O2Micro's 1st Annual Smart Card Initiate (SCI) Conference
Santa Clara, CA, June 15, 2000 - O2Micro International, Ltd., a leading supplier of innovative ICs to notebook manufacturers, sponsored its 1st Annual SCI (Smart Card Initiate) conference. SCI2000 was held for major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to discuss how the growing demand for Internet security is creating opportunities for smart cards and readers.
The conference objective was to advance the inclusion of smart card readers as standard equipment in PCs and notebooks, and that by doing so OEMs can capitalize on this market opportunity. The need for stronger Internet security has increased international consciousness in recent weeks. Smart cards can provide the robust form of electronic security needed to prevent unauthorized attacks by computer hackers. The Smart Card Industry Association estimates 2.8 billion smart cards will be distributed in the year 2000.
Speakers at the event included O2Micro, Microsoft, MasterCard International, Visa International, RSA Security, Litronic, Acer Internet Services, 360 Degree Web, and Gemplus, with the keynote address by USBancorp Piper Jaffray.
SCI2000 was held on June 7th at the Taiwan International Convention Center during Computex, Taipei 2000 (June 5-9), the world's third largest information technology (IT) tradeshow, highlighting products and technology ready for production.
"The objective of SCI2000 is to advance the adoption of smart card readers in PCs and notebooks, caused by the growing worldwide demand for Internet security and e-commerce", said Max Huang, Vice President, Intelligent E-Commerce division of O2Micro.
The goal of O2Micro's SCI2000 was to prepare major OEMs for SmartCardBus™, an innovative new CardBus IC, that provides built-in reader technology for notebook computers. SmartCardBus is O2Micro's technology leading CardBus controller combined with the capability of the market leading Gemplus secure Smart Card Reader functionality in a single chip, eliminating the need and additional costs of supplying an add-on PCMCIA reader.
In Addition to sponsoring SCI2000, O2Micro is initiating a Smart Card Advisory Working Group to promote the use of smart cards in e-commerce and security applications. The Working Group will consist of application developers and notebook manufacturers.
SmartCardBus offers a lower cost of ownership of e-commerce and corporate security smart card applications. It is simple to use, with no installation required, and is pin compatible with existing O2Micro PCMCIA CardBus controllers.
About O2Micro
Founded in April 1995, O2Micro has quickly established itself as a leading supplier of innovative mixed-signal products to mobile computer and communications manufacturers worldwide. These products include AudioDJ™, CardBus Controller, CCFL Backlight Inverter, and Power Management ICs including the Smart Battery Charger and Smart Battery Selector.
O2Micro offers ACPI compliant products. The company designs products compliant with the System Management Bus (SMBus) and Smart Battery System (SBS) specifications, a subset of the ACPI specification (ACPI is a requirement for Microsoft's PC98 and 99). O2Micro maintains an extensive portfolio of intellectual property with 61 patent claims granted, and over 190 more pending. The company maintains offices worldwide. Additional product information can be found on the O2Micro web site at www.o2micro.com.
Contact Information:
Richard Brayden
O2Micro
408-987-5920, Ext. 8004
richard.brayden@o2micro.com
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