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PLX Announces New Development Tools for PCI Express Switches; Newest Versions of ExpressLane PEX 8532, PEX 8516 Kits Now Available

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2005--PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLXT), the leading supplier of standard input/output (I/O) interconnect silicon to the communications, server, storage, embedded-control, and consumer industries, today announced general availability of the development tools for the PLX(R) ExpressLane(TM) family of PCI Express (PCIe) devices. Continuing its commitment to provide complete product-development solutions, PLX has begun shipping Release 1.0 of its rapid development kits (RDKs) for the ExpressLane PEX 8532 (32-lane) and PEX 8516 (16-lane) PCIe switches.

System and board designers now can streamline their PCIe designs with the PEX 8532RDK and PEX 8516RDK kits. The new RDKs, which consist of a hardware module, software and full documentation, enable design engineers to evaluate various features of the ExpressLane switches, streamline their product development with the switch and bring their designs to market faster.

Getting Designers Up and Running

The new RDKs include the PEX 8532 and PEX 8516 devices, along with the documentation that enables hardware designers to get up and running with hardware reference design schematics, a bill of materials, OrCAD symbols, and Gerber. Additionally, they can easily tailor either kit's reference design, bill of materials and design guidelines included to quickly design their system. Similarly, software developers can take advantage of the RDKs' executable code, source files, device drivers, and graphical user interface to start evaluating the silicon or writing their configuration code as soon as they power up the system.

Unprecedented Flexibility, Well-Received by Manufacturers

The PCI Express PEX 8532 and PEX 8516 deliver unprecedented flexibility and feature richness; these are the only PCIe switches to provide non-transparent bridging, flexible port configurations and support for two virtual channels. These characteristics enable designers of new applications to take advantage of PCIe technology's efficiencies and advanced features.

RDK Board Exhibited at IDF China

PLX will exhibit an RDK board based on the PEX 8532 switch this week at the Intel Developer Forum in both Taipei, Taiwan and Beijing, China. The PEX 8532-based board will be exhibited at PLX partner Rambus's booth.

Availability, Pricing

The PEX 8532RDK and PEX 8516RDK are available now, and priced at $995.00 and $900.00, respectively. To order one of the RDKs and/or the PLX PEX line of PCIe switches, please contact PLX at 408-328-3500 or contact a sales representative in your area through the PLX sales representative locator (www.plxtech.com/contacts).

About PLX

PLX Technology, Inc. (www.plxtech.com), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is a leading supplier of lead-free standard I/O interconnect silicon to the communications, server, storage, embedded-control, and consumer industries. The PLX solution provides a competitive edge to our customers through an integrated combination of high-performance silicon, hardware and software design tools, and partnerships. These innovative solutions enable our customers to develop equipment with industry-leading performance, scalability and reliability. Furthermore, the combination of PLX product features and supporting infrastructure allow customers to bring their designs to market faster. PLX PCI- and USB-based devices are designed into a wide variety of applications across multiple industries.

PLX, the PLX Technology logo and ExpressLane are registered trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions.

Contacts

PLX Technology, Inc.
Akber Kazmi, 408-328-3553 (PCIe Switch Product Contact)
akazmi@plxtech.com
or
CommonGround Communications (for PLX)
Jerry Steach, 415-222-9996 (Editorial Contact)
jsteach@plxtech.com

Electromechanical, Solid-State Relays Slated for Growth

Online Staff -- Electronic News

3/10/2005 - The global market for electromechanical relays (EMR) and solid-state (SSR) relays will reach $4.2 billion by 2007, according to a recent study published by market research firm VDC.

Although the majority of relays face commodity market pressures, there are several product and market categories that are experiencing rapid growth, the Natick, Mass.-based company said.

The highest growth product categories include:

RF/Microwave EMR. VDC anticipates double-digit growth in this segment because of an increased demand for higher switching frequencies in ATE, military and telecommunications markets.
MEMS-based switches. This segment will see huge growth from within high-performance RF/Microwave applications, such as semiconductor and military test equipment. MEMS will likely displace gallium arsenide-based solid state switches in some high-performance applications, where insertion loss is of primary importance, VDC said.

MOSFET-based SSRs. Growth will be driven in this market sector by lower costs compared to standard SSRs, and the advantages associated with SSRs -- low and stable on-resistance, small size, and lower power consumption.

SSRs (> 30 Ampere). Growth will be driven by reliable performance in industrial applications, including new technologies such as a hybrid relays that combine advantages of EMRs with SSRs, namel lower power consumption and longer life, VDC said.
Electromechanical relays (PCB-mount 10-30 Ampere). Additional power requirements in smaller packages will drive growth for these applications, according to the market research firm. General-purpose relays are moving from plug-in mounting styles toward smaller PCB-mount versions. Strong growth is expected to continue in HVAC, industrial controls, security, and automotive applications as well.

"For RF/Microwave electromechanical relays, a number of wireless technologies are emerging as significant potential growth markets -- from Bluetooth-enabled PAN to broadcast satellite and other local and wide area communication networks," Rick Barnard, VDC's electronics components and advanced materials practice director, said in a statement. "The demand for RF/Microwave electromechanical relays is growing as switching frequencies increase at the same rate as Moore's law and demand for multi-band wireless technologies accelerate."

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