Jun 19, 2007

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Akira Kadota, International PR
  Tel: 03-3578-1237  Fax: 03-3436-6766
Panasonic News Bureau
  Tel: 03-3542-6205  Fax: 03-3542-9018

Panasonic Develops a New-generation of its UniPhier System LSI
Using a 45-nm Process

- High-performance, low-power LSI leads the ubiquitous network society -



Osaka, Japan - Panasonic, the leading brand by which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is known, has recently developed a new-generation of its UniPhier* system LSI that integrates new AV data compression/decompression (codec) technology. The company started mass-production of the new UniPhier this month by applying a 45-nm process to a system LSI for the first time in the industry.** This development contributes significantly to the creation of a ubiquitous network inside and outside the home as networking among home-use digital devices can be achieved more widely and easily than ever before.

Panasonic UniPhier system LSIs provide integrated platforms for digital electronics and are already used widely in all Panasonic digital AV devices. This new-generation UniPhier is however equipped with high performance for processing motion/still image data and further improves the technology with the addition of an AV codec that responds to the next-generation image data compression standard, such as H.264, ideal for handling high-definition images.

As a result, data compressed down to one third to half that of the conventional methods can be sent to the network while retaining high image quality even for high definition images requiring large amounts of data thus achieving smooth bi-directional communication.

Additionally, using the 45-nm semiconductor process, Panasonic achieves a single-chip, low-power system LSI with enhanced capabilities.

The features of the new UniPhier are:

  1. Digital image processing is improved by adopting an AV codec corresponding to multiple image compression/decompression standards.
  2. A multi-processor and a high-speed graphics engine for a high-quality user interface are mounted, smoothly achieving interoperability with other digital equipment.
  3. Compact size and low-power consumption are accomplished through the 45-nm new-generation semiconductor process.

Panasonic has achieved this development with the following three outstanding technologies:

  1. A multi-decoding technology that enables two 1080p (1920X1080) high-definition (HD) screens to be processed simultaneously, and a high image quality encoding technology to compress 1080p HD images to a one third to half the size of conventional methods.
  2. A high-performance 3D graphic processing technology and symmetric multi-processor technology providing secure processing.
  3. A system LSI design technology to integrate 250 million transistors on a chip, and 45-nm microstructure semiconductor processing technology.

So far, a significant amount of large communication data traffic on the network is one reason for the decrease in the data transfer speed, since full HD images have a large data volume. This leads to many restrictions for acquiring moving images without putting stress on the network. Moreover, the circuits scale of the 1080p compliant AV codec chip is around four times larger compared with conventional standard-definition (SD) quality since a highly complicated algorithm and high-speed processing are required. This has created a problem in the conventional 65-nm process whereby the size and power consumption of the LSI are doubled or more.

* UniPhier is a trademark/a registered trade mark of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries.
** As of June 19, 2007.

About Panasonic
Best known for its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the Company recorded consolidated net sales of US$77.19 billion for the year ended March 31, 2007. The Company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:MC) stock exchanges. For more information on the Company and the Panasonic brand, visit the Company's website at http://panasonic.net/.


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