Mercury Computer Systems Initiates the OpenVPX Industry Working Group

Mercury Computer Systems Initiates the OpenVPX Industry Working Group

Mercury to team with leading defense prime contractors and other embedded computing suppliers to create system-level guidelines for achieving true interoperability in VPX-based embedded computing systems

CHELMSFORD, Mass., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY), a leading provider of high-performance, embedded computing solutions for image, sensor, and signal processing applications, announced the OpenVPX^™ Industry Working Group, an independent association being formed through the alliance of more than 10 leading defense prime contractors and COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) systems developers striving to solve the interoperability issues of VPX system architectures.

Recognizing the VPX interoperability and system management challenges, Mercury initiated the OpenVPX Industry Working Group, whose charter is to publish a comprehensive System Design Guide that will improve interoperability of COTS 3U and 6U VPX-based systems achieved in part by implementation of predefined system profiles.

For the past five years, Mercury has designed and deployed high-end ATCA and MicroTCA systems. Mercury is leveraging this expertise and the proven underlying scalable architecture, including advanced system management technology, as the foundation for Mercury's contribution to the OpenVPX Industry Working Group.

"The OpenVPX system-level approach will enable prime contractors to greatly reduce the time required to create integrated COTS solutions in 3U and 6U form factors," said Didier Thibaud, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Computing Solutions at Mercury. "It will also lower the risk of adoption, and expand the addressable market for VPX solutions, while accelerating deployment into real-world applications."

The VPX standard rapidly evolved into a family of specifications defining a number of board-level architecture options. While the range of available VPX-based specifications is intended to enable superior processing performance for various defense embedded computing applications, it has significantly increased the probability that VITA 46-based products developed by multiple manufacturers will not operate together in an integrated system.

"One of the great strengths of the VME community has been the ability to combine technologies from many contributors into high-performance systems," said Ray Alderman, Executive Director of the VITA Standards Organization. "That worked in VME, because we had an open standard that was mature and unambiguous. In moving to a new generation of standards, like VPX, we've lost some of that interoperability. I'm very glad to see a proven systems company like Mercury take the lead in defining a practical approach to restoring that level of design maturity."

Mercury will act as steward of the OpenVPX Industry Working Group during its formation. The key outcome of this group, a completed System Design Guide, will be contributed to the VITA Standards Organization.

For more information on the OpenVPX Industry Working Group, visit www.mc.com/OpenVPX, or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951 or at info@mc.com.

About VPX

VPX, known as VITA 46, is an ANSI standard (ANSI/VITA 46.0-2007) defined by the VMEbus International Trade Association (VITA) that provides VMEbus-based systems with support for switched fabrics over a new high-speed connector. The VPX standard was developed to define a new generation of computing systems that will utilize high-performance switch fabrics as well as operate in harsh environments.

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. - Where Challenges Drive Innovation^™

Mercury Computer Systems (www.mc.com, NASDAQ: MRCY) provides embedded computing systems and software that combine image, signal, and sensor processing with information management for data-intensive applications. With deep expertise in optimizing algorithms and software and in leveraging industry-standard technologies, we work closely with customers to architect comprehensive, purpose-built solutions that capture, process, and present data for defense electronics, homeland security, and other computationally challenging commercial markets. Our dedication to performance excellence and collaborative innovation continues a 25-year history in enabling customers to gain the competitive advantage they need to stay at the forefront of the markets they serve.

Mercury is based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and serves customers worldwide through a broad network of direct sales offices, subsidiaries, and distributors.

Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the OpenVPX Industry Working Group. You can identify these statements by our use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, including unforeseen weakness in the Company's markets, effects of continued geo-political unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, continued funding of defense programs, the timing of such funding, changes in the U.S. Government's interpretation of federal procurement rules and regulations, market acceptance of the Company's products, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, inability to fully realize the expected benefits from acquisitions or delays in realizing such benefits, challenges in integrating acquired businesses and achieving anticipated synergies, and difficulties in retaining key customers. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

    Contacts:
    Kathleen Sniezek, Public Relations Manager
    Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.
    978-967-1126 / ksniezek@mc.com

    Leigh McLeod, Media Relations
    Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.
    978-967-1120 / lmcleod@mc.com

Challenges Drive Innovation and OpenVPX are trademarks of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA are registered trademarks of PICMG. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.mc.com