Virtual Silicon Expands Application-Specific I/O Offering

Configurable, Flexible Interface Solutions for 180 and 130 nm

Sunnyvale, Calif. - May 25, 2004 - Virtual Silicon Technology, Inc., a leader in semiconductor intellectual property, today announced the introduction of two multi-function configurable application-specific (AS) I/O products. The SSTL2/18 Combo I/O and the PCI/Cardbus Combo I/O enable SoC designers to develop a single chip that can interface with several different standards, thereby reducing design and product cost and shortening their time to market.

“Our customers, particularly those in the consumer and mobile electronics markets, need configurable I/O to address rapidly changing markets and applications in a cost effective manner," said John Ford, vice president of marketing for Virtual Silicon. “Virtual Silicon’s flexible application specific I/O architecture combined with our basic I/O, phase locked loop, and low power crystal oscillator products, provides a total interface solution for designers.”

The SSTL2/18 Combo AS I/O supports the widely-used double data rate memory DDR1 (SSTL2) as well as the next generation version DDR2 (SSTL18), which supports data rates up to 800Mb/s (400MHz). This versatile interface supports DDR1, DDR2, Mobile DDR SDRAM, SDRAM, FCRAM, LVTTL, and LVCMOS interface standards, matching high performance DDR2 memories coming to market over the next few years, while maintaining backward compatibility to older standards.

The SSTL2/18 Combo AS I/O enables a single I/O to interface with past, present and future styles of memories to enable the SoC architect choices of lowest memory cost, lowest power consumption or highest data rate memory for a given application.

The interface cell provides optimal slew rates while minimizing the I/O ring area. In DDR2 mode the interface meets full compliance with the JEDEC DDR2 impedance calibration standard with output impedance of 18 Ohms +/- 1.5 Ohms. The interface has an optional calibrated On-Die Termination (ODT) for optimal signal integrity.

The PCI 2.3/Cardbus Combo AS I/O is a unique combo transceiver which supports both data and clock for the Cardbus standard (33 MHz) and the PCI 2.3 (33 and 66 MHz) standard. The transceiver has been specifically designed to meet the slew rate specifications for both standards. A customer can easily program the I/O during the design stage. The PCI 2.3/Cardbus Combo AS I/O enables the SoC architect to design products which can work with all the relevant interface standards, providing easy backward compatibility to systems and products already in use in the marketplace.

The SSTL2/18 Combo AS I/O and the PCI 2.3/PCMCIA/Cardbus Combo AS I/O are available for immediate license at leading foundries in 130 nm and 180 nm process technologies.

About Virtual Silicon Technology

Virtual Silicon is a leading supplier of semiconductor intellectual property and process technology to manufacturers and designers of complex systems-on-chip (SoC). Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, the company provides process-specific embedded components that serve the wireless, networking, graphics, communication and computing markets. Customers include leading fabless semiconductor companies, integrated semiconductor manufacturers, foundries, and SoC developers who demand leading edge technology for their semiconductor innovations.

For more information, call (408) 548-2700 or visit Virtual Silicon online at www.virtual-silicon.com.

Copyright © 2004, Virtual Silicon Technology Inc. All rights reserved.