SAN
JOSE, Calif., Aug. 22, 2000 -- Helping
to accelerate the introduction of USB 2.0-enabled products to market,
Intel Corporation today introduced a USB 2.0 Peripheral Integration
Lab. The lab provides designers -- at no cost -- with training, services
and testing facilities to provide assistance in hardware debug and to
ensure compliance and interoperability with the USB 2.0 specification,
which was announced in April.
Intel is also offering development tools such as a new compliance device
and a peripheral developer kit. The compliance device helps USB host
and hub developers cut design and debug time by emulating a number of
different transfer types to simulate a wide range of peripherals, such
as video conferencing cameras, scanners, printers or storage devices.
The peripheral developer kit, announced at the USB 2.0 Developer Conference
in Japan in June, enables peripheral developers to debug their prototype
peripherals through transactions in a single step.
"Intel is offering the lab and tools to assist developers and accelerate
the introduction of USB 2.0 products so users can start enjoying some
of the exciting benefits of higher performing, next-generation peripherals,"
said Jason Ziller, Intel technology initiatives manager and chairman
of the USB Implementers Forum. "The lab and tools from Intel mean
that users will not only see products sooner, but will also have an
improved computing experience from higher quality PC and peripheral
products."
Continuing its USB 2.0 leadership and support, Intel is also planning
USB 2.0-enabled products next year. At IDF this week, the company is
providing a technology demonstration of a pre-release version of an
Intel Pentium 4 processor-based motherboard with a discrete USB 2.0
host controller. These desktop boards with USB 2.0 are expected to be
announced and shipped by early next year. Intel will also introduce
in 2001 a chipset with integrated USB 2.0 to enable broad deployment
of the technology.
As early adopters, NetChip Technology, Inc. and In-System Design were
among the first companies to pilot the USB 2.0 Peripheral Integration
Lab. "Working with the experts at the Intel Peripheral Integration
Lab allowed us to shave months off our development time," said Robert
Wong, vice president of sales and marketing, NetChip Technology.
In-System Design tested its prototype IDE/ATAPI bridge ASIC using the
lab and development tools. "We found the Intel Peripheral Integration
Lab a great asset in saving precious time and in-house development costs,"
said Jack Wood, USB 2.0 program manager, In-System Design.
"This relieved us of the burden of having to develop our own testing
tools and greatly enhanced the quality of our USB 2.0 product prototype,
which will allow us to offer the highest performing USB 2.0 storage
devices."
Several USB 2.0 demonstrations will take place during the three-day
developer forum. A preview by In-System Design demonstrates a USB 2.0-based
system connected to an external hard-drive that delivers more than 10
times faster realized performance over the same USB 1.1 hard-drive.
More than a dozen companies announced or demonstrated USB 2.0 products
during the forum. A complete list can be obtained at www.usb.org.
About USB 2.0
USB 2.0, at 480 Mbps, is 40 times faster than the previous 12 Mbps
version USB1.1. The first products based on USB 2.0 are expected to
ship into the market later this year, with broad deployment anticipated
in 2001. The increased bandwidth of USB 2.0 will give users better performance
when connecting to a wide variety of high-performance and new media
peripherals, such as higher resolution video conferencing cameras, next-generation
digital image scanners, printers, secondary storage devices and faster
broadband Internet connections. While forward compatible to these next-generation
devices, USB 2.0 will also be backward compatible for use with the previous
version of USB. USB 2.0 is expected to replace USB 1.1, which is already
a ubiquitous connector on PC systems today for such peripherals as keyboards,
mice, digital joysticks, floppy drives, digital speakers and low-end
printers.
The USB 2.0 Peripheral Integration Lab, staffed by engineers from the
Intel Architecture Labs, is free and available to designers through
the end of this year. While the lab is free-of-charge, space is limited,
so vendors are requested to make contact early in order to reserve a
space. Developers who want to sign up for the lab or obtain more information
can visit Web site http://developer.intel.com/technology/usb.
About IDF
The Intel Developer Forum Conference is Intel's premier technical
forum comprising nearly 250 sessions and hands-on labs and more than
100 demonstrations of cutting-edge products and technologies. IDF attracts
thousands of hardware and software developers worldwide. Now in its
third year, the semi-annual conference provides hardware OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers), IHVs (independent hardware vendors), and ISVs
(independent software vendors) with in-depth information on Intel technologies
and initiatives.
More information on the Intel Developer Forum can be found at http://developer.intel.com/idf.
Updated information is available between Intel Developer Forums by subscribing
to the Intel Developer Update Magazine at http://developer.intel.com/update/.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer
of computer, networking and communications products.
