Freescale Targets Storage Market with New PowerQUICC Family Featuring Exceptional Integration and Performance


Based on Power Architecture(TM) technology, Freescale processors enable secure, cost-effective data storage, streaming and sharing

TOKYO (Freescale Technology Forum Japan) - Sept. 12, 2007 - Manufacturers of storage and printing equipment for consumer and small/medium business (SMB) markets now can leverage the high performance, exceptional integration and industry-leading security of the newest additions to the PowerQUICC II Pro product line from Freescale Semiconductor.

Freescale's storage family blends outstanding performance, integration, security and power management capabilities in a range of price and performance configurations. The processors integrate a broad array of technologies essential for success in storage markets, including SATA, PCI Express, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, XOR acceleration and high-performance security functionality.

"Every connection matters, especially when storing, sharing and protecting your most valuable personal and business data," said Chekib Akrout, vice president and general manager of Freecale's Networking Systems Division. "Content-rich interaction, network-enabled media distribution and the desire for private content repositories continue to drive storage within residential and SMB markets. Freecale's family of storage processors addresses these trends and positions Freescale well for success in these markets."

The storage family's MPC837xE product line targets SMB markets, supports RAID 5 and is designed for Network Attached Storage (NAS) applications. It also meets market requirements for other SMB technologies such as access points, gateways and printing/imaging equipment.

The storage family's MPC8314E and MPC8315E products target consumer and SOHO markets. They support RAID 0-1, and enable the creation of digital media server and consumer NAS devices, as well as consumer and SOHO products such as residential gateways, 802.11n access points and industrial control products.

"Freescale's new processors integrate the technologies required for success in the SMB, SOHO and consumer storage markets, which are growing rapidly," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst for The Linley Group. "Leveraging Freescale's strength in performance, security and power management, these highly integrated devices should be welcomed by manufacturers and systems designers."

Affordable, secure network storage systems for SMB markets
NAS is a fast-growing market segment for small- and medium-sized businesses - especially organizations limited to minimal IT support. In addition to dealing with disaster recovery requirements and ever-increasing amounts of business content such as e-mail, Web content, video and e-business transaction records, these businesses require increasingly sophisticated storage capabilities driven in part by government regulations such as notification and retention policy changes.

Freescale addresses SMB market requirements with the MPC837xE product line, consisting of the MPC8379E, MPC8378E and MPC8377E processors. The MPC8379E integrates four SATA controllers and PHYs that reduce overall system chip count and bill-of-material (BOM) costs for four-drive NAS devices. The MPC8378E supports PCI Express and SGMII for wireless access points, and the MPC8377E enables next generation multi-functional printers with the integration of two SATA controllers and two PCI Express controllers for direct hard disk drive and I/O connectivity.

SOHO/consumer and the connected home - secure storage at a consumer price
Many consumers today manage, store and share personal content in the form of photos, video and digital music using networked personal computers and entertainment devices. The growing volume of personal content is driving rapid adoption of connected, dedicated, non-PC-based home NAS products. These devices increasingly incorporate media server features in addition to traditional data backup functionality, resulting in highly advanced networked media hub appliances. Freescale's storage family addresses this market with a line of highly integrated, high performance, BOM-optimized solutions.

The MPC8314E and MPC8315E products enable sophisticated, feature-rich devices that make the digital home experience easier, richer and safer. With these processors, OEMs and ODMs can now create NAS appliances for the sub-$300 market featuring multiple hard drives for the SOHO and connected home markets. The MPC8315E integrates SATA, PCI-Express and USB with PHY technologies to help lower BOM cost and speed time-to-market for customers. The cost-effective MPC8314E is designed to meet the requirements of several SOHO applications including residential gateway, WLAN access point, printing, IP services and industrial control applications.

Security
Freescale's storage processors are available with or without hardware encryption capabilities. The company's encryption technology offloads security algorithm processing tasks, freeing the CPU to run additional applications.

Ecosystem of enablement
Freescale's PowerQUICC processors, built on Power Architecture technology, are supported by a strong ecosystem of third party hardware and software partners offering development tools and systems, as well as robust middleware and software stacks. For developers, this ecosystem means faster board bring-up, more rapid application development and more accurate performance benchmarking.

Pricing and availability
Initial samples of the MPC8314E and MPC8315E products are available now, with volume production slated for the second quarter of 2008. Suggested retail pricing for non-encrypted versions of the MPC8314 is $17 (USD) in 10K quantities and $19 (USD) in 10K quantities for the MPC8315. Initial samples of the MPC837xE family are available now, with volume production slated for the second quarter of 2008. Suggested retail pricing in 10K quantities for non-encrypted versions of the MPC837x family ranges from $28-$37 (USD). Please contact a Freescale sales representative for more information.

About Freescale Semiconductor
Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies with 2006 sales of $6.4 billion (USD). www.freescale.com

Media Contacts

Jack Taylor
Freescale Semiconductor
(512) 996-5161 Office
(512) 560-7143 Mobile
jack.taylor@freescale.com

Kathy Truesdell
Representing Freescale Semiconductor
(512) 996-5117 Office
(512) 633-8620 Mobile
truesdel@onr.com

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