? Single platform for mobile phone Flash memory designed to scale from 16-Mbits to 5-Gbits ?

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - November 8, 2004 - As part of its strategic MirrorBit(tm) technology initiatives announced today, Spansion LLC also announced plans for a new family of Flash memory devices that will simplify mobile phone design with a single Flash memory platform capable of delivering combined code and data storage from 16-megabits to 5-gigabits. Spansion is the Flash memory subsidiary of AMD (NYSE:AMD) and Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702).

This single platform concept will allow handset manufacturers to incorporate advanced multimedia capabilities - such as photos, video and music - in the same handset platform that also provides simple voice and SMS text messaging services. It will also help mobile phone makers lower their overall development costs, achieve faster time-to-market for new products, and better allocate engineering resources to produce a wide range of phone designs.

Based on the density-doubling MirrorBit technology, the forthcoming "RS family" of devices is designed to offer the high reliability and read performance expected from NOR-type products with die sizes that rival those of alternative "NAND"-type products. Starting with an initial 1.8-volt, 512-megabit product planned for early 2005, Spansion's data storage platform will enable cell phone manufacturers to design complete MirrorBit technology-based memory subsystems for both code and data storage at densities from as low as 16-megabits on the market now to as high as 5-gigabits anticipated for 2007.

"Our customers choose MirrorBit technology due to its proven reliability, very fast read performance, and value-added features," said Amir Mashkoori, senior vice president and general manager of Spansion's Wireless Business Unit. "With our wireless data storage strategy, our customers will be able to stay with the technology they prefer and scale from entry-level, voice-centric phones to high-end 3G video phones, all while using a single platform."

Because memory can represent up to 40 percent of a phone's bill of materials, designers demand solutions that combine high performance with solid reliability and competitive cost, while scaling densities up or down based on the features of any phone model. The upcoming Spansion data storage solution will provide this needed flexibility by pairing multiple densities of code-optimized Flash memory with high-density, data-optimized storage memory. The result will be a broad selection of Flash densities, each ideal for specific phone models.

Mobile handsets are evolving rapidly. Spansion expects that Flash memory requirements for mainstream phones will jump from about 150-megabits per phone in 2004 to over 500-megabits in 2007. High-end phones require even more Flash memory, from about 750-megabits today to an estimated 5-gigabits and beyond in 2007. A portion of this memory is used to store code, including operating system instructions that allow the phone to run properly, as well as downloadable applications that increase the phone's functionality. There is also an increasing need for lower cost, higher density Flash memory for "data" storage, sometimes in conjunction with a dedicated applications processor, for photos, video and other multimedia content created by the handset camera or downloaded from service providers. Spansion's upcoming RS family is designed to meet these requirements in a single form factor with a consistent interface to save space and accelerate phone design.

Ordering Options and Availability

Spansion will introduce its data storage devices in stacked multi-chip products (MCPs) to support a wide variety of mobile phone designs and minimize circuit board space requirements. Spansion expects to begin sampling multiple MCP configurations, featuring up to 1.25-gigabits of Flash memory, in Q1 2005.

About MirrorBit Technology

MirrorBit technology is a comparatively simple but powerful approach to storing two bits of data in a single Flash memory cell using a fundamentally different and more versatile technology compared to other solutions. Spansion's MirrorBit technology is designed to be versatile enough to scale to a full range of densities: from 1?megabit serial Flash products, to the highest density NOR device currently on the market at 512-megabits, to a planned 8-gigabits using "QuadBit" technology by 2007[1]. In addition, the technology is designed to be versatile enough to allow the company to easily integrate logic functions with very high densities of Flash and extend performance to higher burst?write speeds in the future.

MirrorBit technology gives handheld device manufacturers the next-generation Flash memory architecture they need to produce affordable and feature-rich mobile products that allow consumers to run advanced software applications, play stunning 3D games, take ultra high resolution pictures and videos, and conduct real-time video calls to friends, family and business associates.