New SMSC Fan Speed Controller Family Scales Thermal Management for Both Large and Small System Needs

SMSC (NASDAQ: SMSC), a leading semiconductor company that provides Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity™ solutions, today announced its EMC230x fan speed controller family that consists of four new devices – the EMC2301, EMC2302, EMC2303 and EMC2305. The thermal management needs of larger systems are becoming more complicated and the effects of overlapping thermal zones are preventing fan controllers with integrated thermal management from functioning effectively. To address this, SMSC has developed a new fan speed controller family delivering advanced thermal management in systems requiring as few as one fan or as many as five fans.

In large systems, such as servers, telecommunications systems and networked devices, thermal management is best managed by a central processor that is issuing individual drive signals to remote fans. Whereas most fans in today’s market only provide +/-20 percent fan speed accuracy for a given drive signal, the EMC230x family is designed to receive drive signals from the central host and hold fan speeds to within one percent accuracy. The EMC230x family of devices does this by actively monitoring the fan’s tachometer feedback and then adjusting the speed, as needed, to hit a given target. By accurately controlling fan speed, better acoustic and thermal performance can be maintained, yielding a more reliable and predictable design.

"Recognizing that thermal management for different system sizes often requires a variable solution, SMSC is bringing to market a new set of scalable fan controllers so these platforms can be optimized for both performance and cost,” said Mark Beadle, Vice President and General Manager of SMSC’s Analog Product Line.

When using multiple EMC230x devices within a system, fan speeds can be synchronized for optimal performance of a clock output. If the designer chooses not to synchronize clocks, this option can be utilized as a more accurate clock input to yield 0.5 percent fan speed accuracy. On smaller systems, a designer may simply need to extend the architecture by one fan driver to obtain optimal performance. For these instances, use of the EMC2301 controller is ideal, since the fan drive instructions can be issued over the I2C bus to the EMC2301 to drive an additional fan.

For improved system reliability, all devices in the fan speed controller family can issue important system alerts. These include events such as stalled or aging fans, which help prevent system shut down and overheating. With this information, servicing and troubleshooting fan failures is faster and easier.

In addition, to minimize annoying fan noise associated with sudden changes, all devices come with configurable start-up and ramp rate controls. This feature alleviates some of the compute load associated with driving the fan directly. In summary, all the flexibility offered by the EMC230x family scales to large multi-fan systems or can simply extend the number of fans in next generation systems.

Availability and Pricing:

Samples of the EMC230x family are available today and range in price from $0.60 to $1.60 in 10K quantities.

About SMSC

SMSC is a leading developer of Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity™ solutions. SMSC employs a unique systems level approach that incorporates a broad set of technologies and intellectual property to deliver differentiating products to its customers. The company is focused on delivering connectivity solutions that enable the proliferation of data in personal computers, automobiles, portable consumer devices and other applications. SMSC’s feature-rich products drive a number of industry standards and include USB, MOST^® automotive networking, embedded system control and analog solutions, including thermal management and RightTouch™ capacitive sensing. SMSC is headquartered in New York and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Additional information is available at www.smsc.com.

SMSC and MOST are registered trademarks and Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity and RightTouch are trademarks of Standard Microsystems Corporation.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this announcement are forward-looking statements about expected future events and financial and operating results that involve risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different from those discussed in forward-looking statements. Our risks and uncertainties include the timely development and market acceptance of new products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; our ability to procure capacity from our suppliers and the timely performance of their obligations, commodity prices, interest rates and foreign exchange, potential investment losses as a result of liquidity conditions, the effects of changing economic and political conditions in the market domestically and internationally and on our customers; our relationships with and dependence on customers and growth rates in the personal computer, consumer electronics and embedded and automotive markets and within our sales channel; changes in customer order patterns, including order cancellations or reduced bookings; the effects of tariff, import and currency regulation; potential or actual litigation; and excess or obsolete inventory and variations in inventory valuation, among others. In addition, SMSC competes in the semiconductor industry, which has historically been characterized by intense competition, rapid technological change, cyclical market patterns, price erosion and periods of mismatched supply and demand.

Our forward looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations and may not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers or divestitures. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon the information available to SMSC at this time. Such statements are subject to change, and the Company does not undertake to update such statements, except to the extent required under applicable law and regulation. These and other risks and uncertainties, including potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation, are detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Other Factors That May Affect Future Operating Results” or "Risk Factors” for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.