WAVX signs deal with AMD. WAVX's first announced gorilla!!
Here's the news release:
**********************
AMD and Wave Systems to Enable Advanced Security Features for Commercial and
Consumer Computing
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2000--AMD, a leading supplier of
integrated circuits for personal and networked computers, and Wave Systems Corp., a
provider of electronic commerce, content distribution and security services, today announced
an alliance to integrate new security functions for commercial and consumer computing.
These advanced functions will enable personal computers and emerging information access
devices to assume a key new role for secure delivery of content such as music and video, as
well as a full range of e-commerce transactions. Users will have a stronger set of tools to
protect the privacy of their sensitive information such as electronic identity and credit card
numbers. For the content industry, this will provide a major step forward to implement new
distribution and buying models while providing protection of the intellectual property of artists,
authors, and performers. For the corporate world, key new content protection features will
provide enhanced security for documents as well as enable secure options for remote
access, business to business virtual networks, and authenticated network logon.
"To participate fully in the next generation of e-commerce, personal computers and
information access devices must provide a secure environment that protects digital Internet
content delivered to both the home and office," said David Somo, AMD's Vice President of
Marketing, Computation Products Group. "As a result, systems manufacturers must add
important new functions for security and privacy to their platforms. With this agreement, AMD
is taking a leadership role in delivering key technologies to enable the growth of digital content
and e-commerce."
AMD and Wave Systems will work jointly to incorporate Wave's Trusted Client architecture as
a core component of PC motherboards and other platforms. This will add new functionality
including new user privacy options, distributed e-commerce and transaction capability, and a
programmable security hardware infrastructure. The extended functionality will be based on
an evolving standard for PC platform security being created by the Trusted Computing
Platform Alliance (TCPA). Both AMD and Wave Systems participate in the TCPA, which is an
industry alliance focused on hardware and software specifications to enhance security and
trust of the PC platform. Over the past year, Wave has been working with many of the
important industry leaders to develop an open industry standard referred to as the Embedded
Security Application System (EMBASSY) based on Trusted Client architecture.
"We are committed to using the TCPA specification as a building block for an open
programmable Trusted Client Architecture as we move forward," states Gregory
Kazmierczak, Vice President, Technology, Wave Systems Corp. "The EMBASSY System is
a robust platform capable of flexibly supporting a wide range of security and privacy
standards as they evolve. Wave is shipping versions of their Trusted Client Architecture in
peripheral devices, but believes that ultimately this functionality should be a fully integrated
component of computing platforms. AMD plays a pivotal role in bringing this functionality to
home and business computing."
After successfully integrating the security functions, AMD will include this new functionality
into some commercial and consumer motherboard reference designs - AMD's "blueprint" for
PC motherboards given to PC manufacturers. These future AMD reference designs will
include specifications on how and where Trusted Client technology can be integrated into PC
motherboards in an effort to standardize and deploy Trusted Client technology as an open
systems specification.
The extended set of capabilities enabled by the Trusted Client architecture are aimed at
delivering a wide range of new content and services to users. By using any high speed
network and Wave's Trusted Client Architecture, consumers can take advantage of a number
of new distribution and buying models for content including rent to own, pay-per-view, as well
as free trials of full function software, games, music, and videos. Businesses will benefit from
enhanced security in the use of emerging net-based tools such as ASP (Application Service
Provider) software delivery.
"Today's announcement is a very important step in Wave's strategy to deploy a network of
Trusted Client devices," said Steven Sprague, CEO, President and COO, Wave Systems
Corp. "By including Wave's Trusted Client architecture as the basis of security in the PC
motherboard reference design, AMD is incorporating a fundamental building block of future
PCs and information access devices. I'm very confident in our ability to work together to
evolve these devices into a central point of trust and transaction in the digital economy."
Additional information and a white paper on the EMBASSY "trusted client" are available at
wave.com. About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and
communications markets. AMD produces processors, flash memories and products for
communications and networking applications. AMD processors, including the AMD-K6(R)-2
and AMD Athlon(TM) product families, power computers manufactured by nine of the Top 10
computer manufacturers worldwide. AMD's mobile processors are used in more than 50
percent of notebook computers sold in the retail market to consumers and small businesses.
Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $2.9 billion in
1999. (NYSE: AMD). About Wave Systems Corp.
Founded in 1988, the mission of Wave Systems Corp. is to create the world's best
technologies and services to secure and sell digital information. With the recently completed
acquisition of N*Able Technologies, Wave now has a comprehensive line of trusted client
co-processor systems. Wave's technology is an inexpensive, open standards, hardware and
software-based device that enables secure transaction processing and distributed
information metering in users' PCs. Embedded in PC hardware and peripherals, set-top
boxes and other devices, Wave's trusted client technology is the foundation for client-based
security applications and a new distribution and purchasing model for content and services.
This low-cost, secure "system within a system" will enable the personal computer to assume
an important new role in the evolving digital economy. By moving secure transactions to the
desktop, Wave provides intrinsic value to the electronic commerce process, benefiting PC
users, application developers, and hardware manufacturers. For more information, please
visit Wave's corporate web site at wave.com (NASDAQ: WAVX) Safe Harbor for
Forward-Looking Statements:
Except for the statements of historical fact, the information presented herein constitutes
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the
company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include general
economic and business conditions, market acceptance and commercial viability of the
technology, the ability to fund operations, the loss of market share, changes in consumer
buying habits and other factors over which Wave Systems Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc. have little or no control.
Note to Editors: AMD, the AMD logo, AMD Athlon, 3Dnow! and combinations thereof are
trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and AMD-K6 is a registered trademark of AMD
in the U.S. and other jurisdictions.
CONTACT: AMD Public Relations
Tim Martin, 512/602-6047
Email: timothy.martin@amd.com
or
Wave Systems Public Relations
Debi Nason, 408/261-9510
Email: dnason@wavesys.com
(Voluntary Disclosure: Position- Long) |
