Duesseldorf, 14. Juli 2010 - Renesas Electronics, a premiere supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of its new SuperSpeed Universal Serial Bus (USB 3.0) host controller (part number µPD720200A). It offers 85 percent less power consumption compared to the company’s existing host controller (part number µPD720200) when peripheral devices, such as mice, are not connected to the ports.

Supporting fast data transfer rates of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps), the µPD720200A device achieves low power consumption of 50 milliwatts (mW), 85 percent less than the company’s existing USB 3.0 host controller. The new host controller also has the same footprint as the previous device, which makes it possible for system designers to accommodate their designs on the same board they used for the µPD720200. These advancements enable system designers to develop notebook PCs with longer battery life as well as high data transfer rates.

USB is an interface standard used in a wide range of electronic devices including PCs, digital home appliances, and PC peripherals. USB was originally designed as an interface for relatively low-speed computer peripherals, such as mice and keyboards. However, the need to transfer increasing amounts of information between PCs and portable electronic devices is growing rapidly. USB 3.0 has been developed to address this need by providing the world’s fastest USB data transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps). This is ten times faster than previous USB 2.0 transfer speeds, while maintaining backward compatibility with the other USB standards.

As a member of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) since 1996, Renesas Electronics (formerly NEC Electronics) has played a leading role both in defining the USB standards and in developing USB technology. In April 2000, the company (then NEC Electronics) launched the µPD720100 device, the world's first USB 2.0-compliant host controller chip and an extensive range of other USB devices.

In May 2009, Renesas Electronics introduced the industry's first USB 3.0 host controller. Just 4 months after its release, the company became the world’s first to earn the "Certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)" certification from the USB-IF. At the same time started mass production of the µPD720200 host controller.

To ensure backward compatibility with the billions of USB 2.0 devices on the market, Renesas Electronics has been collaborating with major manufacturers of PC peripheral devices to test compatibility.

Renesas Electronics’ µPD720200, currently the only certified and commercially-available USB 3.0 host controller on the market, has been adopted by PC and motherboard manufacturers worldwide. It has become the de facto standard among USB 3.0 host controllers with 3 million units shipped in the six months to March 2010 alone. The µPD720200 and its newer version, the µPD720200A, build on Renesas Electronics’ proven technology expertise and extensive range of USB 2.0-compliant system-on-chips (SoCs).

The company also provides a driver solution, a USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) driver, designed specifically to enhance the performance of the company’s USB 3.0 host controller.

Renesas Electronics’ new host controller provides longer battery life for notebook PCs and netbooks while facilitating the development of desktop PCs and digital home appliances with lower power consumption. The company believes the new µPD720200A host controller will further promote the widespread adoption of USB 3.0 technology as it addresses today’s rising demand for energy conservation. Renesas Electronics intends to market the new host controller chip aggressively.

Please refer to the separate sheet for the main specifications of Renesas Electronics' new µPD720200A host controller.

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About Renesas Electronics Europe
Renesas Electronics Europe with its Business Operations Centre located in Duesseldorf, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), the world’s number one supplier of microcontrollers and a premiere supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions including microcontrollers, SoC solutions and a broad-range of analog and power devices. Renesas Electronics’ European structure is comprised of five dedicated business groups serving the region’s key markets: automotive, communications & consumer, industrial, secure MCU applications, and mobile platforms. The business groups are supported by the Engineering Group, which itself includes the Engineering Design Centre; the European Quality Centre that provides technical support to local customers in Europe; and the European Technology Centre to design leading-edge products specifically for the European market.  Further information about Renesas Electronics Europe can be found at: www.renesas.eu.

Separate Sheet

Product Specifications of Renesas Electronics’ new µPD720200A USB 3.0 Host Controller

- Based on Universal Serial Bus 3.0 Specification Revision 1.0, released by the USB Implementers Forum, Inc.

- Based on Intel's eXtensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) Specification Revision 0.96

- Based on PCI Express® Base Specification 2.0, released by PCI SIG

- Supports the following data transfer rates:
     Low-speed (1.5 Mbps) / Full-speed (12 Mbps) /
     High-speed (480 Mbps) / Super-speed (5 Gbps)

- Supports all USB compliant data transfer types, including:
     Control / Bulk / Interrupt / Isochronous transfer

- Supports 2 USB downstream ports for all speeds

- Supports USB legacy function

- Supports PCI Express® related expansion card specification:
     ExpressCard® Standard Release1.0
     PCI Express® Card Electromechanical Specification Revision 2.0
     PCI Bus Power Management Interface Specification Revision 1.2

- Operational registers are direct-mapped to PCI memory space

- Supports External Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) type FLASH PROM

- Supports low-power consumption (approx. 50mW when devices are  disconnected)

- System clock: 24 MHz crystal or 48 MHz external clock

- 3.3 V and 1.05 V power supply

- Package: 176-pin plastic FBGA (10 x 10 mm, 0.65 mm ball pitch)