sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sun/NC/north-carolina sunflash-Send requests, problems to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Sun/TI Announce Collaboration on ATM Technology SunFLASH Vol 61 #28 January 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61.28 Sun/TI Announce Collaboration on ATM Technology Texas Instruments and Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) agree to collaborate on Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology implementations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMCC and TI is making the following announcement yesterday, January 24, 1994, regarding their agreement to collaborate on ATM technology. For any marketing questions, contact Art Edmonds, SMCC product marketing, (415)336-0662. TI, SUN TO COLLABORATE ON ATM DALLAS -- January 24, 1994 -- Texas Instruments and Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today announced an agreement to collaborate on Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology implementations. This agreement will involve joint development and licensing to accelerate the design, manufacture and deployment of ATM technologies. These solutions will include semiconductor devices that meet the new ATM networking requirements necessary to manage today's increasing information needs and future bandwidth-intensive applications such as video conferencing, distributed computing, interactive services and global concurrent engineering. The initial collaboration resulting from the agreement is the industry's first two-chip set enabling a cost-effective ATM solution. for adapter card applications. ATM, an emerging set of open standards, is considered to be the most powerful high-speed network technology for large, client-server and communications applications networks of the future. ATM combines speed, scalability, flexibility and multimedia functionality with bandwidth-on-demand capability. It is widely perceived as the technology that will enable a seamless network connection, desktop-to-desktop, spanning global wide area and local area networks (WAN-to-LAN). Under the terms of the agreement, TI and SMCC will exchange certain rights to their respective ATM technologies. The two companies will also jointly develop ATM solutions based on standard protocols for SBus and other host networking interfaces used for network interface card (NIC) applications. The agreement draws upon TI's proven expertise in integrating complex analog and digital functions to create SONET-ATM physical layer solutions. SMCC brings its expertise in designing ATM segmentation and reassembly (SAR) technology, which is at the heart of an ATM interface. The initial fruit of this agreement is the industry's first two-chip set for complete ATM cell transport from the physical layer through the adaption layer. The chipset consists of a single chip physical layer line interface device, developed by TI, which is directly compatible with a single chip SAR device originally developed by SMCC and enhanced through a joint development agreement between SynOptics Communications, Inc. and SMCC. Together, the two chips are a cost-effective ATM solution at the SONET/SDH STS-3c/STM-1 rate of 155.52 megabits per second*(Mg/s) for use in adapter cards connecting to fiber cables initially and, in the future, to unshielded twisted pair wiring when standards are complete. This jointly developed ATM chipset is currently being sampled by TI to selected customers. "This agreement underscores the commitment and vision that both companies share regarding the development of worldwide ATM standards designed to provide advanced applications over global network implementations," said Dwain L. Chaffin, TI semiconductor group vice president for advanced systems logic. "We have always been known for our networking expertise," said Bill Lee, vice president of engineering at SMCC. "This agreement is another significant step in SMCC's ongoing commitment to work with industry-leader partners for rapid development and deployment of key network technologies." "SynOptics shares a common vision with Sun and TI in delivering new network systems based on emerging technologies such as ATM to the market," said Ron Schmidt, chief technology officer at SynOptics Communications, Inc. "Our work with Sun and TI is a demonstration of this vision and will enable us to more quickly deliver high-performance, cost-effective solutions that address the demands for voice, video and data to the desktop." The strategic relationship between TI and Sun was established in 1988 when the two companies signed a long-term cooperative development agreement to advance SPARC(R) technology. This relationship has resulted in the announcements of the cooperatively developed SuperSPARC(TM) and the highly integrated microSPARC(TM) "workstation on a chip". TI and SMCC will continue to work together to define the next-generation ATM standards and solutions incorporating high performance and integration. Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC), the world's leading supplier of open client-server computing solutions, is an operating company of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun is the exclusive computer supplier to World Cup Soccer 1994. SMCC has its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Texas Instruments Incorporated, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a high-technology company with sales or manufacturing operations in more than 30 countries. TI products and services include semiconductors; defense electronics systems; software productivity tools; printers, notebook computers and consumer electronics products; custom engineering and manufacturing services; electrical controls; and metallurgical materials. # # # Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, and the Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant Logo, are trademarks of registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. microSPARC is licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. SuperSPARC is trademark of SPARC International, Inc., used under licensed by Texas Instruments, Inc. 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