Microsemi Unveils 65-nm Embedded Flash Platform

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor technology aimed at building a secure, smart, connected world, announced that its SOC Products Division, formerly known as Actel Corporation, today unveiled its new 65nm embedded flash platform, on which the company's next generation flash-based customizable SOCs (system-on-chips) will be built. Featuring a new, expandable 4-input LUT architecture, the company's low power, intelligent mixed signal and system critical series of SOCs will converge on state-of-the-art 65nm embedded flash process. Densities will increase an order of magnitude, offering twice the performance when compared to the previous generation. The new platform will maintain the company's low power leadership, providing 65 percent lower dynamic power while enhancing the Flash*Freeze feature to provide lower static current. Future devices will include industry-standard bus interfaces and also allow integration of hardened intellectual property such as embedded microprocessor cores, DSP blocks, high speed transceivers, memory interfaces, nonvolatile flash memory and programmable analog.

"More and more, the demand for low power, firm error immunity, security and integration are non-negotiable in today's designs," said Esam Elashmawi, vice president of product development at Microsemi's SoC Products Division. "With the move to 65nm, the increase in density and improvements in power and performance allow us to target a much larger portion of the industrial, medical, mil/aero, avionics, communications and consumer markets."

Microsemi and UMC are first to market with the 65-nm embedded flash process. First commercial silicon is already in house, with availability expected first half of 2011. Microsemi's SOC Products Division is concurrently launching its customer lead program for early adopters in the commercial and industrial markets who want early access to emerging technology for their next generation designs.  

Flash in Space

With over 20 years of commitment and innovation in the space and avionics industry, Microsemi's SOC Products Division, formerly known as Actel, fortifies its stronghold in the control systems of satellites. "We intend to extend our leadership in the market, targeting payload applications where performance, density and signal processing capabilities are key requirements," continued Mr. Elashmawi. "The reprogrammability and unparalleled reliability of our nonvolatile, flash technology is a very compelling solution."

Microsemi also offered a sneak peek at the next generation radiation tolerant (RT) flash-based SOCs.  The 4th generation RT FPGAs will feature up to 20 million gates, offering a larger array of flip-flops, memory and hardened embedded IP cores. The devices will include digital signal processing (DSP) blocks, PLLs and high speed interfaces (such as SpaceWire, DDR2/3, PCI Express) to get data on and off chip quickly and efficiently. The new flash-based FPGA architecture provides mitigation to total dose radiation and single event effects (SEE). When compared to SRAM FPGAs, Microsemi's radiation-tolerant flash-based FPGAs have intrinsic configuration immunity to single event upsets (SEU), removing the need for board level mitigation schemes.

Due to the normally long design cycles in the space industry, the company has been engaging with customers for over a year now regarding the next generation space-flight FPGAs. The 5th Worldwide Actel Space Forum Series will kick off on December 2, 2010 in Los Angeles.  

About Microsemi

Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor technology.  Committed to solving the most critical system challenges, Microsemi's products include high-performance, high-reliability analog and RF devices, mixed signal integrated circuits, FPGAs and customizable SoCs, and complete subsystems.  Microsemi serves leading system manufacturers around the world in the defense, security, aerospace, enterprise, commercial, and industrial markets.  Learn more at www.microsemi.com.

All trademarks are property of Microsemi Corporation. Actel Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsemi Corporation.

Actel, Actel Fusion, IGLOO, Libero, Pigeon Point, ProASIC, SmartFusion and the associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including without limitation statements related to its new 65nm embedded flash platform, on which the company's next generation flash-based customizable SOCs (system-on-chips) will be built, and its potential effects on future business, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as rapidly changing technology and product obsolescence, potential cost increases, variations in customer order preferences, weakness or competitive pricing environment of the marketplace, uncertain demand for and acceptance of the company's products, adverse circumstances in any of our end markets, results of in-process or planned development or marketing and promotional campaigns, difficulties foreseeing future demand, potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog, product  returns, product  liability, and other potential unexpected business and economic conditions or adverse changes in current or expected industry conditions, difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights, inventory obsolescence and difficulties regarding customer qualification of products. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in the company's most recent Form 10-K and all subsequent Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings.  The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Microsemi Corporation

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