NEC Electronics Introduces World`s First USB 3.0 Host Controller

KAWASAKI, Japan & DUESSELDORF, Germany & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
NEC Electronics today introduced the world`s first Universal Serial Bus (USB)
host controller (part number µPD720200) for the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard.
NEC Electronics expects rapid adoption of the device and standard as the need to
transfer larger and larger amounts of information between PCs to external
hard-drives, portable electronic devices, and flash-based thumb drives continues
to grow rapidly.

The µPD720200 device is a host controller for PCs and other digital devices, and
is based on the new version of the Super Speed USB standard, supporting the
world`s fastest USB transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps) of
data, which is 10 times faster than previous USB 2.0 transfer speeds. The new
NEC Electronics device, as well as the standard, is fully backward compatible
with versions USB 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 of the USB standard.

With its high-speed transfer capability, the µPD720200 host controller makes it
possible to expand the boundaries of digital appliances such as PCs, digital
televisions and DVD recorders. The new Super-Speed USB 3.0 chip from NEC
Electronics requires only 70 seconds to transfer 25 GB (gigabytes) of video
content on a Blu-ray Disc, compared to 14 minutes to transfer the same content
when using the high-speed USB 2.0 with 480 Mbps (megabits per second) transfer
capability. This enormous increase in transfer speed will enable system
designers to transfer large-volume data quickly and without stress and develop a
new generation of high-performance consumer electronic products.

USB is the next-generation interface standard used in a wide range of electronic
devices including PCs and PC peripherals. Originally designed as an interface
for relatively low-speed computer peripherals, USB made it possible to connect
keyboards, mice and other devices with the same USB standard cables. Later,
version 2.0 of the standard defined a high-speed transfer mode that made USB a
practical and popular interface for devices such as digital televisions, digital
cameras, and DVD recorders. USB version 3.0 builds on this success by offering a
ten-fold increase in speed, for stress-free transfers of large volumes of data.
The high data-transfer-rate also offers compatibility with recent
high-performance computer interfaces such as PCI Express and SATA (Serial
Advanced Technology Attachment), which are capable of data transfer at speeds in
excess of 3 Gbps (gigabits per second).

As a member of the USB Implementers Forum since 1996, NEC Electronics has played
a leading role both in defining the USB standards and in developing USB
technology. In 2000, the company launched the μPD720100 device, the world's
first USB 2.0-compliant host controller chip. NEC Electronics also has developed
hub controllers and an extensive lineup of other USB devices, all of which are
certified to display the USB logo. As a result, the company has won the trust of
the marketplace and shipped 161 million USB devices as of March 2009. NEC
Electronics expects the market for USB 3.0 products to begin a rapid expansion
in 2010 and intends to market its new μPD720200 USB 3.0 host controller
aggressively, and to offer a range of related products by incorporating USB 3.0
communications as an IP (intellectual property) core function in various
application specific ICs.

More information about the new product can be found at
http://www.am.necel.com/usb/upd720200 and
http://www.am.necel.com/usb/upd720200_appendix.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of NEC Electronics` µPD720200 host controller are scheduled to be
available in June 2009 at US$15 each, along with free Windows device driver
software. Monthly production is expected to reach approximately 1,000,000 units
in September 2009. Pricing and availability are subject to change without
notice.

Exhibition at SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference

NEC Electronics plans to exhibit the µPD720200 USB 3.0 host controller in its
booth at the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in Tokyo, Japan, from May
20-21, 2009.

About NEC Electronics Corporation

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723) specializes in semiconductor products
encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and
broadband networking markets; system solutions for the mobile handset, PC
peripheral, automotive and digital consumer markets; and multi-market solutions
for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has
subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc.
(www.am.necel.com) and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH (www.eu.necel.com). More
information about NEC Electronics worldwide can be found at www.necel.com.

PCI Express is a trademark or a registered trademark of PCI-SIG. Windows is a
trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft in the United States and other
countries. Blu-ray Disc is a trademark. All other registered trademarks or
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Japan/Asia
NEC Electronics Corporation
Kyoko Okamoto, + 81-44-435-1676
kyoko.okamoto@necel.com
or
Americas
NEC Electronics America, Inc.
Denise Garibaldi, + 1-408-588-6620
denise.garibaldi@am.necel.com
or
Europe
NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH
Oliver Luettgen, +49-211-6503-1469
oliver.luettgen@eu.necel.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009