"This family will enable the next generation of handheld products because it overcomes a significant hurdle in flash memory for portable applications," said Walid Maghribi, group vice president of AMD's Memory Group. "In the past, memory has been the bottleneck in migrating entire systems to lower voltages. With AMD's 1.8-volt-only family, our customers can extend standby and talk time as well as add more functionality to their cellular phones and other portable products.

"Our new 1.8-volt-only device was developed in concert with our customers' future product plans and represents a milestone in AMD's drive to ever-lower voltages," Maghribi continued. "Eventually, digital cellular phones will be capable of providing one month of standby time as is common with pagers today. In addition, our higher density 1.8-volt-only devices will make possible entirely new types of cellular phone designs, further shrinking size and increasing functionality."

Applications

Digital cellular handset manufacturers are the early adopters of 1.8-volt-only flash devices. As with AMD's 2.7-volt-only family, other handheld applications such as pagers, personal information devices (PIDs), and global positioning systems (GPS) are expected to migrate to 1.8-volt-only flash memories.

Higher density flash devices are required as system-level software begins to differentiate cellular handsets. Software is used in:

• Providing multiple language and dictionary support
• Personal information schedulers
• Voice activation and recording
• Over-the-air data transmission for e-mail and modified web-page access
• Multi-band/mode phones such as GSM/DECT (Digital European Cordless Communications) or GSM/DCS1800/PCS1900 that take advantage of the cellular infrastructure and provide worldwide roaming.

Am29SL800 Overview

• 1.8-volt-only Operation for Read and Write

The Am29SL800 is a 1.8-volt-only device, eliminating the need for a 2.7-volt power-supply. This lowers the overall system cost, power consumption and reliability issues associated with DC-to-DC converters required for dual-voltage flash devices.

• 1.8V-2.2V Operating Range

The extended operating range of 1.8V to 2.2V allows battery-powered systems to operate longer between battery replacement or recharging cycles. The 1.8-volt family is also available in commercial and industrial range for use in a wide variety of applications.
• Zero-Power management

The Am29SL800 features zero-power standby and read operation. During normal operation, most portable systems have many inactive periods. AMD's power-management system automatically puts the device into sleep mode during these inactive periods, consuming virtually zero power. There is no latency when the system subsequently accesses the device.
• High Performance

The Am29SL800 is available in read access times of 170, 120 and 100 nanoseconds. The 170 nanosecond version is available now. The 120 and 100 nanosecond versions will be in volume production in Q1 1998.

• Industry Standard Architecture

The 1.8-volt-only family of products is based on the same process technology and architecture as AMD's 2.7-volt-only flash devices.
• Easy upgrade from AMD's 2.7-volt flash devices
• Sector Architecture with Sector Protection
• Embedded Algorithms

Package, Price, Availability

The Am29SL800 is available now in a 48-pin TSOP and a 48-ball Fine Pitch BGA (FBGA). FBGA provides the smallest, least expensive package solution for flash memory. The Am29SL800-170EI, industrial temperature range, is $8.70 in 10,000-piece quantities. The Am29SL800-170EC, commercial temperature range, is $8.35 in 10,000-piece quantities. The 1.8-volt family is offered at a 20 percent price premium over the 2.7-volt family.

Safe Harbor Statement

The forward-looking statements in this release with respect to new product offerings are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ from those currently expected. Such risks and uncertainties include the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development of wafer fabrication process technologies, the effect of changing economic conditions, and such risks and uncertainties detailed from time-to-time in the company's SEC reports.