Alpha Roadmap Shows New Destinations For `98


San Jose, Calif. -- Jan. 26, 1998 -- Samsung Semiconductor Inc. today
disclosed its Alpha Microprocessor strategy for 1998, outlining significant
OEM design wins, performance milestones expected to be achieved this year and
the addition of new licensees to the Alpha camp. `Alpha continues to lead the
world in performance, particularly in the visual computing markets where
leading graphics system OEMs and movie studios are taking advantage of Alpha`s
tremendous graphics processing power,` said Y. J. Kim, Associate Director,
Alpha Processor Marketing at Samsung in San Jose, and also a Chairman of the
AlphaPowered Alliance, an industry consortium around Alpha solutions. Carrera
Computers, a leading provider of Alpha-based solutions to Hollywood, designed
and installed the systems used to create and edit the visual effects in the
movie, Titanic. `Samsung`s Alpha microprocessors added value as well as
performance to the Titanic production,` said Rod Frye, Chairman of Carrera
Computers (Laguna Hills, Calif.). `We look forward to a continuing
relationship with Samsung.` When running leading special effects applications
such as Lightwave3D in native mode, the Alpha systems developed by Carrera
are capable of providing two or three times the performance of MIPS-powered
systems from Silicon Graphics Inc., in a similar price range. Performance
increases are similar in running any of the programs that have been ported to
run natively under Alpha, including Quark Express, Corel Draw Suite, Wright
Design and Painter 5.0 -- 3,200 total number of applications.


Alpha Powers New Servers

The server market is also embracing Alpha technology. Mactell Corp., an Apple
Clone Manufacturer in Austin, Texas, is now using the Alpha 21164 processor in
its line of Media Servers to provide twice the performance of systems using
the Power PC microprocessor. `Mactell has experienced great interests and
acceptance in the Macintosh marketplace with our Alpha-based Media Server,`
said Patt Berry, Vice President, Mactell Corporation. Network Appliance is
using the Alpha processor to power a range of network data servers that
provide the fastest response time and highest throughput in the industry. A
combination of NetApp`s proprietary software and the Alpha processor allows
NetApp`s single processor data servers to beat general purpose servers with
four or more UltraSPARC processors. NetApp`s Alpha-based systems provide
enterprise-class data service to both Unix and Windows networks.


AMD Licenses Alpha Bus

In the mainstream desktop computing environments, Alpha garnered additional
credibility when Advanced Micro Devices announced its use of the Alpha bus to
achieve pin-compatibility between its own K7 microprocessor and the Alpha
21264. This will allow OEMs to build extremely high performance but cost
effective systems that are socket-compatible with either the K7 or the Alpha
processor. `The ability to use either processor in their systems will give
OEMs the ability to cover a range of top to bottom price points with the same
motherboard design,` Kim said. `The combination of AMD`s K7 and Alpha will
give OEMs a higher performance alternative to the Merced processor that also
offers a higher margin.` 21264 versions of Alpha will be the first 1 GHz
processors with 100 SPECint95 range that have compatibility with the latest
version of the Windows NT operating system. Alpha will achieve full
compatibility with NT 5.0, adding to its over three years of experience in
achireving full compatibility and the highest levels of performance under NT.
NT 5.0 will also include Digital FX!32 x86 Windows 32-bit binary translator
for Alpha in the OS kernel, making X86 compatibility seamless to users.
`Alpha represents a significant opportunity to Samsung as both a leading edge
product and as a logic process technology driver,` said Noel Park, Vice
President of Samsung`s System LSI division. `Alpha will lead the way for the
new System LSI solutions Samsung plans to bring to market.`