Atmel Launches Industry's First Family of Real-Time, Flash-Based ARM9 MCUs

San Jose, California (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Only ARM9-Based MCUs to Support Direct Migration From ARM7s

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), announced today the
industry's first family of ARM9(TM)-based Flash microcontrollers
optimized for real-time embedded applications that have outgrown the
ARM7(TM).

Atmel's SAM9 controllers are the world's only ARM9-based
controllers that offer a direct upward migration path from ARM7
devices without giving up system integration. They have all the
features required for real-time embedded control applications,
including an on-chip RC-oscillator, watchdog timer, an 8-level
32-source priority interrupt controller, DMA, and single-cycle
instruction fetch.

Based on the industry-standard ARM926EJ-S(TM) processor core,
Atmel's SAM9 controllers share common integration levels, peripheral
sets, and programming models with Atmel's SAM7 MCUs, radically
simplifying migration between the two families. Tuned for real-time
applications, SAM9 MCUs include a real-time clock, interrupt
controller, watchdog timer, power-on-reset, brown-out-detection,
RC-oscillator and single-cycle instruction fetch from on-chip memory.
They are the only Flash-based ARM9 microcontrollers with small
footprint RTOS support.

Evolving Applications Need More MIPS. As embedded systems evolve,
new software-based features are added (such as encryption, file
systems, GPS, audio, or wired and wireless networking), increasing
the processing load on the MCU. In addition, the amount of data that
must be processed also tends to increase as more communications links
are integrated in a single chip. Finally, designers frequently
migrate to more advanced algorithms that require more computation.
The basic application doesn't change: it is just better, more
accurate, more fully featured, and requires more bandwidth to
execute. Getting the extra throughput has traditionally meant
re-doing the design from scratch using a high-throughput ASSP, with
no support for real-time execution and requiring the use of a complex
operating system, such as Linux(R) or WindowsCE(R). The lack of
system integration in ASSPs forces significant hardware redesign
including the addition of multiple external components with adverse
effects on system cost and board level estate.

Integrated Flash Memory -- Atmel's SAM9 microcontrollers are the
first ARM9-based microcontrollers with Flash memory integrated on the
same chip. A variety of family members will be announced in 2006 and
2007 with Flash memory densities ranging up to 1024 KBytes.
Integrated Flash memory offers better performance and lower power
consumption versus stacked die implementations.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions. Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere
You Are(R).

NOTE: Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof, Everywhere You
Are(R), and others are the registered trademarks, and others are
trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Windows(R) is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in US and other
Countries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information:

Information on the SAM9260 and the SAM9 family of deterministic
ARM9-based MCUS may be found at: http://www.atmel.com/products/AT91/.

Press Contacts:
Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset,
Phone: +33-0-4-42-53-61-50, Email: peter.bishop@rfo.atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations - USA and Asia Pacific Rim
Phone: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com
Veronique Sablereau, Corporate Communications Manager - Europe
Phone: +33-1-30-60-70-68, Fax: +49-71-31-67-24-23,
Email: veronique.sablereau@atmel.com

Web site: http://www.atmel.com

ots Originaltext: Atmel Corporation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Peter Bishop, Communications Manager of Atmel Rousset,
+33-0-4-42-53-61-50, or peter.bishop@rfo.atmel.com, or Helen
Perlegos, Public Relations - USA and Asia Pacific Rim,
+1-408-487-2963, or hperlegos@atmel.com, or Veronique Sablereau,
Corporate Communications Manager - Europe, +33-1-30-60-70-68, or
fax, +49-71-31-67-24-23, or veronique.sablereau@atmel.com