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Xilinx Press Release #02192

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XILINX CHIPS PROVIDE SAFE HOLIDAY
HIGHWAYS WITH $49 STOCKING STUFFER
Xilinx teams with Alcohol Countermeasure Systems
in development of a low-cost personal Alcohol Breath Tester just
in time for the holidays
SAN JOSE, Calif., December 23, 2002 - Xilinx,
Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX) today announced a collaboration with Alcohol
Countermeasure System (ACS), a leading manufacturer of alcohol sensing
and breath test instruments, headquartered in Canada. The design
collaboration resulted in ELAN, a personal microcomputer controlled
Alcohol Breath Tester designed to measure an individual's blood
alcohol concentration. Not much bigger than a cigarette lighter,
the ELAN displays %BAC test results on a 3-digit LCD display within
10 seconds of providing a breath sample. ELAN, the most advanced
personal passive breath tester available today, uses state-of-the-art
Xilinx semiconductor technology, to measure the level of alcohol.
Retailing for just $49, the product is available direct from ACS
online at www.acs-corp.com.
Through this collaboration, ACS and Xilinx have also
developed a high-end, voice recognition Alcohol Breath Tester for
use in law enforcement's management of repeat offenders. Available
today in beta form, the ACS WR3 Ignition Interlock Device is used
to activate the driver's ignition - the driver must breathe and
hum into the mouthpiece to operate the vehicle. What makes this
new technology unique is the voice recognition - enabled by Xilinx
chips - that makes it impossible for the offender to activate the
vehicle with the breath of another individual. ACS partners with
North American and European law enforcement agencies in the deployment
of the latest technology.
"Xilinx low-cost programmable chips provided the technology
we required to produce the most advanced Alcohol Breath Testers
on the market today," said Nigel Correia, operations manager at
Alcohol Countermeasure Systems. "We needed leading edge technology
combined with low power and low cost and Xilinx delivered."
"Through the power of innovation and partnerships
with technology leaders, Xilinx can deliver the latest technology
to the masses," said Xilinx president and CEO, Wim Roelandts. "Alcohol
Countermeasure has provided an ideal situation in which we can work
together to develop a consumer product that can actually make a
significant contribution to society."
According to the National Traffic and Safety Administration,
the number of alcohol related fatalities has declined 25 percent
since 1990. This reduction is attributed to an increase in public
awareness and driver accountability. ACS hopes to further contribute
to the decline through its innovative technology using Xilinx programmable
chips.
ACS, formed twenty-five years ago, is recognized for
its expertise in the field of breath analysis and alcohol sensing
technologies and manufactures a variety of products for use in law
enforcement, industrial safety, clinical, and public use.
Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) is the worldwide leader
of programmable logic solutions. Additional information about Xilinx
is available at www.xilinx.com.
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#02192
| Editorial contact: |
|
| Tamara Snowden |
Andrea Fionda |
| Xilinx North America |
Xilinx Europe |
| (408) 879-6146 |
+44 870 735 6526 |
| tamara.snowden@xilinx.com |
andrea.fionda@xilinx.com |
|