Infineon Announces Integration of Windows CE with TriCore Unified Processor Architecture; Signs Porting Agreements With BSQUARE and Microsoft

Business Wire, Sept 25, 2000

Business Editors/Technology Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2000

Infineon Technologies (NYSE:IFX)(FSE:IFX) today announced it has completed licensing and porting agreements to support Microsoft Windows(TM) CE 3.0 on the TriCore(TM) Unified Processor core architecture. Infineon has contracted with BSQUARE Corporation to port the operating system to the TriCore architecture, enabling new designs of embedded system solutions with optimized real-time performance in a wide range of automotive, industrial and communications applications.

The Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 operating system, a highly modular, real-time embedded operating system, delivers a rich set of technologies to enable developers to build 32-bit connected embedded devices that demand dynamic applications and services. The TriCore Unified Processor is a core architecture, used to design integrated microcontroller devices with powerful real-time performance and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) capability in a single chip. The combination of Windows CE 3.0 and the TriCore architecture will increase the breadth of applications and market potential for sophisticated embedded control products.

"Adding Windows CE 3.0 to the portfolio of software supported by the TriCore architecture extends our commitment to support the broadest range of high-quality operating systems and leading-edge applications," said Tony Webster, senior vice president and general manager of the Cores & Modules Group at Infineon Technologies. "We will now be able to provide powerful solutions that deliver deterministic, real-time response and rich set of technologies to customers in markets that require industrial-strength performance and the well balanced control and DSP capability of the TriCore Unified Processor architecture."

Infineon has entered into a multi-year contract with BSQUARE to port Windows CE 3.0 to the TriCore Unified Processor, including the Windows CE Platform Builder 3.0 development tools and support services. BSQUARE is the industry's leading provider of software, tools and technology to integrate Windows CE with advanced processors.

"The powerful partnership of BSQUARE, Microsoft and Infineon will help Infineon deliver a powerful combination of speed and functionality to intelligent devices of all types," said William Baxter, president and CEO of BSQUARE Corporation. "Original equipment manufacturers will receive an excellent new processor to power devices in the automotive, industrial and communications markets. We're extremely proud to be selected by Infineon to provide our in-depth experience with Windows CE and our software design expertise to empower the Infineon TriCore architecture."

"We are excited that Infineon's TriCore Unified Processor will be one of the processors on the Windows CE 3.0 platform," said Bill Veghte, vice president of the Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group at Microsoft. "Because of its extensible architecture, Infineon, working with BSQUARE, will be able to quickly and easily port Windows CE 3.0 to TriCore, which will enable the development of an even broader range and quality of information appliances. We are confident that Windows CE 3.0 and the TriCore Unified Processor will provide an excellent foundation for future computing devices."

About the TriCore architecture

The TriCore Unified Processor architecture, which is well suited for applications that previously required separate MCU and DSP components, has already been implemented in processors for industrial computer control, automotive engine controls, and telecommunications. Infineon introduced Version 1.3 of the TriCore Unified Processor, which includes the integrated Memory Management Unit (MMU), that is required to support the Windows CE operating system, in June 2000. TriCore Unified Processor-based products supporting Windows CE are expected to be available beginning in the third quarter of 2001.

The high performance of the TriCore Unified Processor architecture is based on its use of a single instruction set to execute both control and DSP tasks on a single processing engine. In independent benchmark tests during 1999, the architecture was compared both to stand-alone microcontroller and DSP devices. It was demonstrated that the architecture delivers superior performance in DSP tasks, while achieving the memory usage and code size advantages of best-in-class MCUs. The recently published results of tests conducted by EEMBC, a broadly supported industry group developing comprehensive applications tests for embedded devices, also concluded that a TriCore-based general purpose CPU achieves excellent performance on a cycle-by-cycle basis when compared to alternative processor architectures.

Further information about TriCore is available at www.infineon.com/tricore.> About BSQUARE

BSQUARE Corporation, of Bellevue, Washington, provides software, tools and technologies for the development of intelligent computing devices. The publicly traded company (Nasdaq:BSQR) specializes in the Microsoft family of operating systems, providing products and services for the development, deployment, and remote management of set-top boxes, Web pads, industrial automation devices, Windows-based terminals, handheld computers and other intelligent devices that are mobile, wireless, and Internet-enabled. More information about BSQUARE is available online at http://www.BSQUARE.com, or by calling 888/820-4500.