Thales unveils PENTXM2

June 12, 2006 – Paris, France – Thales, a leading provider of VMEbus and CompactPCI single-board computer (SBC) products and systems, today introduced at Eurosatory 2006 its PENTXM2, the first server class manageable VMEbus blade to use the low-power Intel dual-core Xeon processor.

Thales’ PENTXM2 uses the 1.67 GHz dual-core Xeon, Intel’s most advanced low-power x86 technology, combined with the Intel E7520 server class memory controller hub (MCH). The PENTXM2 is available with up to 4GB of DDR2-400 SDRAM. When paired with the support of VITA 31.1 backplane networking, the PENTXM2’s VITA 38 intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) feature provides for easy scaling into a multiprocessing system. The PENTXM2 provides a dual SATA-150, a triple USB 2.0 port and an EIDE interface for an on-board disk or compact-flash support.

“The PENTXM2 represents a significant stride in Thales’ technological excellence in multi-processing systems and Intel computing platforms,” said Alain Albarello, general manager of Thales’ computer activities. “In a new generation of embedded applications in which scalability, extensibility and reliability are as critical as performance, size, weight and power, the PENTXM2, both in its standalone and complex cluster configurations, proves to be the ideal product for naval and aerospace programs.”

The PENTXM2 runs Red Hat Linux and features as an extensible firmware interface (EFI) standard BIOS/Firmware which is able to boot Linux 2.6, VxWorks , Lynx OS, Microsoft Windows, and Red Hat Linux operating systems. The PENTXM2 is available as a stand-alone board component or pre-integrated in large systems (PowerMP6) with full data transport and management software based on standards such as MPI and HTTP.

“The combination of the PENTXM2 with dual head graphics XMC significantly upgrades the graphics performance of naval and airborne consoles to a point where users can implement new features such as multi-head display and high resolution video grabbing,” said Alain Albarello.

Pricing for the PENTXM2 starts at $3,950 in small volume and subject to specifications. A rugged conduction-cooled version of the PENTXM2 will be available in the third quarter of 2006. The PENTXM2 is covered by Thales Computers’ Long Term Supply program. This offer guarantees defense customers a multi-year supply of the product beyond its active life, a unique offering for Intel processor-based products.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace, security and services markets worldwide. The Thales Group employs 60,000 people throughout the world and generated revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2005.

Thales computers activities include development of commercial and ruggedized VMEbus & CompactPCI multiprocessing solutions based on PowerPC and Pentium microprocessors. Thales’ 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, British Aerospace, Ericsson, Alcatel, MBDA, Finmeccanica, Thales Group, and others. For more information please visit our web site at www.thalescomputers.com.