Features - Storage Innovations:

SILICON IMAGE LEVERAGES SATALINK ARCHITECTURE

Silicon Image Inc, a leader in high-bandwidth semiconductor and system solutions for mass markets, has demonstrated Serial ATA port multiplier capability -- a simple means of connecting multiple drives to a single Serial ATA channel. Announced by the Serial ATA Working Group at the Intel Developer Forum earlier today, the port multiplier specification is ideal for any storage environment, such as server and storage systems, with multiple drives that want to take advantage of the high-speed Serial ATA link.

The demo shows one channel of Silicon Image's new SATALink SiI 3512 host controller communicating with multiple Serial ATA hard disk drives through Silicon Image's prototype Serial ATA port multiplier.

With port multiplier technology, system designers may efficiently leverage a single Serial ATA host connection across multiple Serial ATA devices. Storage architects can take advantage of the fanout capabilities of port multipliers and the benefits offered by a serial interconnect to extend the Serial ATA value proposition to include both internal and external Serial ATA storage applications. External storage applications will place additional demands on Serial ATA PHYs since the signal goes through multiple connectors and possibly a backplane, all of which can impact signal integrity. With advanced features such as selectable drive strength, Silicon Image's robust Serial ATA PHYs were designed from their inception to work over backplanes and out-of-box connections with long cable requirements.

"The Serial ATA port multiplier opens new doors for innovation and the use of storage at a new price-performance level," stated Parviz Khodi, vice president of marketing for Silicon Image. "Because of our forward-looking Serial ATA design, Silicon Image already has production Serial ATA host controller solutions with the functionality required to communicate to port multiplier devices. The port multiplier is the first step towards enabling a new class of powerful, yet low-cost storage switch chips based on Serial ATA technology, and Silicon Image is committed to leading Serial ATA innovation with a full range of solutions including port multipliers and host controllers supporting this technology."

"The new port multiplier specification introduced by the Serial ATA Working Group offers greater device connectivity for a more flexible Serial ATA system architecture," stated Jason Ziller, Serial ATA working group chairman and Intel initiative manager. "The specification has garnered early industry support, and we're pleased that Silicon Image, which has assumed a leadership role in the industry transition to Serial ATA, is demonstrating this proof of concept at the Intel Developer Forum."

About Silicon Image

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Silicon Image Inc designs, develops and markets multi-gigabit semiconductor and system solutions for a variety of communications applications demanding high-bandwidth capability. With its proprietary Multi-layer Serial Link (MSL) architecture, Silicon Image is well positioned for leadership in multiple mass markets including PCs, consumer electronics, storage and networking. Currently, Silicon Image leads the global PC/display arena with its innovative digital interconnect technology, and is now emerging as a leading player in the storage industry -- offering robust, high-bandwidth semiconductors and systems. For more information on Silicon Image, visit www.siliconimage.com.

Contact: Sheryl M. Gulizia, Manager, Public Relations of Silicon Image Inc, 408-616-1553, or fax, 408-830-9530, or sgulizia@siliconimage.com.