The Panda Project successfully tests its VSPA semiconductor package with a Cirrus Logic Chip

Business Wire, May 30, 1995

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 1995--Archistrat(tm) Technologies Division of The Panda Project (NASDAQ:PNDA) Tuesday announced that the company has achieved the first high performance demonstration of its VSPA(tm) semiconductor package using the Cirrus Logic CL 5434 Alpine SVGA graphics chip.

The prototype 320 pin VSPA(tm) semiconductor package is actually 24% smaller than Cirrus Logic's current 208 pin QFP (quad flat package), yet it offers over 50% more contacts. The Alpine graphics chip is designed to accelerate Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and OS/2, and is currently being used by IBM and Compaq.

"VSPA(tm), which is undergoing qualification testing, is another step closer to delivering its promise of higher performance at a lower cost," said Stanford W. Crane Jr., president and chief executive officer of The Panda Project. "VSPA(tm) allows you to use more I/O (input/output) from the chip to streamline the semiconductor for greater performance, without a size penalty, which led Cirrus to explore the VSPA(tm) opportunity with Panda. Skeptics were saying `Well it should work, but have you successfully used a VSPA(tm)?' Now they can see it fly. This Cirrus chip is operating at over 135 MHz in VSPA(tm)."

The VSPA(tm) package used for the Cirrus Logic Alpine chip was constructed using newly acquired assembly equipment manufactured by the IBM Manufacturing Technology Center. After fabrication of the VSPA(tm) module in Boca Raton, the Cirrus chip was wire bonded and encapsulated at IBM Poughkeepsie, and then returned to Panda for installation onto a PCI graphics board.

"We are super excited," commented Maria Portuondo, vice president of Engineering for the Archistrat(tm) Technologies Division of The Panda Project. "When we saw the 24 bit true color resolution, we knew we had achieved one of our major objectives: the proof of our VSPA(tm) packaging advance. Our next step is to complete the tests with Cirrus at their facility in California."

The Packaging Research Center at Georgia Tech has been doing the electrical testing and characterization of the VSPA(tm) package as well. -0-

Note to Editors: Photos available upon request.

CONTACT: The Panda Project, Boca Raton

Jeff Mehler, Corporate Communications Manager

407/994-2300