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Intersil's PRISM 3 Wireless LAN Reference Design Awarded "Wi-Fi" Certification From the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance

-- Wi-Fi certification ensures interoperability of wireless LAN products~-- Approval improves time-to-market for Intersil customers

IRVINE, CA, April 24, 2002 – Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), the world’s leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today its PRISM® 3 Reference Design for WLAN cards has received Wi-Fi certification from the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA).

The PRISM 3 Reference Design, FCC-approved and now with Wi-Fi certification, enables Intersil customers to bring small form factor, competitive wireless solutions to market in optimal time. PRISM 3 is based on direct conversion technology, which substantially reduces size, complexity and cost of wireless LAN circuitry. As a result, OEM customers can design wireless connectivity into ever-smaller notebooks and handhelds at consumer-friendly price points. The PRISM 3 Reference Design is available in today’s most advanced form factors, including PCMCIA, USB and mini-PCI.

The WECA Wi-Fi symbol on an end product provides assurance to buyers that it will work with Wi-Fi certified systems of other vendors. These systems are based on the IEEE 802.11b standard, widely recognized as the global standard for high-rate wireless data communications.

“Intersil is one of the few companies able to provide a true complete solution to our customers. We are committed to provide our customers a complete, quickly-deployable solution that gets them to market quickly,” said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s Wireless Networking business. “Having proven reference designs that carry the seal of approval from the FCC and WECA means our customers are ready to go to market before their competitors start their design.”

Wi-Fi is the only wireless LAN standard available today that provides wireless access at Ethernet speeds. In addition, declining costs are now making Wi-Fi systems more attractive to corporate, small business and home users. Only the Wi-Fi logo can ensure a user’s wireless LAN device can traverse these different environments and be compatible wherever they go.

“Intersil is a founding member of WECA and we’re pleased that our current PRISM 3 Reference Design has passed the organization’s interoperability tests,” Ciaccia said. “Using our PRISM 3 Reference Design gives customers a high degree of confidence their end products will also rapidly pass WECA interoperability testing, earning the coveted Wi-Fi logo seal of approval.”

Products awarded the Wi-Fi logo have undergone strict, rigorous and independent testing at the Silicon Valley Networking Lab. Testing usually takes two to four days per product to complete.

The Global Wireless Market Embraces PRISM WLAN Technology
“Intersil is the number one manufacturer of wireless LAN chipsets and has been a driving force behind the success of WLANs,” said a May 2001 WLAN report from Cahners In-Stat Group. Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, industry-leading companies including Accton, Actiontec, Alcatel, ASUSTeK, BroMax, Casio, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, GemTek, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Legend, Linksys, Nokia, Nortel, Panasonic, Quanta, Samsung, Sharp, Siemens, SOHOware, Sony, SpectraLink, Symbol, Z-Com and Zoom have incorporated PRISM chips in WLAN product designs. PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE’s 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems. About Intersil
Intersil is a global leader in designing innovative wireless networking and high performance analog solutions that enable wireless access to video, data and voice in homes, offices and public places. Creating advanced power management products, Intersil provides reliable solutions for file servers, portable information appliances and over half of all computer microprocessors manufactured today. With a rich high performance analog and mixed signal portfolio, Intersil brings added value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that bring portable connectivity to people wherever they live, work or travel. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Intersil has offices in cities throughout the US, Europe and Asia. 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 information relating to certain projections and business trends concerning the WLAN market that are 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 management’s current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about our business and industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," and variations 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. Furthermore, any forward-looking statements and projections made by others in this press release are not adopted by Intersil Corporation (“Intersil”) and Intersil is not responsible for the forward-looking statements and projections of others. 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 in connection with WLAN market include, but are not limited to: the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances and portable computing devices in enterprises and in homes; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless technologies and products, including our embedded LAN applications; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; 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 foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks inherent in acquisitions (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 Annual Report on Form 10-K, 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 press release and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
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