Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : RAMTRONIAN's Cache Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gutterball who wrote (4820)	2/8/1998 10:26:00 PM
From: PZTee	Respond to of 14464

Dan, Neil...Did you catch this OTHER Hitachi News this week? They've also licensed contactless technology from the competition: Philips Semiconductors and Hitachi To Jointly Develop Contactless Smart Card ICs SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 1998--Philips Semiconductors and Hitachi Ltd. today announced an agreement to jointly develop contactless smart card ICs utilizing Philips Semiconductors' MIFARE(R) Technology. The license from Philips will allow Hitachi to produce, market and sell products based on the MIFARE Technology without any limitations. "Today, MIFARE is the leading contactless smart card technology used on a global scale and the potential of the MIFARE Architecture Platform for the future is enormous," said Dr. Tsugio Makimoto, senior executive managing director of Hitachi, Ltd. "We are confident that contactless smart cards will play a major role in the future growth of the smart card industry. This agreement with Philips Semiconductors is a major step in our strategy to become a leading global supplier of contactless smart card ICs." With thirty million cards in use and more than a billion completed transactions, Philips' MIFARE Architecture Platform has emerged as the industry standard for contactless smart card systems, covering about ninety percent of this fast growing market. The MIFARE Architecture Platform is a family of compatible card ICs and reader ICs based on the MIFARE Technology, which consists of card and reader components working at an operating frequency of 13.56 MHz. "Our goal is to make MIFARE the technology of choice for contactless smart card ICs in the world," said Arthur van der Poel, chairman and CEO of Philips Semiconductors. "With Philips Semiconductors, Siemens and now Hitachi as existing licencees, there are three leading semiconductor suppliers to independently provide MIFARE chip card ICs. This puts Philips in a unique position to offer the most advanced product portfolio in a highly competitive way." MIFARE currently offers the best available set of features for contactless smart cards with a broad range of products available, from low-end contactless hardwired ICs to contactless microcontroller card ICs for Dual-Interface applications. The increasing number of installations in applications such as public transport, road toll, airline ticketing and ID cards enlarges the circle of MIFARE system partners offering their services as system integrators, card manufacturers or service providers. About Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1996 (ending March 31, 1997) consolidated sales of 8,523 billion ($68.7 billion(1)). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at hitachi.co.jp. About Philips Semiconductors Philips Semiconductors, Inc. is a subsidiary of Philips Electronics North America and an affiliate of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Philips Semiconductors is a leader with a proven reputation in the development and production of cryptocontroller and contactless Smart Card ICs. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional application labs. For more information on Philips Semiconductors Identification, please visit www.semiconductors.philips.com/identification. (1) At an exchange rate of 124 yen to the dollar. Note to Editors: MIFARE(R) is a registered trademark of Philips Electronics NV. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. --30--cmc/sf* azs/sf CONTACT: Philips Semiconductors Jeanne Alford, 408/991-3626 jeanne.alford@sv.sc.philips.com or Miller/Shandwick Technologies Cindy Huang, 650/962-9550 chuang@miller.shandwick.com What 'ya think? Hitachi could supply FRAM to Phillips, or sees MIFARE as a more desirable RF interface, or wants to support both Racom and Philips technology.