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`9 of 100 DOCUMENTS
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`Copyright 1996 Business Wire, Inc.
`Business Wire
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`March 8, 1996, Friday
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`DISTRIBUTION: Business Editors & Computer Writers
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`LENGTH: 974 words
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`HEADLINE: VESA Announces Release of Unified Memory Architecture Standard; Leading Graphic & Core Logic
`Vendors Immediately Implement New Technology
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`DATELINE: SAN JOSE, Calif.
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`BODY:
`March 8, 1996--VESA, the Video Electronics Standards Association, announced today at a press conference to
`launch the VESA Unified Memory Architecture (VUMA) standard, the immediate adoption and implementation of the
`technology by leading graphic and core logic vendors.
` Committee Chair, Rajesh Shakkarwar was joined by 3D Labs, Award, Cirrus, Cypress, Elitegroup, Hitachi, S3,
`Trident, OPTi, SiS, UMC, and VIA in presentations on the technology and demonstrations of products incorporating
`this new technology. The VUMA architecture enables more efficient use of system memory and will allow economical
`integration of high-performance, multimedia applications such as 3D graphics and MPEG playback in PCs.
` "VUMA is the next logical step in the evolution of PC architecture," said Rajesh Shakkarwar of OPTi and chair-
`man of VESA's UMA committee. "The fact that major players are already implementing this new standard proves the
`key role VESA can play in enabling industry leaders to unify in their efforts to allow important hardware and software
`components to work together in a system. In the end, we're providing end-users with more economical, efficient and
`interoperable products."
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`VUMA Design and Implementations
` The new VUMA standard for personal computers offers flexibility, performance, efficiency, reduced cost and
`various price/performance options for system designers. VUMA was designed to share physical system memory
`(DRAM) between the system and an external VUMA device. A VUMA device could be any type of controller that
`needs to share physical system memory (DRAM) with a CPU, as well as directly access the DRAM.
` Peripherals can utilize VUMA in a variety of ways. The first implementation of a VUMA device is a graphics
`controller. With the VUMA system in place, a graphics controller will use a part of the physical system memory as its
`frame buffer, thus sharing it with the system and directly accessing it. This could eliminate the need for separate
`graphics memory or frame buffer, resulting in cost savings.
` The next implementation of a VUMA device will be with a 3D graphics controller. Using a VUMA system, the
`3D graphics controller will incorporate off-screen buffers and texture, and/or a frame buffer in the physical system
`memory. This will result in efficient utilization of resources.
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`More Flexibility for the PC
` VUMA enables a more flexible PC which will allow computer users to change the distribution of the total physical
`system memory in to graphics and OS memory through a slider bar, without opening the PC or resetting the machine.
`This will allow the system to run memory-intensive applications with a smaller frame buffer and larger system memory;
`or a graphics-intensive application with a larger frame buffer and smaller system memory, giving end-users the best of
`both worlds.
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`VESA Announces Release of Unified Memory Architecture Standard; Leading Graphic & Core Logic Vendors
`Immediately Implement New Technology Business Wire March 8, 1996, Friday
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` In a VUMA system, if the user selects a graphics mode not requiring all of the allocated frame buffer, the unused
`frame buffer could be returned to OS for its use. Conventional IBM-compatible PCs have a frame buffer separate from
`the main memory to handle the high bandwidth requirements of graphics controllers from the frame buffer for screen
`refresh. With the older technology, the main memory could not support both the CPU and graphics controller data
`bandwidths, so a separate frame buffer was the only practical solution.
` In the past, the VUMA approach would have significantly reduced system performance. However, today's im-
`provements in all the supporting technologies, such as high-performance DRAMs -- EDO, BEDO and Sync DRAM;
`wide data paths; buffered memory access to I/O buses; improvements in L1 and L2 cache sizes and cache architectures;
`CPU and Core logic data bursting and buffering; have converged in such a way that VUMA becomes a very attractive
`and practical solution. In one implementation where a separate frame buffer is not required, VUMA results in cost
`savings over the traditional architecture. In other implementations it results in higher performance.
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`Builders of the VUMA
` Several leading graphics, systems and core logic companies worked on the development of the VUMA standard,
`and the standard is endorsed by the following companies: 3Dlabs, Acer, Advanced Micro Devices, AMI, ARK Logic
`Inc., ATI Technologies, Award Software, Axis, Cirrus Logic, Cypress Semiconductor, Cyrix, Elitegroup Computer
`Systems, Expressway, Hitachi America, Hualon Microelectronics, Integrated Technology, Macronix, Metro Link, Mi-
`croelectronics International, Mobicom Technologies, Molex, Oak Technology, OPTi, Phoenix Technologies, RIDS
`Systems Ltd., S3 Inc., SiS Corporation, Samsung Information Systems, Samsung Semiconductor, SGS-Thomson Mi-
`croelectronics, TEC Corporation, Tiva Microcomputer Corp., TMC, Trident Microsystems, Tulip Computers, UMC,
`VIA Technologies, Weitek Corporation and Winbond Systems Lab.
` VESA is the international organization that sets and supports industry-wide video, audio, graphics and electronic
`standards designed to support the PC, workstations and other computing environments. VESA is committed to devel-
`oping open, interoperable and international standards globally for these markets, thus ensuring worldwide market
`growth. VESA is a non-profit corporation established in 1989 and is headed by a Board of Directors representing a
`membership of more than 260 corporations worldwide. For more information or to arrange an interview, please con-
`tact the VESA office at 408/435-0333.
`CONTACT: OPTi Inc.
` Rajesh Shakkarwar, 408/486-8616
` rajesh@opti.com
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`LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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`PERSON: MICHAEL MCMAHON (55%); MICHAEL MCMAHON (55%);
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`COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (87%);
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`CITY: SAN JOSE, CA, USA (59%);
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`STATE: CALIFORNIA
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`COMPANY: 3D LABS INC LTD (58%);
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`ORGANIZATION: VESA
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`INDUSTRY: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS PRODUCT
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`GEOGRAPHIC: CALIFORNIA
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`LOAD-DATE: March 9, 1996
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