Atmel and Melexis Introduce a Highly Secure Cryptographic RFID Development Kit

Atmel and Melexis Introduce a Highly Secure Cryptographic RFID Development Kit

San Jose, CA, April 7, 2008…Atmel Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), and Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems N.V. (Euronext Brussels: MELE) announced today their innovative development kit, Yuma+, for contactless, highly secure RFID transactions. The Yuma+ solution is based on Atmel’s secure CryptoRF® chips, with 64-bit embedded cryptographic engines. Atmel’s AVR® microcontroller and the Melexis MLX90121 reader IC.

With the Yuma+ kit, developers of secure RFID systems no longer need an in-depth understanding of the complex details of cryptography in order to deploy secure host-client RFID systems that depend on mutual authentication and data encryption. Yuma+ also eliminates the need to dive deeply into the details of the ISO14443B RFID standard, providing a fully turnkey reader and tag solution. Developers of secure RFID systems can now spend less time worrying about the intricacies of security and RFID and focus instead on fast deployment of their secure contactless applications.

Yuma+ includes a module board and an interface board. The module board which contains an AVR ATMega168 microcontroller, an MLX90121 RFID transceiver chip, and simple SPI connectivity is internally matched to connect to any 50 Ohm antenna for seamless incorporation into any system. The interface board connects to a PC through USB to provide an evaluation platform for the module. Yuma+ also comes with an assortment of CryptoRF tags, software CD with schematics, board layout files and a binary image of the firmware for quick and easy integration.

“Atmel and Melexis are collaborating on today’s applications and actual market needs,” said Gilles Cerede, product marketing manager for Melexis. “CryptoRF, now available in a variety of shapes and sizes of robust tags, is the best solution for high security at a low cost compared to contactless microcontrollers. For Melexis, CryptoRF is a great complement and at the right price.”

“Yuma+ offers customers an attractive alternative to current market solutions,” stated Jean-Pierre Benhammou, business development manager for Atmel. “Thanks to their extensive RF experience and their proven design capability in the contactless reader area, Melexis has been able to design the best reader solution for our CryptoRF chip.”

Availability and Pricing

CryptoRF devices, ATMega168 microcontroller and Yuma+ (AT88SCRF-ADK1) development kits are now available through Atmel’s normal sales channel. MLX90121 is available through the Melexis sales channel. The Yuma+ kit sells for $99.95.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry’s broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

About Melexis

Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems N.V. (Euronext Brussels: MELE) is a mixed signal semiconductor manufacturer. Our core experience supplying ICs for automotive electronics sustains the expansion into Application Specific Standard Products for industrial and consumer product applications. Melexis’ enthusiastically pursues its role as a component supplier whose innovations, while physically small, are the essential element in nearly every one of our customers’ extraordinary systems. At Melexis we believe that “Small things make a big difference”. Melexis’ products include sensor, communication, actuator ICs and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).