NEC Electronics Extends 16-Bit and 32-Bit All Flash^TM Microcontroller Lineup with Enhanced Memory and Larger Pin Count Devices

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NEC Electronics Corporation today introduced 16 new flash-based microcontrollers (MCUs), adding to its comprehensive lineup of 16-bit and 32-bit All Flash^TM microcontrollers. The latest devices offer up to twice the memory and a significant increase in pin counts compared to previous devices. They include two 32-bit V850/JJ3 MCUs with up to 1 megabyte of flash memory, and 14 new 16-bit 78K0R/Kx3 MCUs with up to 512 kilobytes of memory and 144-pin packages. All are based on advanced 0.15-micron processes using SuperFlash® technology by Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.

The devices are designed to help manufacturers of audio systems and other consumer electronics quickly and easily develop applications that require high performance functions such as audio guidance, display functions, and network functions such as local access networks (LAN), while keeping the number of parts to a minimum.

With the addition of these latest devices, NEC Electronics now boasts a comprehensive lineup of 208 All Flash microcontrollers, ranging from cost-efficient 8-bit devices to high performance 32-bit devices, with a wide selection of memories and pin counts to suit the needs of diverse customers.

The company will continue to expand its All Flash offerings, and aims to increase sales of the V850 series to 100 billion yen by fiscal year 2008, and sales of the 78K/78K0R series to 100 billion yen by fiscal year 2009.

As market competition increases, system developers are being called upon to meet dramatically higher performance targets while also achieving shorter development times, more compact designs, and lower costs. NEC Electronics' All Flash MCUs are designed to help support customers in meeting these growing needs, and the latest additions with enhanced memory and larger pin counts will help the development of an even wider range of systems.

NEC Electronics also provides an array of tools to support efficient development on all of its MCUs, including the new 8-bit products. These tools include the MINICUBE2 debugger/flash programmer combination, which makes it simple to develop and test MCU programs, and the Applilet device driver configurator, which supports the development of initialization programs for MCU peripheral functions. Together these tool provide an easy-to-use development environment to support the development of MCU software.

Pricing and Availability
Samples of the MCUs are available immediately. The V850/JJ3 will be ready for volume production by May 2007, and samples are priced at 1,650 yen and below. The 78K0R/Kx3 will be ready for volume production by October 2007, and samples are priced at 1,100 yen and below. Total monthly production for all 16 devices is expected to reach 100,000 units by the first quarter of 2008.

Exhibition at Embedded Technology 2006
NEC Electronics' newest All Flash^TM devices will be on display from November 15-17 at Embedded Technology 2006, in Yokohama, Japan.

About NEC Electronics

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets, system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripherals, automotive and digital consumer markets, and platform solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has 25 subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. (www.am.necel.com) and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH (www.eu.necel.com). For additional information about NEC Electronics worldwide, visit www.necel.com.

All Flash is a trademark of NEC Electronics Corporation. SuperFlash is a registered trademark of Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.