From: bsalter@acorn.co.uk (Brian Salter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: News Release - POWER
Date: 21 Jul 92 15:04:02 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

Acorn Heads European POWER project

Release Date 21.7.92

Acorn Computers Limited is to be the co-ordinating partner in a new 
project set up by the Commission of European Communities. The ESPRIT 
project (European Strategic Programme for Research into I.T.), is 
being called Portable Workstation for Education in Europe - or POWER 
for short. 

The theme of the project is to design and prototype a low cost, yet 
high performance portable computer for use in the Education and 
Training markets. At the heart of the device will be an embedded 
microprocessor from Advanced RISC Machines Ltd. The design will be 
based on European technology, keeping to industry standards wherever 
possible and breaking new ground technically wherever necessary. 

The POWER project will last for 36 months and will be in two equal 
phases.  The first part aims to identify market trends, user 
requirements and the enabling technology, which will then be 
integrated to provide a range of portable solutions specifically 
aimed at the Education market - although overspill into other market
 segments such as the consumer market is anticipated.

Other partners in the POWER collaborative project include Advanced 
RISC Machines Ltd of Cambridge, OPSIS and IDATE in France and 
Pluricom in Portugal. In addition, work will be carried out by three 
associates - Etnoteam in Italy, Lernout & Hauspie Speech products in 
Belgium and the University of Aveiro in Portugal. 

New microprocessor technology development will be carried out as 
part of this project, building on existing ARM processor work using 
Advanced RISC Machines' techniques for low power consumption. 
However, it will also look forward to the next generation of ARM 
processors being developed in collaboration with another ESPRIT 
project known as the Open Microprocessor systems Initiative (OMI). 


Speech input technology, together with fast and efficient audio 
compression techniques will be developed to aid both ease of use and 
data capture. This hands-free method of inputting is seen as a 
crucial departure from traditional user interfaces. 

New display and communications technologies are to be developed for 
the project by OPSIS and Pluricom whilst at the same time evaluating 
complementary technologies available from other quarters.

Acorn Computers' Technical Director, Malcolm Bird said "Many 
elements of the enabling technology for this project already exist 
in Europe, and in many cases POWER will concentrate on developing 
and integrating this technology into the production of a portable 
product.  

"We are currently witnessing a rapid growth in the installed base of 
portable computers and it has been predicted that those numbers will 
increase worldwide by some 50 per cent. Education in its broadest 
sense has always sought the freedom that portability offers and, in 
the schools of tomorrow, every child is likely to have his own 
personal computer in much the same way as calculators are used today.
" he said.

"Acorn Computers is well renowned for its advanced development and 
manufacture of high performance, yet affordable personal workstations
 in Europe. Acorn is already the dominant supplier of computers to 
Education within the United Kingdom where its RISC OS windowed 
operating system has become the de facto standard due to its ease of 
use, performance and cost effectiveness. 

"Although Acorn has been involved with several collaborative 
European R&D projects over the past decade, this is the first 
European project for which it will take overall responsibility - a 
role to which I believe it is well suited."

ENDS



Notes to Editors on the POWER partners

Acorn Computers Ltd Since its foundation over 13 years ago Acorn 
Computers Limited has won international recognition as an innovative 
market leader in personal computer products and services, in 
partnership with third parties. From its earliest beginnings through 
to its pioneering 8-bit BBC computers and its 32-bit Archimedes 
successors, Acorn has been working at the leading edge in computing 
technologies. 

However, it is the development of its own Reduced Instruction Set 
Computer (RISC) processor, which began in 1983, that has led to the 
most significant price and performance breakthroughs. Following the 
launch in 1987 of the first sub-#1000 32-bit RISC machine - the 
Archimedes personal computer - Acorn has manufactured over 180,000 
RISC-based machines. Although many of these computers are used in 
schools and higher education or training, ever more powerful machines
 are helping the British company open up new, fast growing markets 
around the world. 

