MCU- and PWM-Controller products to become formally compliant with latest open communications standard for power-conversion systems
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Geneva,
September 08,2006 -
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a leading supplier of both
microcontrollers and power-management semiconductors, has announced its
membership in the Power Management Bus (PMBus) Implementers Forum as a ‘PMBus
Adopter.’ The PMBus™ protocol is a collaboration among key players in the
industry to establish an open communications standard – operating over the
industry-standard SMBus interface – that facilitatesprogramming, digital
control, and real-time monitoring of power conversion systems without the need
to burden the host system with multiple protocols.
As a PMBus Adopter, ST is now able to offer designers compliant devices for
new systems. Already the company has a broad family of MCUs that are ideal for
power-system control, and ST ships PWM (Pulse-width Modulation) controllers for
Point-of-Load (POL) applications in high volumes. New PWM controllers based on
the PMBus protocol are firmly established on the product roadmap, with formal
announcements expected in Q2 2007.
“ST is a major broad-line supplier of discrete devices, PWM controllers,
MCUs, and linear ICs to manufacturers of power-conversion products,” said
Pietro Menniti, General Manager of ST’s Industrial and Power Conversion
Division. “New devices based on the PMbus protocol, which we will be announcing
shortly, will expand ST’s presence in this market. With our broad portfolio of
semiconductor production processes, we are well positioned to offer value-added
products based on the PMBus standard.”
The need for a standard protocol for power communication has arisen with the
growth of digitally controlled power subsystems. The I2C-based SMBus (System
Management Bus) has been used for several years to manage batteries, chargers,
and backlight systems, and has been considered an ideal basis for the PMBus.
The PMBus uses SMBus as its physical communication layer and includes support
for the SMBus Alert as well as an optional Control line. Version 1.0 of
the PMBus specification was published in March 2005.
More information on the PMBus Implementers Forum is available at pmbus.org
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering
semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics
applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system
expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP)
portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the
forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a
key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's
shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris
and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2005, the Company's net revenues
were $8.88 billion and net earnings were $266 million. Further information on ST
can be found at www.st.com.
Information last updated Jan 2006
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