Voice-Controlled Car Infotainment and Telematics Products

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--March 4, 2002--Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc. today announced that Hitachi's 32-bit SuperH(R) RISC-based platforms now support IBM's Embedded ViaVoice speech technology. This will help accelerate the development of next-generation car infotainment and telematics applications built on the 32-bit SuperH RISC-based platforms. Hitachi and IBM plan to deliver additional platforms that are optimized with voice recognition technology. This new capability is part of the memorandum of understanding signed between Hitachi, Ltd. and IBM's Pervasive Computing Division.
    Hitachi's platforms for Embedded ViaVoice software currently include two system boards based on Hitachi's SH-4 series RISC microprocessors. These platforms are aimed at car infotainment system (CIS) and telematics applications, in-vehicle electronic products that provide occupants with navigation, safety and security, hands-free telephone, audio and video entertainment, Internet commerce, and location based functions and services, among others.
    "Car infotainment and telematics systems are driving growth in the automotive industry," said Tatsuo Yamamoto, vice president of CIS/Telematics Business Unit at Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc. "By offering a tested combination of hardware and software, we can make it easier to implement voice interface and control functions so our customers can boost the benefits their in-vehicle systems provide. Importantly, voice control may be able to reduce driver distractions and simplify system operation, a major safety advantage and a big selling point. Our SH-4 processors have speed to spare when running IBM's voice technology software, so they're powerful application enablers. To help customers design new applications, Hitachi would work with IBM to enable developers to have a flexible, reliable development environment with a complete set of hardware and software tools and voice-recognition middleware."
    Two Hitachi development platforms, based on the Hardware Architecture Reference Platform (HARP), are helping system engineers jump-start car infotainment and telematics systems. Both use popular SuperH RISC processors. One (US7750-HRP1xA**) uses the 200-MHz/360-MIPS SH7750 32-bit RISC processor; the other (US7751-HRP1xA), the 167-MHz/300-MIPS SH7751R processor with on-chip PCI interface. The modular platforms accommodate add-on personality boards, including a general-purpose interface board with an HD64404 companion chip and a graphics board with an HD64413 graphics engine. For maximum system design flexibility, the platforms would be able to run all major operating systems. Hitachi plans future automotive-oriented development platforms based on a SuperH system-on-a-chip (SoC) device to reduce system chip count.
    IBM's Embedded ViaVoice family of products includes solutions for many aspects of a voice-enabled Internet. The ViaVoice distributed voice technology includes embedded software for in-auto telematics devices, as well as server software for service providers. The Embedded ViaVoice software running on Hitachi's platforms includes robust voice recognition plus text-to-speech conversion. The IBM Embedded ViaVoice Standard Multiplatform Edition performs speaker independent voice command and control with an active 500-word vocabulary using just 50MIPS. However, applications can use multiple 500-word vocabularies, making the number of words or phrases limited only by the amount of memory in a system or device. IBM's Embedded Text-To-Speech vocabulary is unlimited.
    "Voice technology is rapidly increasing its presence in business and consumer products," said William S. "Ozzie" Osborne, vice president, Segment Management, IBM Pervasive Computing Division. "We are pleased to be working with Hitachi to provide a full range of applications -- from Internet appliances in cars to consumer electronics and telecommunications. Demand is increasing dramatically as telematics solution providers realize the value that voice technology adds."

    About Hitachi

    Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., supports the requirements of the North American marketplace with a broad range of standard and low-power semiconductor solutions. Offering some of the industry's most popular memory components, microcontrollers, and microprocessors, among other semiconductor solutions, Hitachi provides chips to the world's leading device manufacturers within industrial, consumer and emerging market applications. Hitachi's substantial design engineering, research and development facilities in the United States help bring the world's best technology to U.S. customers. For more information, visit: www.hitachi.com/semiconductor.
    Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. , markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, consumer electronics and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit: www.hitachi.com.
    Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 2000 (ended March 31, 2001) consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($67.9 billion*) The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site: http://global.hitachi.com.

* At an exchange rate of 124 yen to the dollar.

    About IBM

    IBM is the world's leading e-business company offering a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that help businesses take full advantage of emerging innovation. IBM's pervasive computing and mobile Internet strategy is to extend e-business applications to the new class of connected client devices. This involves building, deploying and developing mobile applications by partnering with key players like Ericsson, Intel, Motorola, Nokia and Palm; developing groundbreaking initiatives to set open industry standards; and deploying a Business Innovation Services team with hundreds of wireless Consultants. IBM has also had more than 40 years of delivering voice solutions and more than 150 voice technology patents. IBM also makes chips for a wide range of devices from the world's most powerful computers to the smallest cell phones. IBM can be found on the Web at www.ibm.com.

** Note: "x" represents the generic identifier for various operating systems that run on HARP.

    Note to Editors: SuperH is a U.S. registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd.
    IBM and ViaVoice are registered trademarks of International Business Machine Corporation in the United States, other countries or both.