*****For immediate use August 24^th, 1999

NEC Adds Inverter Control Functions in 32-bit Single-chip RISC Microcontroller

"V850E/IA1"

NEC Corporation (NEC) (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) has developed a 32-bit single-chip RISC microcontroller optimized for inverter control applications, to meet demands for lower power consumption in consumer appliances and for a finer degree of control in industrial applications. The V850E/IA1 is planned to begin sampling from December 1999.

Operating at 50MHz and with a power supply of 3.3V, the V850E 32-bit RISC CPU core provides 62 MIPS performance for high-speed 32-bit operations, making it highly suitable for control system applications. With a 2-channel 3-axes PWM timer, 2-channel encoder input and an internal 2-channel 10-bit 8 input A/D converter, the device is capable of inverter control for 2 motor systems.

The device offers six serial interfaces, including F-CAN, a bus based on the CAN specification Ver 2.0 Part B standard for local area networks connecting engine control units in automotive electronic systems, enables the device to provide an optimized solution for these automotive and general inverter applications and systems. Other interfaces provided include a 3-channel asynchronous serial interface for a maximum data transfer rate of 1.56 Mbps and a 2-channel clock synchronous serial interface of 4 Mbps for high-speed connection to a variety of devices. The V850E/IA1 also boasts a proprietary 4-channel DMA capable of interfacing with memory of 8- and 16-bit organization.

A unified software environment is also provided for the V850E. A proven in-circuit emulator for operation and debugging the core and peripheral cores, C compiler, debugger, simulator, real-time OS based on µITRON, task debugger and performance analyzer go to complete the software environment. Also available are 3^rd party tools to add to the tool chain.

Two versions of the V850E/IA1 are being offered, one with 256 kilobytes (KB) of high-speed access flash memory (µPD70F3116) and a 128KB mask ROM version (µPD703117). Production is expected to amount to 100,000 units per month for the µPD70F3116 and µPD703117, in the second half of 2000.

Inverter control offers energy efficient motor driver operation for consumer and industrial electronic applications, and is becoming increasingly widespread. As performance demands on electrical equipment mount and as specifications become stricter, motor control functions with greater accuracy and with reliable self-inspection have become chief requirements. For this reason ever more computing power is needed and a consequent shift has occurred in the CPU speed, configuration and peripheral functions mounted on microcontrollers for these applications, shifting from 8- through 16-bit and now to 32-bit MCUs, and from CISC to RISC devices.

The 850E family provides ASSPs for a range of inverter control applications to meet these demands, and the devices announced today expand this range for consumer and industrial electronics. Examples of applications envisaged for the V850E/IA1 include hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric power steering (EPS). In the future, NEC also intends to provide the V850E core in system on a chip (SOC) devices to maintain its position as a leading provider of solutions to the field.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) pioneered the concept of C&C, the integration of Computers and Communications, and is the only company in the world to be counted among top ranking corporations spanning the wide range of fields essential for this vision of multimedia: computers, communications and electron devices. Employing in excess of 150,000 people around the world, NEC saw net sales in fiscal year 1998-99 amount to 4,759 billion yen (approx. US$40 billion). For further information, visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec-global.com

For Main specifications of the V850E/IA1 Microcontroller, please see the attached sheet.

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Media Contact:-
Aston Bridgman
NEC Corporation
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