INDUSTRY

SUNNYVALE, CA -- Marvell(R) (Nasdaq:MRVL), a technology leader in the development of extreme broadband communications solutions, today announced the industry's most powerful system controller architecture for MIPS(R) and PowerPC(R) processor-based systems. Building upon Marvell's industry-standard Discovery(TM) platform, the new Discovery II devices incorporate an innovative crossbar architecture, advanced communications peripherals and performance-tuned interfaces, setting new technology benchmarks for performance and integration. These next-generation, feature-rich devices have received wide industry support from IBM(R) (NYSE:IBM), Motorola(R) (NYSE:MOT), PMC-Sierra(TM) (NASDAQ:PMCS), and Sandcraft. With a suite of six devices offering a rich feature mix, the Marvell Discovery II system controllers are the ideal solution for a broad range of applications, from sophisticated core routers/switches and wireless base stations to high-volume embedded applications such as storage networking and imaging systems. With its dual PCI-X and multiple Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, the Discovery II devices enable Fibre Channel, iSCSI and Serial ATA storage applications. The Discovery II system controllers incorporate an advanced, high-performance 100 Gbps crossbar switch architecture with any-to-any connectivity. They support non-blocking concurrent transactions among peripherals at full bus speeds, providing breakthrough performance for a broad range of communications applications. "The innovative crossbar architecture of the Discovery II devices is ideal for Motorola's next- generation, high-performance boards," said Chau Pham, Vice President of Technology, Motorola Computer Group. "Utilizing a system controller with such a high level of integration enables us to deliver the solution our customers are looking for." In addition to “setting the technology bar for high-performance,” the Discovery II devices also provide significant benefits to systems manufacturers: -- High level of integration incorporating up to three Gigabit Ethernet MACs, up to two PCI-X interfaces, and DDR memory support, allowing for the quick development of next-generation systems. -- Integrated 2 Mb of cache coherent SRAM to provide low latency storage for descriptors and packets. -- Software compatibility with previous generations of Marvell market-leading Discovery system controllers. "Marvell is the only silicon vendor who continues to innovate in the system controller space to offer market-leading performance across a range of communications and embedded applications," said Gary Smerdon, Marvell's Vice President of Marketing for the Communications Business Group. "With the introduction of the Discovery II family, Marvell has once again upped the performance ante for system controllers by integrating leading-edge features with Marvell's best-of-breed controller and switched Gigabit Ethernet technologies." For more information visit www.marvell.com.