National Semiconductor CEO Brian Halla Highlights Megatrends Driving Chip Industry Growth, Need for Greater Energy Efficiency
Share:
OSAKA, Japan, Feb. 28 -- During his keynote today at the Global Electronics Forum in Osaka, Japan, Brian Halla, chairman and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM), discussed a number of key megatrends that will drive chip industry growth. The megatrends include personal mobile devices with enhanced video displays and on-board video projectors; portable medical equipment, such as handheld ultrasound machines, as well as enhanced security and surveillance devices, including smart sensors for low-power, high-precision detectors.
Halla underscored the worldwide gigatrend of energy conservation and its effect on the semiconductor industry. He discussed numerous ways that chip companies like National will enable "quality-of-life technology" improvements, so devices can be more effective and energy efficient. These include enhancements to improve the effectiveness of solar technology, rapid charging for personal mobile devices as well as advanced healthcare devices that are more portable and optimized to detect health issues sooner.
To illustrate an innovation that combines increased usefulness with higher energy efficiency, Halla unveiled National's LMV1088 microphone array amplifier, which uses breakthrough analog noise-suppression technology to reduce background noise and improve voice communication clarity while consuming one-tenth the power of comparable digital signal processor or microprocessor software-based systems. This product, which is part of National's PowerWise® family of energy-efficient products, can be used in mobile phones, two-way radios and powered headsets. It can also be used in security monitoring devices to detect breaking glass or gun fire.
National launched its PowerWise brand in September 2007 to further leverage its heritage and expertise in creating energy-efficient integrated circuits to help system engineers create electronic systems with a smaller energy footprint.
About National's PowerWise Brand
National's PowerWise brand reflects the company's energy-efficient product portfolio. It signifies products with outstanding performance-to-power at the component level, as well as products that provide an outstanding, energy-efficient solution when coupled with other National parts. National's PowerWise family of products features energy-efficient power management, operational amplifiers, interface and data conversion products. For more information about National's PowerWise brand, visit: http://national.com/powerwise.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor, the industry's premier analog company, creates high-value analog devices and subsystems. National's leading-edge products include power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, interface products and data conversion solutions. National's key analog markets include wireless handsets, displays, communications infrastructure, medical, automotive, industrial, and test and measurement applications. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $1.93 billion for fiscal 2007, which ended May 27, 2007. Additional company and product information is available at http://www.national.com/.
Media Contact:
LuAnn Jenkins
National Semiconductor
(408) 721-2440
luann.jenkins@nsc.com
Source: National Semiconductor
Web site: http://www.national.com/
