RapidIO Connections - February 2004
Mercury Computer Systems Delivers TeraFLOP Performance in Embedded RapidIO SystemExtreme Performance Density Targeted to Deployed High-End Signal and Image Processing Applications CHELMSFORD, Mass. - January 13, 2004 - Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY) today established new benchmarks for scalable embedded systems performance density and data bandwidth with the introduction of its PowerStream® 7000 multicomputing system. Its 150 GFLOPS/cubic foot of processing power underscores Mercury’s commitment to enabling deployable processing solutions close to the sensor, where they yield the most benefit to the warfighter. Based on the industry-standard RapidIO® interconnect architecture, the PowerStream 7000 system provides a 700% increase in bisection data bandwidth and a 70% increase in computational density, compared to earlier systems. This bandwidth improvement enables deployment of new, higher-resolution adaptive signal processing algorithms that serve the ever-increasing need for quick and accurate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). “Mercury’s unrivaled strategic focus on research and development for the embedded multicomputing industry continues to yield great benefits for our customers,” said Jay Bertelli, president and CEO of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. “In PowerStream 7000 systems, Mercury has delivered innovative technology that provides the computing power and density required by leading government electronics customers, at precisely the moment their applications demand it. Looking forward, we will continue to invest in expanding these solutions to ensure PowerStream systems satisfy ever-growing customer needs throughout their program life cycles.” Commitment to Open Standards In the hardware domain, PowerStream 7000 systems utilize the Serial FPDP (ANSI/VITA 17.1-2003) standard for data I/O, and also employ IEEE 1386.1 standard PMC and XMC sites with RapidIO technology (the pending VITA 42.1 standard addresses XMC cards with RapidIO communications). The RapidIO switch fabric interconnect is the only next-generation switch fabric that is certified by International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). “Today’s leading-edge signal and image processing development programs require the next-generation data bandwidth of RapidIO, and Mercury is committed to supporting its customers with high-performance, open RapidIO-based systems designed specifically for the deployment environment,” said Barry Isenstein, vice president and general manager of Mercury’s Defense Electronics Group. “The breakthrough performance density of PowerStream 7000 addresses the pent-up demand for multicomputers with the power to support ever-more power-hungry applications in the confined spaces of deployment platforms such as military aircraft, ships, submarines and land vehicles.” Breakthroughs in Processing Density Coupled with up to 16 Gigabytes/s of streaming fiber I/O, the processing power and interprocessor bandwidth of the PowerStream 7000 meets the needs of the most demanding signal and image processing applications. Previous generations of high-performance systems from Mercury were the first to enable airborne space-time adaptive processing (STAP) radar and are currently built into multiple deployed military applications. The extreme performance of PowerStream 7000 systems represents a dramatic leap compared to earlier generations of deployable multicomputers. Availability Forward Looking Statement This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by our use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, including continuing economic weakness in the Company’s markets, effects of continued geo-political unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, continued funding of defense programs and the timing of such funding, market acceptance of the Company’s products, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and as a US Government contractor, the effect of procurement rules and regulations and the possible imposition of fines and penalties or the termination of the Company’s contracts if the Company were to violate specific laws or regulations. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in the Company’s recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made. The Company may, in its discretion, provide information in future public announcements regarding its outlook that may be of interest to the investment community. The format and extent of future outlooks may be different from the format and extent of the information contained in this release. About Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. Based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Mercury serves customers in North America, Europe and Asia through its direct sales force and a network of subsidiaries and distributors. |