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Intersil Unveils PRISM Integration Roadmap: Goal Is To Enable Better Performing, Lower Cost Wireless LAN Products

— PRISM II-based WLAN systems will soon hit market — Next-generation PRISM chips in development

PALM BAY, FL., September 7, 1999 – Intersil Corporation, the leading developer of silicon technology for wireless local area networks (WLANs), unveiled the product roadmap for its popular PRISM® WLAN chipset. Intersil plans to introduce a new version of the PRISM chipset every nine months, focusing on reducing costs by sweeping more functionality into better performing, more highly integrated chips. Such highly integrated chips will allow the manufacture of smaller and smaller wireless products with increasingly higher performance and better power efficiency – vital since many such mobile products must operate on batteries.

Intersil’s PRISM II chipset, now in production, uses three ICs in the RF portion and two chips in the digital portion. Intersil design teams are developing one chip that integrates the baseband processor with the medium access controller (MAC) for lower-cost WLAN adapter cards. This integrated Baseband/MAC is expected to be sampling in the first quarter of 2000. The team will also integrate the three RF ICs into two chips useful for both adapter card and Access Point (AP) applications.

"This effort is driven by the market’s need for the lowest cost, smallest size, and easiest to build solutions," said Chris Henningsen, vice president—Marketing and co-leader of Intersil’s PRISM Wireless Products business. "We’ll integrate the baseband processor and MAC first; having these two digital functions on one chip – optimized for use in client adapter cards – is the quickest way to significantly reduce the cost of such cards."

According to Henningsen, the more difficult and costly task of integrating the front-end RF chips – used both in network- and client-side systems – will take longer. This task is further complicated by a second mission of the team. To reduce total bill-of-material (BOM) costs – including the card itself – the Intersil development team will focus on up-integrating as many surrounding board components as possible.

"We’re keenly aware that our customers must meet certain retail price points to stimulate wide acceptance of wireless LAN systems. Continuous integration advancement is necessary to reduce BOM costs so those retail targets can be met," Henningsen added. "In fact, we plan to introduce a new generation of PRISM every nine months, with each generation decreasing the BOM cost and decreasing power consumption, another critical factor for deploying small, battery-operating wireless appliances."

The first PRISM II-based product solutions are expected to retail in the $100—$150 price range when they hit market over the next several months. Henningsen expects retail prices to drop to below $100 next year. "That simply can’t happen unless we continue improving the design, adding performance features, lowering power and decreasing the cost for our customers," said Henningsen.

Intersil plans to have the integrated baseband processor/MAC available for sampling in the first quarter of next year. Once available, this chip can replace the separate Baseband Processor and MAC chips of the PRISM II chipset. The integrated RF front-end ICs are expected to be sampling in the fourth quarter of next year.

About PRISM II
Intersil’s PRISM II Chip Set is the world’s most complete silicon solution for the design of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Comprised of five highly integrated ICs incorporating advanced silicon germanium (SiGe) and sub-micron CMOS technology, PRISM II delivers all the required analog and digital circuitry for the PHY and MAC layers, providing a complete, "antenna-to-computer" solution for high-data rate WLANs. PRISM II has been chosen by the world’s leading telecom, networking, and computer companies as a key part of high performance wireless products for home or office.

Intersil Corporation uses analog, mixed-signal, power and radiation-hardening technologies to develop advanced integrated circuits and discrete semiconductors for high-growth segments of the communications, power and space/defense markets. Intersil Corporation employs 5,800 worldwide and utilizes the rich intellectual property heritage from Harris, GE Solid State and RCA. The company’s worldwide web site is located at http://www.intersil.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Specific risks include worldwide demand and product pricing for integrated circuits, and reductions in the U.S. and worldwide defense and space budgets. In addition, Intersil cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends and events to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.

PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation.