Micronas Semiconductor Adopts Sonics Interconnects and Accelerates Time-To-Market for Its New System-on-Chip Designs

- Sonics Inc., the premier supplier of system-on-chip (SoC) SMART Interconnects, today announced that Micronas Semiconductor selected Sonics as its intelligent internal interconnect supplier of choice. This decision was based on Sonics ability to deliver proven interconnect solutions that increase design predictability and engineering efficiency in the development of Micronas Digital TV products.

As time-to-market is a critical success factor to meet short product lifecycles in the consumer electronics industries, Micronas realized that Sonics high performance intelligent internal interconnects not only reduced design time, but also significantly lowered overall development costs.

For the types of advanced SoCs developed at Micronas, Sonics technology and expertise in advanced interconnect architectures adds significant value by helping us meet our development targets of shorter design cycles and first-time-right success, said Dirk Wieberneit, vice president and general manager of product development, consumer ICs at Micronas. Sonics SMART Interconnect technology was selected because it has already been proven in the market to deliver high flexibility with low design risk.

According to Sonics, the critical step in new SoC development is the design of ultra-complex data flow intelligent internal interconnects that can service the multitude of intellectual property cores required by multifunction products, and deliver these designs in an ever-shortening time-to-market window. The massive complexity of todays SoC designs is accelerating the adoption rate for Sonics SMART Interconnects, as a growing number of SoC developers turn to third-party solutions that deliver higher design predictability and increased engineering efficiencies as a more economical alternative to traditional design approaches.

About Sonics

Sonics, Inc. is a leading provider of SMART Interconnects that deliver high SoC design predictability and increased design efficiency. Major semiconductor and systems companies including Broadcom, Samsung, Texas Instruments and Toshiba have applied Sonics SMART Interconnects in leading products in the wireless, digital multimedia and communications markets. Sonics is a privately held company funded by Investar Capital, Smart Technology Ventures, TL Ventures, Easton Hunt Capital, JAFCO Ventures, and H&Q Asia-Pacific. For more information, see www.sonicsinc.com

About Micronas

Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN, Frankfurt: MNSN, Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX), a semiconductor designer and manufacturer with worldwide operations, is a leading supplier of cutting-edge IC and sensor system solutions for consumer and automotive electronics. As a market leader in innovative, global TV system solutions, Micronas leverages its expertise into new markets emerging through the digitization of audio and video content. Micronas serves all major consumer brands worldwide, many of them in continuous partnerships seeking joint success. While the holding company is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), operational headquarters are based in Freiburg (Germany). Currently, the Micronas Group employs about 1900 people. In 2004, it generated CHF 963 million in sales. For more information on Micronas and its products, please visit www.micronas.com
Sonics is a registered trademark and SMART Interconnects is a trademark of Sonics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.