ATI und Hercules

Pressemitteilung ATI and Hercules, world leaders in graphics solutions, form a strategic partnership on high-end graphics Munich, Germany and La Gacilly, France, January 10th, 2002 - ATI Technologies Inc. (TSE: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT), a world leader in the supply of graphics, video and multimedia solutions, and Hercules (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(tm)8500 DV 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(tm) 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(tm) 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 Dave Orton, President and COO of ATI. "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(tm) 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 DirectX* 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.