HSINCHU, Taiwan — January 7, 2006 — Macronix International Co., Ltd.
(TSE: 2337), a leading integrated device manufacturer in the
non-volatile memory (NVM) market, today announced the high-performance
and efficiency MXSMIO™ family of flash memory has been expanded to
include optimal-safety features for automotive applications. The MXSMIO
flash devices, which feature multiple-I/O interfaces, are now compliant
with the ISO 26262 ASIL D standard, requiring much higher levels of
safety in vehicles’ electronics.

Automotive Safety Integrity Level D (ASIL D) refers to the systems in
vehicles that require current highest safety level. Many
automotive-electronics applications come with high-risk functions, such
as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), driver-monitoring systems
and autonomous driving. ASIL D-compliant devices are designed to avoid
those risks.

“Safety first; after that, all other necessities fall into place,” said
Roger Chen, safety manager at Macronix International. “The new MXSMIO
members’ primary focus – and this is something our
automotive-electronics customers also prioritize – is safety, which
we’ve ‘baked into’ the flash memory family. By now adhering to the ASIL
D standard, we’re ensuring automotive safety is addressed thoroughly and
well in advance.”

The MXSMIO family’s ASIL D certification means that the flash memory is
verified for the highest level of automotive safety as defined by ISO
26262 from the International Organization of Standards. ISO 26262 is an
international standard with the title “Road Vehicles – Functional
Safety.” It was developed to ensure the safety of vehicles’ electrical
and electronic systems throughout their lifecycles, and to provide
guidelines for designing those systems, including safety-related
functions, processes, methods and tools.

The MXSMIO family provides two kinds of multi-I/O interfaces, giving
designers broader flexibility in product development. The OctaFlash™
MX25/66_UM/LM/UW/LW series features the x8IO interface, whereas the QSPI
MX25/66/U/L_G series uses a Quad I/O interface. The family’s array of
additional features includes:
• 3V or 1.8V operation for power efficiency
• OctaFlash or QSPI interface
• Error correction code (ECC) providing content protection
• Bus cyclic redundancy check (CRC), protecting data transmission during
high frequency operation
• Real-time error correct signal and ECC/CRC status register, delivering
error status to the host

Availability
The MX25/66_UM/LM/UW/LW and QSPI MX25/66/U/L_G series are available now.
Please contact Macronix authorized representatives for pricing and
volume information.