CeBIT - Hannover, Germany-March 15, 2002 - National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) and Foveon, Inc., a technology leader in high quality digital photography, announced today that Foveon's X3™ image sensor was awarded the German CHIP computer magazine's prestigious CeBIT Highlights 2002 Innovation Award.
In its 10th year, the editors of CHIP magazine give the CeBIT Highlights Awards to companies with revolutionary products in five categories: hardware, software, communication, entertainment and innovation. CHIP Magazine is one of the most widely read German computer magazines.
The editor-in-chief of CHIP Magazine, Thomas Pyczak, presented the award to National Semiconductor's CEO, Brian Halla, during a press conference on Thursday evening at CeBIT. Microsoft and Handspring also received awards.
The X3 image sensor is designed by Foveon and manufactured at National's world-class South Portland, Maine facility. The Foveon? X3 sensor was chosen because of its revolutionary technology that will have far reaching impact on the digital camera and video.
"Receiving the Innovator's Award further strengthens our belief that Foveon X3 will be the preferred technology for future digital camera designs at all price points," said Jim Lau, Foveon's Chief Executive Officer.
About the Foveon X3 Image Sensor
The Foveon X3 represents a true breakthrough in digital photography, bringing significant advantages over all other CCD and CMOS image sensors. Foveon X3 image sensors dramatically improve photographs from digital cameras by capturing three times the color resolution of comparable image sensors found in today's digital cameras. The use of Foveon X3 image sensors will lead to digital cameras that are simpler to design for manufacturers and that provide more image quality and performance value to customers.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; displays; information appliances; and information infrastructure. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 9,800 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
About Foveon
Foveon, Inc. (www.foveon.com) was founded in 1997 by Dr. Carver Mead, a pioneer in solid-state electronics and VLSI design. Foveon's mission is to develop innovative products and technology that allow photographers to fully realize the potential of digital photography. The company's recent accomplishments include: the world's highest quality professional studio portrait camera, the world's first 16.8 million pixel CMOS image sensor and the Foveon X3, the world's-first full color image sensor. Foveon is a privately held company. Investors include: National Semiconductor Inc., Synaptics Inc. and New Enterprise Associates.
