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The surging demand for data throughput makes Internet infrastructure builders feel as if they are being asked to shove an elephant through a garden hose.
As more people discover the unbridled joy of web surfing, they demand more information through a limited “pipeline.” Industry analysts predict that in two years 490 million people will have Internet access—that‘s 79 out of every thousand people on Earth. Envision the demand this growth will place on the Internet infrastructure—demand for greater bandwidth, higher speeds, and ever-increasing levels of performance from advanced backplane and interface applications. Fairchild is using our expertise in high-drive, high-speed, low noise I/O technologies and focusing on the expansive Internet, client/server and wireless network markets, offering a growing list of innovative new interface products developed to place our customers at the leading edge of technological development. As CPU speeds, memory speeds and data throughput continue to increase, there is a greater demand for products that move data and clock signals from one board to another. Compounding this need for performance is an increased demand for the highest possible signal integrity—a stiff challenge for today’s technologies. Fairchild has the product and support solutions to meet demand. Fairchild Switch Technology and Gunning Transceiver Logic Plus, or GTLP, are just two examples.
Traditionally Fairchild has expanded logic families by offering new electrical characteristics. A recent refocus on new package designs, including the amazingly small but remarkably powerful TinyLogic™ family (which features one package design about the size of a speck of pepper and small enough to be carried off by an ant) is opening new markets for Fairchild’s logic products, including cell phones, PDAs, set top boxes, and satellite receivers.
The move toward interface products and value-added advanced packaging is creating exciting opportunities to leverage our competencies in high-speed, high-drive, low noise circuit design with products for the high growth Internet hardware and wireless communications markets. And the results are showing. For three consecutive years, the Interface & Logic Group has doubled its new product revenue. New products now exceed 25 percent of the group’s total sales.
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 QUESTION: What distinct advantages do Fairchild products offer?
ANSWER: We emphasize rapid innovation from silicon technology to packaging and service. Our products combine excellent thermal management with superior electrical performance and a smaller footprint, enabling our customers to get more performance in less space—all with low implementation costs
on their part.
QUESTION: In what areas will Fairchild’s product development be focused in the
next decade?
ANSWER: To strengthen our growth in the fastest growing multi-market segments, we are focusing the next phase of research and development in the areas of power management, power conversion, advanced small packaging, and advanced interface products. This includes chip scale packaging for discrete components, the development of specialized logic interface devices, including USB transceivers, tiny packaging, and lower voltage switching, and the enhancement of our analog and mixed signal portfolio with low power data converters, M-IC motor drivers and SPS cold switch power devices.
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