LSI Logic continues momentum of ZSP500 for wireless handset market with addition of VIA Telecom

• VIA Telecom reinforces ZSP architecture as key ingredient in wireless market as second licensee of LSI Logic ZSP500 DSP core
• ZSP500 offers highest level of signal processing performance among licensable DSP cores available today in silicon, making it ideal for 2.5 and 3G communications systems
• ZSP gains foothold in both wireless and wireline applications to become DSP core of choice

MILPITAS, Calif. – May 12, 2003 –LSI Logic today announced that VIA Telecom, Inc., San Diego, California, a subsidiary of VIA Technologies, Inc. of Taiwan, one of the world’s largest fabless semiconductor manufacturers, has licensed the popular LSI Logic open architecture ZSP®500 digital signal processor (DSP) core for use in CDMA wireless handset designs. This agreement marks the second major wireless integrated circuit (IC) provider to adopt the ZSP500, leveraging the low power, superscalar architecture for next-generation high-end 3G mobile communications systems. LSI Logic’s proven, stable DSP technology will allow VIA Telecom to better meet the tremendous demand in the marketplace for wireless ICs. 

“Wireless handset applications represent more than 50 percent of the total available market for DSP cores,” said Will Strauss, president of market research firm Forward Concepts. “The demand is growing most rapidly in Asia where there is a need for proven DSP technology to fill large commitments to produce handset ICs. The LSI Logic ZSP500 is a high-performance, proven and competitive DSP core that can give IC providers the reliability and quality they need to be successful.”

Based on the ZSP second-generation superscalar architecture, the ZSP500 provides designers a powerful DSP platform with the best power and cost-over-performance combination in its class. ZSP500 offers several advanced signal processing features, including the user-customizable instructions for hardware acceleration, enabling vendors to scale to higher data rate solutions and incorporate new features such as video and imaging to the wireless handset platform. The ZSP highly compact architecture and design yield the industry’s best power-efficient implementations in silicon.

VIA Telecom joins a growing number of companies including Skyworks Solutions, Conexant Systems, Inc., IBM and Broadcom Corp. that have chosen to build their solutions around the ZSP architecture. Licensees benefit dramatically from LSI Logic’s system-on-chip expertise, reduced development costs and shortened time-to-market for all types of products.

“VIA Telecom is squarely focused on the enormous potential and growth of the wireless marketplace, particularly advanced CDMA solutions that provide economies in network operations, bandwidth and services. The ZSP500 DSP processor architecture is an important and well thought out selection in our bid to become a leading provider of CDMA chipset solutions,” said Ker Zhang, CEO of VIA Telecom.

“VIA Telecom’s decision to license the ZSP500 core after evaluating many processors for its handset application further validates the architecture’s superiority in wireless designs,” said Tuan Dao, vice president of the LSI Logic DSP Products Division. “The addition of a leading fabless semiconductor company like VIA Telecom to our network of licensees further broadens market adoption of the ZSP architecture and underscores our commitment to provide the industry’s best wireless and wireline DSP applications.”

As licensees of the ZSP500, DSP product developers benefit from the ZOpen®, open architecture software framework. ZOpen provides integration guidelines with supporting utilities, compliant third party algorithms, and a supporting methodology that simplifies and standardizes application development. In addition, the ZSP Solution Partners program supports the ZSP500 and is composed of the broadest third party application and software portfolio in the licensable DSP market. In support of the ZSP500, Green Hills Software, First Silicon Solution and a number of application software providers will be offering a suite of tools and application-specific solutions to speed time-to-market.

About LSI Logic's ZSP Family of DSP Cores

LSI Logic's ZSP DSP superscalar signal processing technology provides the highest performance open architecture DSP cores available today. These licensable and fully synthesizable cores have proven themselves in ASICs and standard products alike. The ZSP architecture - now in its second generation - has been optimized with respect to code density, compiler performance and ease of programming. It is supported by a growing list of software Solution Partners. For more information about the ZSP visit the website at http://www.zsp.com or send e-mail to dsp-mkt@zsp.com.

About LSI Logic Corporation

LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE: LSI) 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.