FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INSIGHT MEMEC SHIPS ENTRY-LEVEL SERIAL I/O DESIGN KIT FOR VIRTEX-II PRO - INDUSTRY'S MOST WIDELY USED FPGA FOR HIGH-SPEED SERIAL DESIGN
New kit coupled with reference designs and workshops enable low cost, easy deployment of Xilinx 3.125 Gbps serial transceiver technology

SAN DIEGO and SAN JOSE, Calif., November 12, 2003 - Insight Memec and Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced the immediate availability of a multi-gigabit serial I/O design kit designed to make it easy for customers to start using the Xilinx Virtex-II Pro high-speed serial I/O technology. Based on the Memec Design Virtex-II Pro FG456 P4 development board, the new design kit includes two reference design examples along with a step-by-step tutorial workbook. Insight Memec also offers an introductory one-day, hands-on workshop across North America to further accelerate designer's multi-gigabit serial I/O expertise.

"From PCI Express in PCs to multi-gigabit serial backplanes in high-end communications systems, system designers are radically adopting serial technology to lower overall system cost while increasing performance," said Per Holmberg, director of Virtex Solutions Marketing at Xilinx. "This design kit from Insight Memec allows our mutual customers to instantly validate their serial designs without making a large upfront investment."

"The low cost serial I/O design kit provides an excellent introduction to the growing use of muti-gigabit serial links," said Jim Beneke, director of Technical Marketing at Memec. "Feedback from our one-day, hands-on Multi-gigabit Serial I/O Design Workshop has been outstanding. Customers feel much more confident with this technology after they go through the design process and can see their application running in hardware."

Based on the Xilinx developed Aurora protocol, currently licensed to more than 1,000 individuals, the two reference designs included in the serial I/O kit show designers how
to easily implement a chip-to-chip, and board-to-board serial links. Running at 2.5 Gbps, the Aurora 401 design demonstrates a single channel link, while the Aurora 804 design introduces the use of channel bonding to obtain a 10 Gbps aggregate, 4-channel link. The workbook and reference CD included with the kit provides easy to follow instructions for implementing both design examples on the Memec Design Virtex-II Pro FG456 P4 development board.

Xilinx Education Services: Designing with Multi-Gigabit Serial I/O
Customers attending Insight Memec's Multi-Gigabit Serial I/O Design Workshop will receive a coupon for 10% off the Xilinx two-day Designing with Multi-Gigabit Serial I/O course. Customers who attend this intermediate level course will gain insight into utilizing the features of the RocketIO transceiver blocks, such as CRC, 8b/10b encoding, channel bonding, clock correction, and comma detection. Additional topics will include debugging techniques, use of the Architecture Wizard, synthesis and implementation considerations, and standards compliance. For a complete description of the Xilinx Education Services course, including a detailed course outline, lab descriptions, and schedules by region, please visit: www.xilinx.com/education

Price and Availability, Workshop Registration
Insight Memec's serial I/O design kit is available now for $995. For complete information about the kit and the Multi-Gigabit Serial I/O Design Workshops, visit www.insight.na.memec.com/x-fest2003 or dial 1.888.488.4133 ext 920.

About Insight Memec
Insight Memec is a member of The Memec Group, the world's leading distributor of proprietary advanced-technology semiconductors. Insight Memec focuses its line card on leading semiconductor companies, allowing their sales team and field applications engineers to maintain superior product knowledge and create demand for supplier partner goods. The company's value-added services, design expertise, inventory management, logistics, and e-business tools ensure that customers receive the products they need, when and where they need them. For more information, please visit http://www.insight.na.memec.com.

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Editorial contact:
Jennifer Wright Van Every	Christy Heiser
Xilinx Public Relations	Memec
(408) 879-7727	(858) 314-8979
amy.attard@xilinx.com	pr@mei.memec.com