistants will be able to play music, take pictures, record video, and host two-way, real-time videoconferences.

"Nomadik may help move cell-phone users toward increased use of multimedia communications and give base-station builders an additional good reason to invest in 3G technology and beyond," notes Max Baron, a principal analyst for Microprocessor Report, which will announce the award winners during a dinner presentation scheduled for February 5, 2004.

The STn8800 Nomadik is the first in a family of multimedia application processors that achieves ultra-low power consumption and therefore, long battery-powered operation by combining optimally-partitioned hardware and software, low-power CMOS technology, and ST's leading-edge, low-power design expertise.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2002, the Company's net revenues were $6.32 billion and net earnings were $429.4 million. Further information on ST can be found at http://www.st.com/.

Note to editors:

About Nomadik

An application processor runs the operating system and applications, but typically not the communications software, in next-generation wireless terminals, such as cell phones and PDAs. Most application processors are single CPUs or DSP+CPU combo architectures that can only do so much without increasing clock frequencies and data movement between the processor and memory. So designers are forced to augment these application processors with acceleration hardware to create video-capable versions. But this approach still results in high programming complexity and/or very high MHz requirements which means longer time-to-market and higher power consumption.

Nomadik processor chips combine an ARM926EJ-S main processor core with programmable "smart accelerators" that operate independently and concurrently to process key video and audio coding functions, including pre- and post-processing. Because the core processor doesn't need to execute multimedia functions, it remains available for other software applications.

To further ease software development, the Nomadik family will implement the MIPI software and hardware interface standard. By following this standard, developers can more easily write native applications for different application processors. Moreover, comprehensive software development tools are available for the Nomadik architecture, which runs the most popular mobile-device operating systems, including Symbian OS, Microsoft's WinCE family, and Linux. Also, with its highly-scalable computational power and smart peripherals, the Nomadik architecture makes it easy to add or subtract features to meet specific price-performance requirements.

The chip's programmable audio accelerator executes such industry standard encoding and decoding functions as MP3, MPEG2-Layer II, MPEG2/4-AAC, and Dolby Digital. For their part, the programmable video accelerator, thanks to proprietary technology, achieves the industry's lowest power consumption when running H.263 and MPEG-4 codec functions. Future Nomadik versions will implement the H.264, or H26L, standard.

Nomadik chips also include a standard baseband modem interface, as well as a simple interface for wireless peripheral area networks, like Bluetooth; local-area networks, like IEEE 802.11; as well as global-positioning system chip sets from a variety of manufacturers.

Manufactured on 12-inch wafers in ST's 130-nm CMOS fabrication technology, samples of the STn8800 Nomadik multimedia application processor chip are available now in a stacked package that includes flash memory. Future versions will be manufactured using 90-nm CMOS technology and will include 3D graphics and content security functions.

STMicroelectronics, Inc.

CONTACT: Investor Relations - Stanley March, Vice President,+1-212-821-8939, or Fax, +1-212-821-8923, stan.march@st.com, or FabrizioRossini, Senior Manager, +41-22-929-69-73, or Fax, +41-22-929-69-61,fabrizio.rossini@st.com, or Benoit de Leusse, +41-22-929-58-12, or Fax,+41-22-929-69-61, benoit.de-leusse@st.com, Media Relations, Maria GraziaPrestini, Director, Corporate Media Relations, +41-2-29-29-69-45, or Fax,+41-2-29-29-69-50, mariagrazia.prestini@st.com, or Michael Markowitz,Director, U.S. Media Relations, +1-212-821-8959, or Fax, +1-212-821-8922,michael.markowitz@st.com, all of STMicroelectronics, Inc.

Web site: http://www.st.com/

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