ROUSSET, France, March 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Enables rapid integration of UWB Media Access Controller with 
Application-specific logic in CAP Metal Programmable block

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the availability of
an Ultra Wideband (UWB) Evaluation Kit for rapid, low-cost development of UWB
applications built around the AT91CAP9 ARM926EJ-S(TM)-based Customizable
Microcontroller. The UWB Media Access Controller (MAC) is implemented,
together with any application-specific logic, in the FPGA that emulates the
CAP(TM) Metal Programmable (MP) Block. The UWB Physical Access Layer (PHY) is
implemented in transmission and reception extension boards that plug into the
CAP Development Board.

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit consists of two AT91CAP9A Development
Kits (one for transmission and the other for reception) each comprising three
associated boards (Motherboard, Mezzanine and 3.3V Memory Extension), a CAP9
UWB PHY Transmitter Board and a CAP9 UWB PHY Receiver Board, together with
UWB Video Streaming Application Software. This configuration creates an
application-ready UWB development environment with a video streaming
reference design.

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit interfaces with a PC running
industry-standard ARM(R) development tools for system development and debug.
This permits parallel hardware/software development that significantly
reduces the development time for the application. When the system has been
fully debugged, the UWB MAC and application-specific logic are re-mapped into
the MP block of a customized CAP, providing a complete UWB transceiver system
based on a small part count. This low-cost, medium-volume UWB solution is
ideal for wireless medical systems and similar applications.

Michel Le Lan, Atmel's Marketing Director for ASICs, commented, "Ultra
Wideband is an energy-efficient short-range protocol that is ideal for many
industrial and medical applications that operate in noisy, obstructed
environments. Our CAP UWB Development Kit provides a rapid, low-cost
development path for customers who wish to integrate their own IP together
with the UWB MAC in a single high-performance, low-cost system-on-chip."

About Ultra Wideband

Ultra wideband is a wireless technology for transmitting large amounts of
digital data over medium distances (10 to 50m) using a wide spectrum of
frequency bands with very low power. UWB has the ability to carry signals
through doors and other obstacles that tend to reflect signals at more
limited bandwidths and a higher power. Ultra wideband broadcasts digital
pulses that are timed very precisely on a carrier signal that simultaneously
occupies a number of frequency channels across a wide spectrum. Transmitter
and receiver must be synchronized to send and receive pulses with
sub-nanosecond accuracy. On any given frequency band that may already be in
use, the UWB signal has less power than the background noise of other
transmission protocols, so interference is minimized.

The UWB protocol is defined, certified and supported by the WiMedia
Alliance, and has been normalized in the ECMA standards ECMA-368 (High Rate
Ultra Wideband PHY and MAC Standard) and ECMA-369 (MAC-PHY Interface for
ECMA-368).

Availability and Pricing

The AT91CAP9A UWB Evaluation Kit is available now and priced at 
US $8,000.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio
frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest
intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide
the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer,
industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2009 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), Atmel logo and
combinations thereof, and others, are registered trademarks, CAP(TM) and
others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. ARM is a
registered trademark of ARM Ltd. Other terms and product names may be
trademarks of others.

Information:
    Atmel's AT91CAP UWB Evaluation Kit product information may be retrieved 
    at http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?tool_id=4511

    For further information on the AT91CAP product family, visit
    http://www.atmel.com/products/AT91CAP/

     Press Contacts:
     Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset
     Tel: +33-(0)-4-42-53-61-50, Email: peter.bishop@atmel.com
     Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
     Tel: +1-408-487-2963, Email: helen.perlegos@atmel.com