( BW)(CA-INITIO) Initio Corp. Debuts Newest Member of Fully Integrated 1394 `Firewire' Single-chip Bridge Controller Line; INIC-1440 with NEC PHY Delivers Data Transfer up to 400Mbps in Boards, Low-Profile Drives

    Business/Technology Editors
    Macworld San Francisco 2002

    SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2002--Initio Corp., a leading maker of input/output (I/O) solutions for storage systems and peripherals, today announced the Initio(R)INIC-1440, the first of its ATA-to-1394a "FireWire" bridge controllers integrated with the versatile, low-power IEEE 1394 physical interface (PHY) technology from NEC Corp. (NASDAQ: NIPNY). Delivering data transfer speeds of up to 400Mbps, the small-form-factor INIC-1440 enables manufacturers to develop smaller 1394 adapter boards and low-profile 1394 drives.
    Initio is demonstrating the INIC-1440, along with the company's full line of Apple(R) (NASDAQ: AAPL) Macintosh(R)-related products, at Macworld Expo, Booth 434, Jan. 8-11. Manufactures requesting a personal demonstration can call Initio (1.800.99INITIO) to schedule an appointment.
    The INIC-1440 is Initio's first fully integrated ATA-to-1394a bridge controller, providing a direct connection between ATAPI or ATA devices and IEEE 1394a interfaces. The chip is designed to accelerate the development and manufacture of 1394-capable peripheral devices, allowing them to take advantage of Initio's already-proven 1394 core, ATAPI/ATA interface, embedded processor, and NEC's 1394 PHY technology. The integration of these features yields data transfers of up to 400Mbps (up to 35MBps sustained) and plug-and-play ease to a wide range of 1394 applications: standard-size disk, tape, CD-recordable/rewritable and DVD drives; low-profile/portable disk drives; and small-form-factor add-in boards for video and imaging.
    Initio and NEC in December 2001 announced an alliance to co-develop IEEE 1394 technology, blending the companies' considerable input/output (I/O) and IEEE 1394 expertise to create advanced IEEE 1394 integrated circuits.
    "No platform has done more than the Macintosh to energize the 1394 market, a market that analysts have estimated will include 112 million 1394 computers and peripherals by 2004," said Eric Wilson, director of business development at Initio. "Macintosh users and peripheral manufactures alike have realized the power and value of Initio's 1394 integrated circuits and adapters. The INIC-1440, with its PHY technology from NEC Corp., represents the newest and most-powerful member of Initio's family of 1394 solutions."
    The INIC-1440 firmware will support many device protocols, including MMC-2, RBC and ATA/ATAPI. To expedite time-to-market and facilitate firmware development, an evaluation kit will be provided to qualified Initio customers. The kit includes an INIC-1440 test board and appropriate firmware-development environment. Firmware can be updated in the field by use of simple applications for both Macintosh and Windows(R) platforms.

    Integration, Array of Support, Firmware Support

    The INIC-1440's integrated design and support for various interfaces provides an ideal interconnect between proven drive designs and the FireWire interface. Key features include:

MMC-2/3 command sets
    -- NEC 1394 industry-standard physical layer
    -- Separate command-in/command-out and page-table buffers for optimum performance
    -- BGA 176-pin package

    Availability and Pricing

    The INIC-1440, priced at $8 in volume quantity, is sampling now with production scheduled for January. Contact Initio Corp. at 408.577.1919 or 800.99INITIO (800.994-6486).

    Initio Corp. (www.initio.com) is a privately held maker of input/output solutions for the information-technology industry. Founded in 1994, Initio is based in San Jose, Calif.

    Note to Editors: Initio is a trademark of Initio Corporation, which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

    --30--alx/sf*

    CONTACT: CommonGround Communications (for Initio Corp.)

             Jerry Steach, 650/967-3071

             jsteach@pacbell.net

    KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA

    INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS HARDWARE SOFTWARE PRODUCT

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    SOURCE: Initio Corp.