Press Release
ATI and Hercules, world leaders in graphics solutions, form a strategic partnership on high-end graphics
Thursday January 10, 2002
MARKHAM, Ontario, – ATI Technologies Inc. (TSE: ATY, NASDAQ:
ATYT), a world leader in the supply of graphics, video and multimedia
solutions, and Hercules Technologies (Euronext Paris, Guillemot-
6672), European leader in graphics retail boards, announced
today a strategic partnership to develop a range of graphics
products, including high-end boards for the hardcore gamer and
the family user.
Hercules will market through a European Exclusive Agreement ATI’s new All-in-Wonder® products including All-in-Wonder® Radeon® 8500DV technology in retail and distribution channels. This exciting technology is number one worldwide and already counts for 14% of the United States 3D retail market value (NPD Intelect/PC Data: January to November 2001).
Hercules will also have worldwide access to the latest ATI 3D graphics technologies, including ATI’s Radeon® 8500 chip. ATI products have been designed to support the latest DirectX® 8.1 3D application-specific interface (API), resulting in support for more games and delivering the most realistic images possible on a PC screen. Hercules will take advantage of this technology to manufacture the most powerful high-end graphics cards in its 3D Prophet™ branded product offerings.
“ATI provides the most advanced technology for both 3D gaming and digital PCTV applications. This partnership is a strategic shift for Hercules to meet the expectations of both the digital generation and the most demanding gamers,” said Claude Guillemot, President of Hercules Technologies. “ATI’s All-in-Wonder Radeon is the leading product to combine PC and the TV, video editing and DVD playback and proves extremely user-friendly.”
“Our agreement with Hercules is proof that ATI is accepted as a leading provider of graphics acceleration technology for the gaming community,” said David Orton, President & COO of ATI Technologies Inc. “The combination of our proven technologies and Hercules expertise will provide customers with the most advanced solutions in multimedia and entertainment. This is a very important step for ATI and its continuing success in the retail market.”
Hercules, a leading brand name in the games segment, will bring to retail, distribution and system integration markets in Europe the top-rated All-in-Wonder® Radeon® 8500DV. The All-in-Wonder Radeon 8500DV is a unique solution which combines top-performing 3D graphics for gaming, and the most advanced PCTV tuner functions with Personal Video Recorder capability and European teletext support as well as digital video editing for enthusiast PC users. ATI is revolutionizing the 3D gaming experience with its hardware acceleration and full support of new DirectXâ 8.1 features to deliver more complex texture and lighting effects than ever before.
Hercules products powered by ATI’s All-in-Wonder Radeon will begin shipping in February 2002.
Copyright 2002 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.
About Hercules Technologies
Founded in the United States in 1982, Hercules Technologies developed the industry’s
first high-resolution graphics boards for PCs. Having set the monochrome graphics
standard, Hercules then proceeded to pioneer advances in color graphics solutions.
Over the years, Hercules has constantly sought to evolve, providing innovative
lines of graphics, video, and – more recently – audio and display products, geared
principally towards the international gaming community. Hercules has been a division
of the Guillemot Corporation group since 1999. Guillemot Corporation designs
and manufactures a complete range of PC hardware products and PC and gaming console
accessories. With an active presence in 17 countries, the group currently distributes
its products in a total of 45 countries. Guillemot Corporation is listed on the
Paris Stock exchange, Sicovam code 6672. For further information, please visit
our web site at http://www.hercules.com. 3D Prophet and Hercules are trademarks
and/or registered trademarks of Guillemot Corporation. All rights reserved. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective proprietors.
About ATI Technologies Inc.
Founded in 1985, ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the supply of graphics,
video and multimedia solutions for the personal computer and Mac platforms. The
pioneer, innovator and market leader in the graphics industry, ATI provides cutting-edge
technologies for the PC, workstation, set-top box, game console and other consumer
appliances markets. The Company has more than 1,900 employees supporting customers
from its headquarters in Markham, Ontario, Canada, as well as from offices in
Barbados, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the United Kingdom
and the United States. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto
Stock Exchange (ATY).
For media or industry analyst support, please visit our Web site at http://www.ati.com
or contact:
Brian Chadderton, Senior Public Relations Counsel, at (905) 882-2600, Ext. 8350
or bchadder@ati.com Pedro Cabezuelo, Counsellor, BenchMark Porter Novelli, at
(416) 422-7164 or pcabezuelo@bmporternovelli.com
Anne Ferguson, Senior Counsellor, BenchMark Porter Novelli, at (416) 422-7154
or aferguson@bmporternovelli.com
For investor relations support, please contact: Janet Craig, Director, Investor
Relations, ATI Technologies Inc., at (905) 882-2600, Ext. 2631 or jcraig@ati.com
