ATI graphics technology to provide SK Telecom's customers
with the ultimate 3D gaming experience
Friday, March 12, 2004
MARKHAM, Ontario, SEOUL, Korea – March 12, 2004 – ATI Technologies
Inc (TSE: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) and SK Telecom Co., Ltd (NYSE: SKM, KOSPI: SKTELECOM)
announced that they have signed an agreement to jointly develop the 3D content
service platform named GIGA (Graphic Instruction Graphic Acceleration) and work
closely with SK Telecom selected cellular phone manufacturers and 3D content
developers.
The GIGA specifications will be based on industry standards, or de facto standards
such as OpenGL ES, and released to cellular phone manufacturers, content developers
and other collaborators in the wireless service marketplace.
Cellular phones designed for GIGA platform are to be powered by ATI's
IMAGEON™ 2300 series multimedia processor that provides outstanding 3D
graphics performance for consumers to enjoy the ultimate 3D gaming experience.
SK Telecom is planning to launch the 3D game service in early Q4 of this year
in Korea and is currently in the process of selecting manufacturers to build
the cellular phones for the service.
“Thanks to the dedicated hardware 3D acceleration in the IMAGEON processor,
users of GIGA service will experience on cellular handsets the similar visual
quality and 3D gaming performance they have had on PCs and game consoles,”
said Dr. Wonhee, Sull, Vice President of Platform R&D Center, SK Telecom.
“Achieving realistic 3D graphics performance in cellular phones with minimum
power consumption was one of the key design considerations of our handheld products,”
added Adrian Hartog, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Consumer
Product Division, ATI Technologies. “We took the world leading technologies
from our proven notebook graphics experience and further enhanced them for the
IMAGEON series chips. We are very excited that SK Telecom is recognizing our
technology leadership.”
“SK Telecom is one of the most advanced mobile carriers in the world.
They have successfully launched many cutting edge services in the past and I
am certain that this 3D content service will be another success story in the
mobile industries. Together with handset manufacturers and content providers
for this service, we can expand our cooperation into other marketplaces beyond
Korea,” said K.Y. Ho, Chairman and CEO of ATI Technologies.
Copyright 2004 ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and ATI product
and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI
Technologies Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, pricing, availability
and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Forward-looking Statements and Uncertainties
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements.”
When used in this press release, words such as “plans,” “intends,”
“anticipates,” “should,” “estimates,” “expects,”
“believes,” “indicates,” “targeting,” “suggests,”
and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various
risks and uncertainties that are outlined in this press release and in the Company's
2002 Annual Report and 2001 Annual Information Form. As a result of these risks
and uncertainties, the Company's operating results and common share price
may be subject to significant volatility, particularly on a quarterly basis.
For example, the markets for the Company's products are characterized by
changing market conditions, frequent new product introductions, seasonal and
variable demand and rapid technology changes. Other factors that could cause
the Company's results to vary include, but are not limited to, lack of
anticipated growth in the demand for PCs, gaming consoles and consumer electronic
devices in which the Company's products are incorporated, reductions in
the Company's average selling prices for its products due to competitive
pressures and other factors, the introduction of new products by the Company's
competitors which render the Company's products non-competitive, delays
encountered by the Company in developing new products or enhancements, including
integrated graphics and core logic components, in the time frame required by
its customers, delays in manufacturing or unfavourable manufacturing yields
experienced by the Company's independent foundries, unexpected variances
in material costs, including silicon wafer, memory and printed circuit boards,
and constraints on the supply of components utilized in the Company's products
and in the PC industry generally. These risks and uncertainties could cause
or contribute to actual results that are materially different from those anticipated
or experienced in the past. Additional information concerning factors that could
cause the Company's financial results to fluctuate is contained in the
Company's filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities.
ATI disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About SK Telecom
SK Telecom is Korea's leading provider of information and telecommunications
services spanning Mobile Services, M-Commerce, overseas operations and subsidiaries.
SK Telecom's SPEED 011, Korea's leading cellular service brand, NATE wireless
Internet service and JUNE multimedia service, which offers Video Phone, VOD
(Video On Demand) and AOD (Audio On Demand) for CDMA2000 1X and 1X EV-DO mobile
phone users, are providing unrestricted access to communication anytime, and
anyplace. SK Telecom already has established a presence in China, Northeast
Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the USA. The company, that has extensive experience
and technology related to first-generation analogue and second-generation CDMA
wireless communications, is leading the race to develop the third-generation
IMT-2000 system and services. For details, please visit http://www.sktelecom.com.
About ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative
3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985,
ATI is the world's foremost visual processor unit (VPU) provider and is
dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of
PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital
television, game console and handheld markets. With 2003 revenues in excess
of US $1.3 billion, ATI has more than 2,200 employees in the Americas, Europe
and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange
(ATY).
Contact Information
For media or industry analyst support, visit our Web site at http://www.ati.com
.
Other ATI Contacts:
John Swinimer, Public Relations Manager, Consumer Products Division, ATI Technologies
Inc., at (905) 882-2600 Ext. 8456 or swinimer@ati.com
For media inquiries:
Chris Evenden, Director, Public Relations, ATI Technologies Inc., at (905) 882-2600,
ext. 8107 or cevenden@ati.com
For investor relations support, please contact:
Janet Craig, Director, Investor Relations, ATI Technologies Inc., at (905) 882-2600,
Ext. 2631 or janet@ati.com
