The Alliance at CeBIT '95 : Confirming Progress Of The PowerPC Family

HANOVER, Germany -- March 8, 1995 -- The PowerPC architecture is on the
move and the momentum is now unstoppable. Speaking at a press briefing in
the "PowerPC Park" at CeBIT '95, Apple, IBM and Motorola executives
reaffirmed the growing success of the PowerPC family as the mainstream
microprocessors of today and for the future.

The PowerPC architecture is the base upon which systems are now being
developed to provide the power and versatility that are necessary to cope
with the growing applications explosion in today's market. These processor
developments are shaping the future of the industry.

Clear evidence that this message is being taken up is apparent everywhere
in the relaxed, tree-lined and grass-covered "park" setting. Visitors are
able to learn about the numerous PowerPC architecture-based hardware and
software solutions that are now available in virtually every market
segment.

Some 60 independent software and hardware vendors, and the three partners
themselves, are demonstrating a complete range of systems and, most
significantly, applications. They place the PowerPC microprocessors in the
vanguard of mainstream computing today.

The executives underlined the achievements to date and the great potential
of the open PowerPC architecture, offering end-users a choice in hardware
and, most crucially, in operating systems.

"Three years ago, we committed to providing a viable alternative to the
mainstream PC architecture, presenting an aggressive PowerPC roadmap and
timeline that covered an entire family of microprocessors," said James
Norling, President of Motorola, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

"Today, we have accomplished our commitments: we have delivered chips
designed specifically for portable, desktop and workstation/server
computers--the drivers of the information technology market. These chips
are delivering unprecedented price/performance advantages for the most
demanding applications, such as speech and pattern recognition, and
multimedia. The PowerPC architecture offers its advantages to hardware and
software developers, OEMs, and, most crucially, to the end users," Norling
continued.

"Even though PowerPC technology is in its early stages, the key operating
systems, such as AIX, Mac OS, Microsoft WindowsNT, OS/2, Sun Microsystems'
Solaris and Novell's NetWare are being made available. The PCs and systems
displayed in the PowerPC Park today already show the initial performance
advantages of the PowerPC architecture. And there is much more to come."

That 1995 demonstrates just how fast this potential is being unveiled was
indicated by Phil Hester, General Manager, Systems Technology and
Architecture Division, IBM Corporation. "This is an open architecture that
offers users a choice of hardware and, most important, operating systems,
with the performance potential to meet virtually any foreseeable needs. It
combines tremendous scalability across market segments and may be extended
over time."

"This year, we will more than double the performance of the PowerPC 603 for
portables and energy-efficient desktops, the PowerPC 604 will outperform
the projections for other promised mainstream processors, and the PowerPC
620 will establish itself firmly as the highest value, highest
performance, mainstream microprocessor. And just last month, we introduced
a new processor, the PowerPC 602, which opens up new performance options
in consumer electronics and entry-level computing."

"Our customers will be able to take full advantage of the inherent
price/performance benefits of PowerPC technology, and begin to develop the
new applications that they will need as we move towards the year 2000."

David Nagel, General Manager of the AppleSoft Division of Apple Computer
Inc., confirmed this outlook: "PowerPC processors are enabling system
vendors such as Apple to develop computers that are not only
price/performance leaders today, but offer smooth and boundless growth
paths into the future.

"Apple has shipped over one million Power Macintosh computers or upgrades
well before our one-year target, and there are already over 500 native
applications available--proof of the widespread and growing acceptance
from both end users and developers. Our efforts to license the Mac OS are
gaining momentum, providing opportunities for licensees to manufacture
PowerPC-based Mac compatibles. Radius and Power Computing were the first
vendors to announce their intentions, and they were soon joined by Pioneer
Electronics Corporation.

"As we go forward, we expect to see more OEM adopters building a variety of
systems around the instruction set-compatible PowerPC architecture. And we
expect more new solutions to emerge for applications such as speech and
voice recognition, 3D software and multimedia, taking advantage of the
PowerPC microprocessors' superior floating point performance."

