LSI Logic Eliminates Mask Charges for Entry Level Platform ASIC Solutions

• The addition of two new low-cost RapidChip Integrator2(TM) slices offers both ASIC and FPGA designers a low-risk, low-cost option for quick entry into emerging markets (http://www.lsilogic.com/rapidchip )
• Zero mask charges, NRE charges of less than $50K and a 100K volume piece part price of $6 provides the ultimate in cost efficient system design

MILPITAS, Calif., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced the addition of two new slices to its RapidChip Integrator2(TM) Platform ASIC family that provide both ASIC and FPGA designers with a low-risk, low-cost option for high-volume applications. With zero mask charges, non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges of less than $50K and a 100K volume piece part price of $6, this new class of RapidChip slices offers the ultimate in cost-efficient system design for industrial, medical, defense and high-end consumer applications.

Rich Wawrzyniak, Semico Research's senior analyst for ASICs and SoCs sees the new RapidChip offering as a significant benefit to designers seeking to gain traction in emerging markets. "By eliminating mask tooling charges for entry level Platform ASIC solutions, LSI Logic is providing its RapidChip customers with the ability to quickly introduce innovative designs in high potential growth markets while meeting their cost and performance targets."

LSI Logic is using a simple accelerated design flow to offer the new RapidChip Integrator2 Platform ASIC slices at the lowest possible cost. In addition to a low piece-part price and low NRE charges, an evaluation version of the LSI Logic RapidWorx(R) tool kit and the Amplify RapidChip physical synthesis tool, jointly developed with Synplicity, are being provided to designers at no additional fee.

"With these new low-cost RapidChip Integrator2 slices, designers of complex SoCs have access to significant savings in design and development costs," said Yousef Khalilollahi, director RapidChip(R) Marketing, LSI Logic. "This unique offering provides ASIC-like density, performance and power consumption at a price level that customers can take to production virtually risk-free, presenting them with exceptional opportunities to capture market share in their industries."

The new RapidChip Integrator2 slices provide an alternative for FPGAs used in the consumer and industrial markets. These slices, selling for $6 per part in volume, contain more gates and memories in a Plastic Quad Flat Pack (PQFP) package than reprogrammable architectures and are ideal for designers developing products that depend on inexpensive volume solutions in these markets.

The RapidChip Integrator2 slices are being offered in 0.5M gates of logic/0.9 megabits of embedded Matrix RAM and 0.85M gates of logic/1.5 megabits of embedded Matrix RAM configurations. The Matrix RAM technology provides architectural flexibility for memory in high through-put designs and consists of a matrix of many 2-port 18Kbit memory blocks (up to 84 in one slice). These memories can be easily configured as individual memories or combined to form larger memories. This approach provides shallow and wide memories or narrow and deep memories that can be configured to fit design needs.

Visit LSI Logic at the 2005 Design Automation Conference (DAC) (Booth #371), June 13-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, where the new RapidChip Integrator2 Platform ASIC slices will be showcased.

About LSI Logic Corporation

LSI Logic Corporation focuses on the design and production of high-performance semiconductors for Consumer, Communications and Storage applications that access, interconnect and store data, voice and video. LSI Logic engineers incorporate reusable, industry-standard intellectual property building blocks that serve as the heart of leading-edge systems. LSI Logic serves its global OEM, channel and distribution customers with standard-cell ASICs, Platform ASICs and standard products, host bus adapters, RAID controllers and software. 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