1990 saw the introduction of the A540 and R260 personal workstations 
operating at 13.5mips and supporting standard UNIX operating systems.
  Last September Acorn launched its highly successful A5000, 
operating with RISC OS 3 and using the ARM3 processor and this summer
 saw the launch of the new A4 portable.

The Archimedes range of machines makes Acorn virtually unique in the 
world of desktop computing. No other company in the UK, and less than
 a handful elsewhere, is involved with machines all the way from the 
technology at their heart right through to the end users who have 
machines on their desks. 

Advanced Risc Machines (ARM) was formed in 1990 by Acorn Computers, 
Apple Computer and VLSI technology. ARM focuses on high performance, 
low cost, low power consumption 32-bit RISC processors for embedded 
control, computing, digital signal processing and portable 
applications. ARM also designs peripherals, supporting software and 
hardware tools. ARM has licensed its technology to two semiconductor 
manufacturers, VLSI Technology and GEC Plessey Semiconductors. Both 
manufacture and sell ARM products worldwide. ARM also offers design 
services, consultancy, feasibility studies, training and supply of 
prototypes.

OPSIS is a small high-tec company created in 1986 and devoted to 
opto & micro-electronic components, aimed at tele-communications and 
security applications. The first product developed by OPSIS is a 
highly legible, low power, reflective thin graphic screen for credit-
card-sized new generation pagers. Other products include a 
fingerprint VLSI sensor integrated into a credit card which is 1000 
times smaller and lighter than optical sensors presently available 
on the market. Both products were developed in conjunction with 
France Telecom. Through POWER, OPSIS will develop a low power thin 
and light, highly legible graphic screen. The legibility of such a 
screen is unique for low power consumption. This is due to the 
advanced and unique properties of OPSIS' screen technology, which is 
not yet being offered by the Japanese industry.




IDATE set up in 1977, is a non profit making organisation working in 
tele-communications, data processing and media. IDATE advises and 
undertakes projects for many national, supra-national and 
international bodies, such as the French Government, European 
Community and UNESCO. Part of the Institute's mission is to assist 
the development of the above fields and to bring together all the 
relevant global players. IDATE is involved in several European 
initiatives including; ESPRIT, DELTA, RACE, MEDIA and ORA. The 
department of Social Management of Technical Innovation aims to take 
a qualitative and sociological look at the implementation and 
development of new communication technologies. 
 
Pluricom is a small company active in development, research and 
consultancy in the areas of: Techno-economic analysis of information 
technologies and tele-communications networks. Software engineering 
as applied to tele-communications problems (network management, 
services engineering, etc). Tele-communications and information 
systems integration. Industrial applications of optoelectronics. 
Training and technological updating programmes. Application of 
wireless technologies in In-House environments (offices, public 
buildings, factories, etc). The involvement of Pluricom in POWER 
will enable the development of several of the above fields and will 
enable the extension of wireless local area networking in education.

Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products is a privately owned company. From 
the start, the goals and objectives set forth were, and still are 
today, to become the leading company in the niche market of 
multilingual voice input / output devices and applications. They are 
among the very first companies to develop and provide all of the 
following in an integrated way: low bit rate digitizing, multilingual
 text to speech conversion, speech recognition and speaker 
verification. Close to 130 highly skilled linguists, engineers and 
support people are currently employed by the company.

Etnoteam SpA is an Italian software company, founded in 1978, with 
180 people, and a 1991 turnover of about 23 billion Italian liras. 
The company is privately owned, and is totally independent from the 
large industrial groups. Locations are in Milan, and Rome. Major 
areas of activities are: software development, consultancy, sales of 
software tools and training.  ETNOTEAM operates mainly as a 
developer of custom software in projects of medium-to-large size, in 
the following four areas: Software Engineering and CASE, Software 
and systems technologies, Telecommunications and real time systems 
and Information Systems.  ETNOTEAM has been involved in many 
cooperative R&D projects over the projects over the past five years 
and has played an important role in the definition of the OMI 
initiative.