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Colchester, UK and Toulon, France –
April 2004 - Concurrent
Technologies, a leader in the design and development of
high-performance and innovative single board computer products
based on Intel® Pentium® and Motorola®
PowerPC® technology, and Thales Computers, a leader
in the development of high-performance PowerPC- and
Pentium-based VMEbus systems, announced that under a recently
signed agreement, they will be undertaking the joint
development of a new family of Pentium M-based VME processor
boards. The boards will be available in commercial,
extended-temperature, and rugged versions.
Under the agreement, Concurrent
Technologies will be responsible for the design and
manufacture of the commercial product lines, and Thales
Computers will be responsible for the design and manufacture
of the extended and rugged products. Both companies will sell
all versions under a cross-distribution agreement.
Glen Fawcett, Managing Director of
Concurrent Technologies, stated, "This agreement combines the
complementary expertise and skills of Concurrent Technologies
and Thales Computers to bring to the market a product family
that will meet the needs of our customers, whether they are
involved in commercial or defense-oriented products. The
products will be designed to be electronically compatible so
customers can start development with commercial versions and
progress to the rugged versions as necessary, safe in the
knowledge that their software can transfer seamlessly from one
version to the other."
Alain
Albarello, CEO of Thales Computers, said, "This joint
development agreement will enable both companies to go to
market sooner with new products, while addressing a wider
range of customer needs. Thales Computers proposes using its
patented Ruggedizer™ technology to transform the commercial
version of the board into a rugged product. There is a clear
contribution to the project from both companies, hence
minimizing joint development risks. This agreement will be
fully beneficial to both of our customer communities."
The first commercial products are
due for release during Q2, 2004, and the rugged products will
be available later this year.
About Concurrent Technologies
Concurrent Technologies is an
international ISO 9001 company specializing in the design and
manufacture of commercial-off-the-shelf and custom-designed
industrial computer boards for real-time embedded
applications. The company, which was founded in 1985, has
offices in the USA and UK. In addition to its original
Multibus II product line, the company has a wide range of
high-performance, Intel processor-based VME and CompactPCI
products, which are complemented by an extensive offering of
PMC (PCI Mezzanine Card) products. The company offers support
for many of today's leading industry standard operating
systems.
About Thales Computers
Thales is
an international electronics and systems group serving the
defense, aerospace, and security markets. The group employs
62,000 people worldwide and generated revenues of
€10.6 billion in 2003.
Thales Computers is a leading
developer of commercial and ruggedized VMEbus systems
solutions based on PowerPC and Pentium microprocessors. The
company's products are optimized for a wide variety of
applications in the military, aerospace, transportation,
communications, and industrial markets and are used by
customers worldwide, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon,
Boeing, Bombardier, Toshiba, BAE, British Aerospace, Ericsson,
Alcatel, Thales Group, and others. |