News & Events
Intersil's PRISM Technology Provides Off-the-Shelf Wireless Connectivity to New IBM ThinkPad Mobile Workstation

-- Intersil's PRISM 2.5 chip set makes the ThinkPad A31p an ideal tool for workstation users combining mobility with high-performance computing

IRVINE, CA, June 18, 2002 – Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions, today announced that IBM® (NYSE: IBM) is utilizing Intersil’s PRISM® 2.5 WLAN chip set to deliver embedded wireless connectivity in its new ThinkPad® A31p notebook computers. Intersil’s PRISM technology is integrated in the IBM ThinkPad X-Series, A-Series and T-Series models that are manufactured with wireless networking capabilities.

The ThinkPad A31p combines the mobility of a notebook with the power of a workstation, affording users high-speed graphical performance with wireless technology, security and manageability features. Utilizing the latest Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor-M and ATI’s Mobility™ Fire GL™ 7800 graphics adapter, the new ThinkPad A31p mobile workstation allows users the flexibility and freedom to design, create and think wherever and whenever they want. Other important features of the new ThinkPad A31p include the standard IBM Embedded Security Subsystem and a FlexView display that gives users increased brightness and contrast as well as an exceptionally wide 170-degree viewing angle.

"Embedded Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) capability in notebooks, PDAs and other small handheld networking appliances continues to gain traction as WLAN becomes more pervasive,” said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of Intersil’s Wireless Networking Products Group. “Intersil’s highly integrated Prism 2.5 chip set offers the ideal blend of high performance and low power consumption at an attractive price point, making it one of the most popular embedded wireless solutions for mobile electronic devices.”

“Intersil’s PRISM 2.5 wireless networking chip set is housed on a small form factor mini-PCI card that allows IBM to design ‘embedded’ wireless LAN capability directly into the internal design,” said Peter Hortensius, vice president of development, IBM Personal Computing Devices. “This provides off-the-shelf wireless capability for our customers and eliminates the need for external add-in cards.”

The PRISM 2.5 chip set is a highly integrated, feature-rich WLAN silicon solution for products operating in the 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band at the IEEE 802.11b-compliant high-data-rate speed of up to 11 megabits-per-second (Mbps). The significant board space reduction achieved by PRISM 2.5 also opens the door for designers to incorporate dual-mode networking capabilities – such as the addition of Bluetooth, v.90 modems or Ethernet chipsets – on the same embedded WLAN card. 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 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’s WLAN product group 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 with embedded wireless; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless access technologies; 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 Semiconductor, Inc. (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. PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
IBM and ThinkPad are registered trademarks of IBM.
Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Mobility™ and Fire GL™ are trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc.All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners