PCI-SIG Introduces "PCI Express™" (Formerly 3GIO) High-Speed Serial Interconnect Specification

Arapahoe Work Group Completes Draft 1.0 Specification, Now Under Review by PCI-SIG Board of Directors

WinHEC, Seattle, Wash., April 17, 2002 - The PCI-SIG and the Arapahoe Work Group, consisting of promoter companies Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM, Intel and Microsoft, today announced that the code-named 3GIO draft 1.0 specification has been successfully completed and is being transferred on schedule to the PCI-SIG, where it will be renamed "PCI Express™".

The delivery of the open, high-performance serial I/O specification is the result of a highly successful working relationship combining the technical expertise of the Arapahoe Work Group with the proven ability of the PCI-SIG to promote open-standard architectures across multiple industry segments. The name "PCI Express" reflects the high-speed, point-to-point qualities of the new local bus architecture, and emphasizes that software compatibility is maintained between PCI and PCI Express.

As planned, the PCI Express draft specification is currently under review by the PCI-SIG Board of Directors. Upon approval by the board, the specification will be sent to the PCI-SIG membership for a 60-day review, with final PCI Express 1.0 specification public release anticipated in the second quarter of 2002.

"Thanks to the thorough efforts of the Arapahoe Work Group, this new serial interconnect draft specification, formerly code-named '3GIO,' is being delivered to the PCI-SIG in a comprehensive and mature form, with scalable performance that fully lives up to its new name, 'PCI Express,'" said Roger Tipley, president and chairman of the PCI-SIG. "The PCI-SIG's PCI Express Work Group will begin working immediately to fine-tune and rapidly prepare to release the draft PCI Express 1.0 specification for PCI-SIG member review."

During the past decade, the PCI local bus has been a hugely successful, general purpose I/O interconnect standard. PCI Express takes PCI to the next level, with a fast serial architecture that overcomes the limits inherent in parallel bus implementations. This gives PCI Express the bandwidth and scalability to accommodate CPU speeds in excess of 10 GHz, faster memory speeds, higher-speed graphics, 1 Gigabit and 10 Gigabit LAN, 1394b, InfiniBand® fabrics and other technology advances.

"The PCI-SIG's diverse membership has a proven track record of successfully promoting, maintaining and enhancing interconnect standards across the industry," said Bob Gregory, Arapahoe Work Group Spokesperson. "Today's transfer of the draft specification to the PCI-SIG Board of Directors marks a major milestone for the PCI Express architecture. PCI Express will provide the required performance and scalability for the computing and communications segments."

About PCI Express
PCI Express is a new serial I/O technology that is compatible with the current PCI software environment and which defines a packetized protocol and a load/store architecture. Previously code-named Third Generation I/O (3GIO), its layered architecture enables attachment to copper, optical, or emerging physical signaling media. PCI Express uses an embedded clocking scheme to enable better frequency scaling and provides many advanced features as well as innovative form factors. It can be used for chip-to-chip and add-in card applications to provide connectivity for adapter cards, as a graphics I/O attach point for increased graphics bandwidth, and as an attach point to other interconnects like 1394b, USB 2.0, InfiniBand Architecture and Ethernet.

Join the PCI-SIG for Early Access to PCI Express
Membership in the PCI-SIG enables early access to the new PCI Express specification, as well as opportunities to provide feedback on the specification before its final approval. For more information, visit the PCI-SIG Web site at www.pcisig.com. Another source for detailed information and practical implementations of PCI Express is the upcoming 2002 PCI-SIG Developers Conference, the premier technology-training event for systems architects, designers, engineers and engineering managers. The conference will be held June 3-4 at the San Jose Convention Center. Register online at http://www.pcisig.com/events/devcon.

About the PCI-SIG
The PCI-SIG is the industry organization that owns and manages the PCI Local Bus specification as an open industry standard. The organization defines and implements new industry standard I/O (Input/Output) specifications as the industry's local I/O needs evolve. The PCI Special Interest Group was formed in 1992, and the organization became a nonprofit corporation, officially named "PCI-SIG" in the year 2000. Currently, more than 740 industry-leading companies are active PCI-SIG members. The PCI-SIG's current directors are employed by the following PCI-SIG member companies: AMD, Compaq, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Phoenix Technologies, ServerWorks and TI. For more information about the PCI-SIG, PCI-SIG membership benefits or the June 3-4 PCI-SIG Developer's Conference, contact the PCI-SIG by phone, at (800) 433-5177 (within the United States), or by fax at (503) 297-1090, or visit the PCI-SIG web site at: http://www.pcisig.com.

Third-generation I/O Promoter Company Information
The Arapahoe Work Group, consisting of promoter companies Compaq, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft, along with 62 key developer companies, developed the draft 1.0 3GIO specification and chose the PCI-SIG as the preferred industry body to promote and support PCI Express as an extension of PCI, thereby extending the viability of the PCI standard well into the future.

About Compaq
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a leading global provider of information technology products, services and solutions for enterprise customers. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures and markets information technology equipment, software, services and solutions, including industry-leading enterprise storage and computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, communication products, personal desktop and notebook computers, and personal entertainment and Internet access devices that are sold in more than 200 countries directly and through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Information on Compaq and its products and services is available at www.compaq.com.

About Dell
Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq: DELL), the world's most preferred computer systems company, is a premier provider of products and services required for customers worldwide to build their information-technology and Internet infrastructures. The company's revenue for the past four quarters totaled $31.2 billion. Dell, through its direct business model, designs, manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements, and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.

About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. In the 20 years since announcing the first PC in August 1981, IBM has actively participated in the continued development and evolution of PC architecture and standards. For more information on IBM, please visit www.ibm.com.

About Microsoft Corp
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. For more information on Microsoft and its products please visit www.microsoft.com.

About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

Press Release Supporting Quotes

ATI Technologies Inc
www.ati.com
"The ramifications within the graphics industry are enormous," said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President, Marketing & General Manager, Desktop Business, ATI Technologies Inc. "Our support of PCI Express is an extension of our long term relationship working with Intel, as well as the PCI-SIG and the other AWG promoter companies, to advance the PC platform."

Compaq Computer Corporation
www.compaq.com
"Compaq has a long history in the development of open industry standards that provide value to our customers. We believe that PCI Express will enable a new generation of innovative products, deliver needed I/O bandwidth and performance, and facilitate new computing models that will improve the user's experience." said Jeri Callaway, Vice President and General Manager, Desktop & Workstation Division, Compaq Computer Corporation. "Compaq is proud to be a significant contributor to this exciting industry standard, and we are pleased that this technology will become part of the highly successful family of standards created by the PCI-SIG."

Dell Computer Corporation
www.dell.com
"PCI Express is a key technology which will play a major role in the industry's ongoing efforts to continuously improve the computing experience for the customer. The advancements made with this revolutionary serial technology eliminate performance barriers inside the system and solve lingering problems with ease-of-use and system reliability, while making definitive inroads into overall total cost of ownership." - Brian Zucker, Technology Evangelist, Dell Computer Corporation

IBM Corporation
www.ibm.com
"IBM is committed to industry standards. Having been there since the beginning -- with the invention of the PC and the ISA bus -- IBM recognizes the value of industry standards in the evolution of PC architecture," says Peter Hortensius, Vice President of Development, IBM Personal Computing Devices. "This transfer of the PCI Express specification is worth noting because of the PCI-SIG's long history of promoting, maintaining and enhancing standards across the industry. IBM is confident that PCI-SIG will continue to provide this leadership, making customers the beneficiaries in the form of PCI Express' compatibility with the past and its high-bandwidth options for the future."

Intel Corporation
www.intel.com
"PCI has been one of the most successful I/O initiatives in our industry. We now have a compelling opportunity with PCI Express, as the next generation of PCI, for continued innovation and performance enhancements in both computing and communications platforms," said Louis Burns, Intel Vice President and Co-General Manager, Desktop Platforms Group. "Intel is committed to support PCI Express architecture in a broad range of industry segments and is pleased to be working with the PCI-SIG in promoting PCI Express for initial product rollout in the second half of 2003."

Microsoft Corporation
www.microsoft.com
"Microsoft views PCI Express as an exciting technology for the I/O bandwidth and scalability that it brings to both the computing and communications industry, as well as the opportunities it will provide for system and device manufacturers to expand beyond the form factor and I/O expansion boundaries imposed by the current I/O architectures," said Rob Short, Vice President, Windows Division, Microsoft Corp. "We are very pleased to see PCI Express added to the PCI SIG portfolio of technologies. Microsoft will support PCI Express in the PCI-SIG at the board of directors level and with active participation in the SIG workgroups."

Nvidia
www.nvidia.com
"The time is right to evolve PCI technology into a unified I/O chip-to-chip interconnect that is scaleable up to 10GB per second to better meet the demands of applications requiring a higher degree of dedicated bandwidth such as graphics," said Dan Vivoli, vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. "From the start, NVIDIA has been a key contributor to the PCI Express architecture, as both a developer and supporter, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to shape this next-generation standard to ensure the best possible delivery mechanism for graphics on future computing platforms."

Phoenix Technologies
www.phoenix.com
"Phoenix is pleased to have participated in the preparation of the PCI Express specification," said Susan L. Kennedy, Vice President of Product Marketing, Phoenix Technologies. "We look forward to adding innovative, new solutions to our FirstBIOS™ products in support of this next-generation PCI technology."

Texas Instruments
www.ti.com
"TI is excited about the opportunities that PCI Express brings to computing and communications chipset design. With the increased bandwidth, low pin-count, and low-cost design, PCI Express will enable a whole new generation peripheral I/O devices," said Steven Schnier, PC Market Segment Manager for the TI Wireless Networking Business Unit. "TI has been proud to be a Key Developer in the Arapahoe Working Group, and will continue to support the advancement of the PCI Express standard on the PCI-SIG Board of Directors as well in the PCI Express Working Group."

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