The PowerPC Park at CeBIT '95 is designed to demonstrate just how far the
alliance has come in three years, and how that momentum is gaining ground
with the active support of the independent software and hardware vendors
and OEMs.

A rich selection of demonstrations covers many of the most popular business
productivity applications. Publication graphics, CAD/CAM and multimedia
software vie for space with games and educational applications, running on
a wide selection of PCs and systems.

Hardware and development tools' solutions are also essential to driving the
build-up of PowerPC business. Displays include, for example, recent
licensees of the Mac OS, who are building systems based on PowerPC
architecture, PCI board level support demonstrations, OS/2 Warp and Smart
Tools from IBM, examples of compiler technology, and software kits for
system development from Motorola.

The alliance also confirmed that 1995 will see not only the arrival of new
chips, such as the recently-announced PowerPC 602 and PowerPC 603e, and
new operating systems, but also new PowerPC hardware platforms and
adopters.

Apple announced plans to begin shipment of desktop computers based on the
PowerPC 603 and PowerPC 604 processors by summer. The planned introduction
of the PowerPC 603e in the PowerBook notebook and sub-notebook computers
soon after will also add a new dimension to the mobile computing market.

IBM continues to add to its RS/6000 range of PowerPC workstations, and will
introduce the first PowerPC personal computer offerings from its Power
Personal Systems Division.

Motorola will also strengthen its range of PowerStack personal computers,
workstations and servers, taking advantage of the PowerPC technology as it
develops.

Background

Since announcing their intention to create the PowerPC family of
microprocessors in October, 1991, Apple, IBM and Motorola have delivered
four processor lines, all on time. They include: the PowerPC 601 and
PowerPC 604 for power desktops and business workstations; the PowerPC 603
for notebooks and energy-efficient desktops; the PowerPC 620, the first
64-bit implementation for application servers and technical workstations;
and the most recent introduction, the PowerPC 602, optimized to bring new
levels of high performance real-time processing to consumer electronics
and entry-level computers.

The PowerPC technology is also extended into embedded control applications
for industries ranging from computer peripherals and telecommunications,
consumer electronics and entertainment, to automotive and manufacturing.
Both IBM and Motorola have announced series of independently-developed
PowerPC Microcontrollers.

The PowerPC architecture has been designed to support the widest possible
range of operating system environments. Today, Apple's Mac OS, IBM's AIX
and PowerPC for OS/2, Solaris, NetWare and Microsoft's WindowsNT
environments are supported directly. DOS and Windows are also supported
through advanced software emulation.

The first PowerPC-based system was launched in September 1993, when IBM
announced its RS/6000 workstation and server line. In March 1994, Apple
introduced the first range of mainstream personal computers to be based on
the PowerPC microprocessor--the Power Macintosh.

In October 1994, the Motorola Computer Group announced its first line of
PowerPC-based personal computers, workstations and servers. At this time,
the French company, Groupe Bull, also announced a range of client server
stations using the PowerPC architecture.

An increasing number of other companies have also begun to, or have
announced their intention to, develop systems and subsystems based upon
the PowerPC architecture. They include: 3DO, ADP Autonom Computer GmbH,
Amdahl, Bandai, Canon, CETIA, Datatech Enterprises (DTK), FirePower
Systems, Ford Motor Co., Formosa Industrial Computing, Groupe Bull,
Harris, Hitachi, ISG Technologies, Mercury Computer Systems, Parsytec,
Pioneer, Power Computing, Radius, Scientific Atlanta, Shannon Computer,
Tadpole Technologies, Taiwan Auto Design Co., Taiwanese New PC Consortium
(TNPC), Tatung, Thomson-CSF, Toshiba, Umax, and YARC.

IBM, Motorola and third parties also offer comprehensive software,
development tools and support packages for the PowerPC family to enable
hardware and software developers to reduce overall design time. Many of
today's leading suppliers of core logic chip sets, graphics controllers
and other systems components are also supporting PowerPC platforms.

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