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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AVNET ELECTRONICS MARKETING ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE
AVAILABILITY
OF XILINX ATCA DESIGN KIT
Avnet is the Exclusive Distributor of the Only
FPGA-based Platform Available for the Development of PICMG ATCA-based
Networking and Communications Equipment
PHOENIX, Ariz. and SAN JOSE, Calif., December 15, 2004 - Avnet
Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:
AVT) and Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX), today announced the immediate
availability of the Xilinx FPGA-based PICMG ATCA™ 3.0 Design
Kit. The kit, featuring a development board using a Xilinx Virtex-II
Pro device, is the first solution stemming from the joint effort
between Avnet and Xilinx to accelerate the adoption of the ATCA
PICMG standard for high-speed networking and communication designs.
Access to affordable, standardized and scalable platforms is paramount
to addressing the challenges of next-generation systems. The programmable
PICMG ATCA 3.0 Design Kit contains a complete reference design platform
to assist with developing, prototyping and testing high-speed PICMG
ATCA based networking, communications and storage equipment. By
way of the ATCA Development Platform Program announced earlier this
year, Xilinx has selected Avnet as the exclusive source for these
platforms based on its extensive expertise in high-speed systems
design. The ATCA Design Kit provides a proven physical layer interface
and other capabilities that can help reduce design cycles by as
much as several man-years for equipment compatible with this emerging
standard.
Crystal Cube Consulting, ATCA market specialists, expect shipments
could reach a potential of over 1.5 million serial backplanes based
upon the ATCA standard in 2007. Crystal Cube Consulting also predicts
the market for ATCA-based product designs has the potential of generating
more than $20 billion by the end of 2007.
"Today's announcement affirms ATCA is a highly viable and cost-effective
solution for addressing next-generation applications requirements
that cannot be served by the CompactPCI standard or proprietary
solutions," said Ernie Bergstrom, principal analyst at Crystal
Cube Consulting.
"The Xilinx and Avnet collaboration provides a complete development
and prototyping platform for ATCA designs and we are honored Xilinx
has chosen us as its exclusive distribution partner," said
Jim Schaeffer, senior vice president of Avnet Design Services. "This
decision reinforces Xilinx's confidence in our ability to provide
outstanding engineering support for customers utilizing this exciting
new standard."
About the Design Kit
The PICMG ATCA 3.0 Design Kit can be used as a development platform
for PICMG 3.0 full-mesh line cards supporting system configurations
of up to 16-cards and port rates to 2.5 Gbps. The kit comes with
a development board that uses the Xilinx Virtex™-II Pro RocketIO™
multi-gigabit transceivers (MGT) to connect to the PICMG ATCA full-mesh
backplane. The full-mesh card allows application flexibility by
reserving an area of the board for a plug-in "personality module"
(PM), where users can implement any application-specific line card
and easily connect to the full-mesh card through the included headers.
The kit uses a standard footprint and ensures interoperability via
full compliance with the PICMG 3.0 standard.
"Avnet's ability to provide customers with superior high-speed
I/O board design and signal integrity support is the main reason
we selected them to exclusively market our platform," stated
Robert Bielby, senior director of Strategic Solutions Marketing
at Xilinx. "Our customers will benefit greatly from Avnet's
ability to provide complete design support from initial concept
through mass production."
Pricing and Availability
The PICMG ATCA 3.0 Design Kit, which includes a development board
using a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro 2VP50 or 2VP70 device, example test
design, user's guide, schematics, bill of materials and documentation
CD-ROM, is readily available. Avnet also offers optional elements
such as training and design services support. Customers who wish
to learn more about this solution can arrange a site visit for a
full demonstration and application discussion of the ATCA platform.
For more information on the design kit, contact your local Avnet
sales office or visit www.em.avnet.com/atca.
Ordering part numbers and prices for the PICMG ATCA 3.0 Design Kit
follows:
| ADS-XLX-ATCA-DEVP50 |
Virtex-II Pro 2VP50-based ATCA Design Kit $4,999 |
| ADS-XLX-ATCA-DEVP70 |
Virtex-II Pro 2VP70-based ATCA Design Kit $5,999 |
About PICMG ATCA
In 2001, experts across a broad range of over 600 industries and
companies including network equipment providers, computer OEMs,
Applied Computing Platform Providers, and third-party hardware and
software vendors collaborated to define a standardized platform
to address the challenges of next-generation platforms under the
PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, (PICMG). In January
2003, the platform standard, ATCA (Advanced Telecom Compute Architecture),
was developed to address the requirements of next-generation applications
that could not be served by the CompactPCI standard or proprietary
solutions. The prime objectives of the ATCA are to provide the broad
benefits of a standardized, yet scalable platform to addresses the
key challenges of the next generation systems with sufficient flexibility
to be used across a broad class of applications without imposing
constraints that might impact product differentiation.
About The ATCA Development Platform Program
Through the Xilinx/Avnet ATCA Development Platform Program, designers
are provided a complete design kit for taking products from development
through production. FPGA integration and customization efforts are
supported by Avnet in its Xilinx ATCA Platform Certified FPGA Design
Centers in North America. In addition to providing outsourced design
resources, Avnet offers customer training with hands-on demonstrations.
Avnet has also created an extensive network of third-party electronics
component suppliers, intellectual property, design tool and design
service companies that will develop solutions specifically targeted
for the ATCA development platform. This best-in-class network covers
all aspects of design and manufacturing to further speed the industry's
migration to ATCA PICMG-based implementations.
About Avnet Electronics Marketing
Avnet Electronics Marketing is the largest operating group of Phoenix-based
Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company with fiscal 2004 sales
of more than $10 billion, and one of the world's largest technology
marketing, distribution and services companies. Avnet Electronics
Marketing, Americas (EMA) serves electronic original equipment manufacturers
(EOEMs) and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in
North America and Brazil, distributing electronic components from
leading manufacturers and providing associated services. The company's
Web site is located at www.em.avnet.com.
About Xilinx
Xilinx is the worldwide leader in complete programmable logic
solutions. For more information, visit www.xilinx.com.
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