Spansion and NVIDIA Fuel Next-Gen Digital Instrument Clusters

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Spansion Inc. (NYSE: CODE) today announced that NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual computing, is using Spansion® GL Flash memory with its Tegra processors for automotive infotainment, digital instrument clusters and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).  The instrumentation and infotainment technology in today's new cars is increasingly complex, featuring interactive, graphically intense displays. The ultra-realistic 3D capabilities and rendering horsepower of NVIDIA Tegra automotive system on a chip (SoC), coupled with Spansion Flash memory, make smooth, realistic and customizable digital instrument clusters a reality.  NVIDIA processors are being featured in automobiles from Audi, BMW, Lamborghini, Tesla Motors and many other brands. 

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The industry-leading performance of Spansion GL parallel NOR Flash memory provides fast data access for increased interactivity, rapid boot times and an enhanced user experience that increases passenger safety and brings the driving experience to life. "Spansion Flash memory helps NVIDIA meet automakers' ever-increasing performance standards and bring what was once the science fiction of the movies to actual in-vehicle experiences," said Danny Shapiro, director of automotive marketing at NVIDIA.  "Spansion is a veteran in the automotive industry and provides NVIDIA with exceedingly high levels of quality and reliability critical to delivering automotive electronics for digital instrument clusters, infotainment systems and heads up displays."

Flash memory provides the backbone of most of the new display, safety, vision and control systems seen in cutting edge automobiles in the past few years.  Features such as digital instrument clusters, touch screen infotainment and heads-up displays rely on NOR Flash memory to boot quickly and drive dynamic content for immersive displays.  As automotive OEMs transition to the next generation of interactive systems, they will rely on higher density Flash memory products that also offer faster, more reliable performance.  Spansion GL parallel NOR families and Spansion FL Serial NOR memory offer the best solutions for these new systems.

Spansion GL Flash Memory

• Digital Instrument Clusters: Spansion GL family delivers up to a 45% page-mode read speed improvement over competing parallel NOR Flash solutions.  These systems require the fastest boot times to power on at the push of a button.
• Infotainment: With the highest density support in the industry, up to 2 Gb, Spansion GL Flash memory delivers the high-quality storage needed for multiple language support and high resolution user interface graphics.

"Exciting innovations are happening throughout the car cabin, bringing safer driving and dynamic user experiences," said Wendy Kadlec, director of ecosystem marketing at Spansion.  "High-performance graphic processing technology is critical to providing these experiences and by collaborating with forward-looking partners like NVIDIA, we can create powerful systems that connect drivers with their cars and create a compelling experience."

Spansion, with the broadest product portfolio for NOR Flash memory available ranging from 1 megabit to 2 gigabits, addresses specific performance, reliability and longevity requirements for a variety of automotive applications including powertrain, telematics, infotainment, configurable TFT (thin film transistor) displays for clusters and ADAS applications such as integrated vision, IR, radar and safety systems and multiple collision avoidance systems.

Spansion solutions for automotive and other markets will be on display at the Embedded World 2012 conference in Nuremberg, Germany, Feb 28 – Mar 1, in Hall 4, Booth 4-642.  For more details from Spansion at the conference follow us on Twitter:@Spansion and @spansionauto.

Resources:
Spansion Flash memory products:  http://www.spansion.com/Products/
Spansion newsroom:  http://news.spansion.com/
Spansion blog:  http://blog.spansion.com 
Spansion on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/Spansion
Spansion on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Spansion

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Today, its processors power a broad range of products from smart phones to supercomputers. NVIDIA's mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. PC gamers rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds. Professionals use them to create visual effects in movies and design everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. And researchers utilize GPUs to advance the frontiers of science with high-performance computing. The company holds more than 2,200 patents worldwide, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

About Spansion
Spansion (NYSE: CODE) is a leading provider of the Flash memory technology at the heart of the world's electronics systems, powering everything from the routers that run the internet to the highly interactive and immersive consumer and automotive electronics that are enriching people's daily lives. Spansion's broad and differentiated Flash memory product portfolio, award-winning MirrorBit charge-trapping technology, and industry leading service and support are enabling customers to achieve greater efficiency and success in their target markets. For more information, visit http://www.spansion.com.

Spansion(R), the Spansion logo, MirrorBit(R), and combinations thereof, are trademarks and registered trademarks of Spansion LLC in the United States and other countries. Other names used are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Spansion Inc.