AMD ANNOUNCES THE NEW AMD ALCHEMY(tm) SOLUTIONS DRIVER INFORMATION REFERENCE DESIGN KIT

-Development delivers the next generation of media-rich content and applications for automotive navigation/entertainment systems-


AUSTIN, TX-October 22, 2002 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the AMD Alchemy(tm) Solutions Driver Information Reference Design Kit (RDK), based on the AMD Alchemy(tm) Solutions Au1500(tm) processor and AMD's Flash memory technology. The Driver Information RDK is a tailored, flexible tool to aid the development of software and hardware applications for automotive navigation/entertainment devices.

As automotive navigation and entertainment systems evolve into a single system with added functionality and connectivity, drivers and passengers will benefit from greater convenience, more productivity and enhanced entertainment options.

"We developed the Driver Information RDK to assist our customers in designing products that will greatly enhance the navigation and passenger entertainment experience," said Phil Pompa, AMD's vice president of marketing for the Personal Connectivity Solutions Group. "While helping to enable advanced information systems and productivity tools such as phone connectivity, web and e-mail access for the driver, this tool also helps enable our customers to lower overall system production cost, improve navigation and entertainment experiences and bring their products to market in a more rapid, cost-effective manner."

The Driver Information RDK is a hardware and software platform that uses the outstanding features of the low-power, high-performance, high-integration Au1500 processor. The platform helps enable customers to develop turn-by-turn navigation with voice input and voice command through a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, future Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) connections, and future audio sound systems. Turn-by-turn navigation describes the automatic shifting of on-screen 3D graphics as course corrections are made.

To meet the high customer demands for rear seat entertainment solutions, the Driver Information RDK helps enable software and applications development for streaming media, including MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4 and DVD playback.

"With its support for the QNX Neutrino RTOS, AMD shows its commitment to suppliers of in-car infotainment systems and provides them with an extensible framework to create reliable, scalable, and high performance products," said Linda Campbell, vice president of product and segment management at QNX Software Systems Ltd. "As a proven, automotive-grade RTOS, QNX Neutrino offers both the real time performance and the software fault-tolerance demanded by in-car systems that deliver a mix of navigation, entertainment, and location-based services."

About the Driver Information Reference Design Kit
Demonstrating the powerful capabilities of an AMD processor-based platform, the complete Driver Information RDK includes a hardware platform with support for Ethernet, USB, control area network (CAN) and media-oriented system transport (MOST) buses for automotive networks, 2D and 3D graphics, analog and digital video playback and expansion connectors for a complete car audio sub-system.

In addition, the Driver Information RDK is supplied with a complete board support pack (BSP), supporting both Microsoft(r) Windows(r) CE for Automotive and QNX Neutrino Real Time Operating System (RTOS), as well as a complete design file including bill of material, schematics, and gerber files from the platform's CAD design.

Capitalizing on the proven reliability of AMD's Flash memory devices in the automotive environment, the Driver Information RDK utilizes AMD's Flash memory technology - specifically the Am29LV641D device. This memory device features ultra-low power consumption, and is designed to be programmed in-system.

About the AMD Alchemy(tm) Solutions Au1500(tm) processor
The Au1500 processor is a MIPS32(tm) technology-based system on a chip (SOC) processor, and is available at speeds of 333MHz, 400MHz and 500MHz speeds, with power dissipations of less than 400 milliwatts, 700 milliwatts and 1.2 watts respectively. With highly integrated system peripherals, including a 33/66 MHz 32-bit PCI Controller (PCI 2.2 compliant), GPIO, two 10/100 Ethernet Controllers, USB Device and Host, two UARTS, an AC-97 Controller and a PCMCIA controller, the Au1500 processor can provide lower system costs, and can enable smaller form factors, simpler designs and shorter design cycles.

For more information on the Au1500 processor and the Driver Information RDK, please follow this link: www.amd.com/connectivitysolutions/au1500.