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Institute's Technology Primes SSL's DSP Cores for Use in Internet Appliances

The agreement enables SSL to license Fraunhofer's MP3 and AAC Decode and Encode technologies for use with its own Oasis silicon IP suite, based on the company's proprietary DSP core technology. SSL can now provide clients with all the technology necessary to enter the Internet Audio space without relying on silicon from third-party vendors.

``By teaming up with Fraunhofer, SSL can provide a one-stop shop for wireless Internet appliance manufacturers who previously had to turn to silicon suppliers for decoding and encoding technology,'' said Sean Mitchell, general manager of the Consumer Multimedia Business Unit at SSL. ``Fraunhofer's MP3 and AAC software solutions, provide our customers with a complete, reliable solution for building market-leading wireless Internet appliances and speeding their delivery to market.''

Under terms of the agreement, SSL can sublicense Fraunhofer's technology for use with its DSP cores, a business model that is unique among IP suppliers. Fraunhofer's decoding and encoding software can be integrated with SSL's high-performance, low-power DSP core technology to create a complete system-level IP solution for MP3 and AAC decoding and encoding. End products that will benefit from SSL's solution include mobile phones, personal audio players (MP3), automotive and home entertainment systems and other wireless Internet appliances.

SSL's fully programmable Oasis platform allows users to upgrade software in the field to support various standards for Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI)-compliant Internet Audio delivery. Users can simply download the latest versions of decoder and security software off the Web as they become available without needing to acquire additional hardware. Available on 0.18um technology, the solution is very competitive with respect to cost and power consumption. SSL's flexible, programmable interfaces support a variety of external DACs, FLASH chips and FLASH Memory Cards.

``We are enthusiastic about working with SSL to develop an integrated solution for building Internet Appliances based on the Oasis platform,'' said Harald Popp, head of Fraunhofer's Studio Department. ``Our partnership with SSL will enable us to extend our reach into the Internet Audio space and drive our decoding and encoding solution as the de facto standard.''

Availability

The OASIS IP suite is available for license today as a complete solution including the Fraunhofer software. It is available as a ``soft macro'' that is independent of process technology and can be ported to the licensee's process of choice or it can be delivered as a ready-to-go ``hard macro'' on UMC's 0.18um CMOS technology.

SSL has a roadmap of IP suite releases based on this platform, which will be available over the next year, including integration of Microcontroller, USB, Digital to Analog Conversion and Digital Headphone Power Amplifiers to achieve a highly integrated solution for a Portable Music Player on a single chip.

About Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS)

Fraunhofer IIS is the leading research laboratory in the area of audio coding. For more than ten years, Fraunhofer IIS has actively driven forward the development of audio compression algorithms. Major parts of MPEG Layer-3 (MP3), the most popular format on the Internet, as well as MPEG-2 AAC, the most efficient audio compression algorithm currently available, have been developed at Fraunhofer IIS. Besides devising new algorithms, Fraunhofer IIS engineers focus on the effective implementation of state-of-the-art audio and video coding schemes on PCs, digital signal processors (DSPs), and integrated circuits.

About SSL, Inc.

Founded in 1993, SSL is the world's foremost supplier of system-level intellectual property (IP) for Internet appliances within the wireless communications and consumer multimedia markets. In these markets SSL supplies a roadmap of mixed-signal and DSP IP for system-on-chips (SoCs), together with tailored application software to provide a complete system solution. SSL employs more than 200 IC, software and application designers, as well as 60 RF and mixed-signal designers. The company maintains development centers at five locations worldwide. SSL is headquartered at 32-34 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, with Worldwide Sales headquarters at 2033 Gateway Place, Suite 150, San Jose, Calif.

Contact:

     SSL (Europe)
     Olivia Gaynor, +353 87 222 3600 Dublin
     olivia.gaynor@sslinc.com
          or
     Pacifico, Inc.
     Marlo Lucila, 408/293-8600 Ext. 303
     mlucila@pacifico.com
          or
     Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits
     Gerald Moser, +49 913 1776 135
     mos@iis.fhg.de