BusinessWire
March 08, 2006 06:25 AM US Pacific Timezone

Avnet Electronics Marketing Launches Worldwide SpeedWay Workshops Featuring Embedded Processing, DSP, PCI Express and Embedded Networking

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 2006--
Multiday Events Deliver the Industry's Most Complete Collection of Xilinx Design Topics

Designers, developers and engineers interested in using Xilinx FPGAs and design tools to build embedded processing, DSP, PCI Express, Logic and Embedded Networking applications can get hands-on experience by attending one of Avnet Electronics Marketing's new SpeedWay Design Workshops(TM). Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT), will begin offering an extensive spectrum of workshops late-March in North America, with dates for Asia, Japan and Europe to be announced soon.

Avnet's SpeedWay workshops offer in-depth technical training for design professionals that value a hands-on approach to learning how to adopt Xilinx' programmable solutions into their next design. For the spring 2006 series of workshops, Avnet has developed nine different modules that cover a far-reaching collection of FPGA-based application domains, including programmable logic, embedded processing, DSP, and connectivity. The suite of topics delivered at each multiday event will vary by location. Each participating Avnet branch will assemble several days of training by choosing a subset of topics from the following list:

-- Introduction to FPGA Design

-- Improving Design Performance

-- Creating a Low-Cost PCI Express Design

-- Xilinx DSP Development

-- Xilinx DSP for Video

-- Xilinx MicroBlaze(TM) Development

-- Xilinx PowerPC(TM) Development

-- Xilinx Embedded Software Development

-- Embedded Networking with Xilinx FPGAs

These information-packed modules are based upon the design experience of Avnet application engineers and on the latest breakthrough technologies from Xilinx, including the ISE logic design tools, the Platform Studio(TM) embedded development tool, and the SystemGenerator for DSP tool. SpeedWay workshops are delivered using laptop PCs, FPGA development boards and application labs. Designers will get step-by-step, detailed instructions on design practices, tool utilization and code development. Participants will dramatically accelerate their skill set for these powerful Xilinx technologies, gaining knowledge and experience that can be immediately applied to an upcoming project.

"Avnet is pleased to offer this new series of SpeedWay workshops to assist customers in adopting Xilinx technologies," said Ed Smith, senior vice president of sales for Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas. "This is the industry's most robust distributor-executed training program tailored specifically to accelerate the design cycle. These workshops will enable customers to deliver their products to market faster and with lower overall development costs."

"We've received consistent feedback from customers that Avnet's SpeedWay workshops are a great way to get jump started with a Xilinx solution," said David Stieg, senior director of channel marketing for Xilinx. "The hands-on approach to real-world designs is very effective. Avnet's SpeedWay workshops have become an industry hit; they cover the most compelling Xilinx topics and offer customers the ultimate flexibility for in-field training."

Customers can register today for the workshop series, which are offered free of charge with the purchase of any one of six specially priced design kits. The cost of the workshop without a kit purchase is $99.

For complete details about the workshops and to register, please visit http://em.avnet.com/xlxspringspeedway.

About Xilinx

Xilinx is the worldwide leader in complete programmable logic solutions. For more information, visit www.xilinx.com.

About Avnet Electronics Marketing

Avnet Electronics Marketing is the largest operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet Inc., a Fortune 500 company. Avnet Electronics Marketing serves electronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in 68 countries, distributing electronic components from leading manufacturers and providing associated design-chain and supply-chain services. The group's Web site is located at http://www.em.avnet.com.

Avnet enables success from the center of the technology industry, providing cost-effective services and solutions vital to a broad base of more than 100,000 customers and 300 suppliers. The company markets, distributes and adds value to a wide variety of electronic components, enterprise computer products and embedded subsystems. Through its premier market position, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of capabilities that help its trading partners accelerate growth and realize cost efficiencies. For fiscal year ended July 2, 2005, Avnet and the recently acquired Memec (closed July 5, 2005) generated combined revenue in excess of $13 billion in the past year through sales in approximately 70 countries. Visit http://www.avnet.com/.