News & Events
Intersil's Elantec Product Group Ships Over 100,000,000 Laser Drivers

--Elantec's innovation enables rapid growth in CD-R/RW and DVD dual-Write drive industry

IRVINE, CA, June 6, 2002 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance analog and wireless networking solutions, today announced that its Elantec Product Group had reached a major milestone with the shipment of over 100 million laser drivers. Intersil continues its leadership position in innovation and distribution to the world’s optical storage original equipment manufacturers.

“Our optical storage products have set the worldwide industry standard for laser driver IC’s in the optical disc drive market,” said Mohan Maheswaran, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s Elantec Product Group. “We developed the world’s first integrated laser driver IC in 1997, a technology that dramatically influenced the rapid growth of the CD recorder drive industry and enabled faster recording CD-R and CD-RW ‘X’ speeds and smaller form factor disc drives.”

Being first with an innovative solution, Intersil established the industry standard interface for all Optical Pickup Unit (OPU) electronics used in CD-R/RW disc drives. Through continued innovation, five generations of laser driver IC families have been developed that enabled ever-increasing Write performance for CD-R/RW and DVD dual-Write drives. In 1999, Elantec introduced the world’s first Write Strategy Laser Driver for the emerging DVD/CD dual-Write disc drive market. To date, over 100 million laser drivers have been shipped to every major optical storage original equipment manufacture in the world.

“Our industry leadership stems from being first to implement emerging standards and from developing strategic alliances with key technology leaders,” said Stephen P. Sacarisen, director of marketing for Intersil’s Elantec Optical Products.

“Our strategy had been one of rapid product validation with customers and continued execution of products-to-market that enable our customers to introduce more competitive products in the fast moving PC arena. We will continue to lead the market with innovative new architectures that offer the highest-performance and lowest-cost system-level solutions,” added Maheswaran.

To learn more about Intersil’s Elantec optical storage devices and solutions, visit the Intersil Web site at: http://www.intersil.com/cda/application_e/0,1293,36,00.html About Intersil
Intersil Corporation manufactures and markets high performance analog and wireless networking solutions. As a global semiconductor leader, Intersil focuses on four of the industry's fastest growing markets – flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), power management, and wireless networking. Intersil brings added customer value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that enhance the computing experience for people wherever they live, work or travel. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at: www.intersil.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are based upon Intersil Corporation’s (“Intersil”) management’s current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about Intersil’s, and its Elantec Product Group’s (“Elantec”), business and industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," “predicts,” "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," “should,” “would,” “potential,” “continue,” and variations of these words (or negatives of these words) or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil, some of which may apply to Elantec, include, but are not limited to: the slowdown in the technology sector; the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances and portable computing devices in enterprises and in homes; the rate at which consumers purchase notebook computers; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless access, communications analog, and other analog technologies and products; the rate at which consumers adopt Elantec’s optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), video and communications technologies and products; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the ability of our customers to manage inventory; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability and quality of our foundry capacity and raw materials; availability, pricing, and quality of third party foundry and assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party foundries and assembly and test facilities, and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly and test facilities; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks inherent in acquisitions, including the acquisition of Elantec (including integration issues; costs and unanticipated expenditures; changing relationships with customers, suppliers, and strategic partners; potential contractual, employment, and intellectual property issues; risks of not securing regulatory approvals; accounting treatment and charges; and the risks that the acquisition cannot be completed successfully, or that the anticipated benefits of the acquisition are not realized); intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil’s ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner, as well as other risk factors. Intersil’s recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this communication and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. Intersil is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
Elantec is a trademark of Intersil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.