News: Press Release: May 26, 2010

iWatt CEO Ron Edgerton Tapped for Clean Tech Panel at ThinkEquity's Semiconductor Conference

Los Gatos, CA – May 26, 2010 – iWatt, Inc., a developer of energy-efficient digital power supply control integrated circuits (ICs) used in leading edge power supplies, today announced that its president and CEO, Ron Edgerton, will participate in the “Clean Tech - The Next Growth Driver for Semis?” panel during ThinkEquity's First Annual Semiconductor Conference being held June 3, 2010 at the Princeton Club in New York City. Moderated by Krishna Shankar, ThinkEquity’s managing director for semiconductors, the panel will also include representatives from Cavium Networks, Inc., Power Integrations, and National Semiconductor. iWatt is one of the few privately-held companies invited to participate in this conference focused on emerging growth markets.

Mr. Edgerton will discuss the role iWatt’s digitally-controlled GreenTech power supply control ICs play in reducing energy consumption in LED lighting applications, LCD televisions, and cell phone chargers.

Lighting consumes up to 34 percent of U.S. electricity according to Worldwatch Institute, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) quotes similar statistics. In the November 2009 “Life Cycle Assessment of Illuminants” study done by light-emitting diode (LED) lamp manufacturer Osram Opto Semiconductors, an incandescent bulb is said to use about five times more energy over its life cycle than an LED.

Conservation initiatives worldwide are focused on replacing existing incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient LEDs. The DOE initiative to accelerate the use of solid-state lighting, or LEDs, presented a 20-year analysis in its February 2010 report, “Energy Savings Potential of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications.” It projected the cumulative energy savings of LEDs over conventional incandescent and fluorescent lamps to be approximately 1,488 terawatt-hours, or about $120 billion at today’s energy prices, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 246 million metric tons of carbon.

Targeting the incandescent bulb replacement market, iWatt recently released its energy-efficient iW3610 ac/dc digital power controller for LED lighting which is compatible with the installed base of wall dimmers worldwide and reduces LED power consumption.

iWatt’s recently-announced iW7040 LED backlight power supply control IC reduces power consumption by five to ten watts per backlit LCD television, helping manufacturers achieve Energy Star 5.0 requirements.

Finally, in cell phone chargers, which most people leave plugged in 24/7, iWatt’s power supply control ICs can reduce standby power from 300mW to less then 30mW, a 90 percent reduction.

iWatt uses digital algorithms to replace traditional analog control solutions in power supply control, leading to size, cost and efficiency improvements, and lower standby power previously unattainable without the company’s patented adaptive digital control technology.

“Conservation now plays into every engineering design decision,” said Mr. Edgerton, “as well as in our own everyday decisions. Personally, my family is involved in several conservation organizations and believes strongly that conservation should be the first step in any national energy policy, and that policy should rely on innovation to dramatically reduce demand for power consumption.”

About iWatt, Inc.
iWatt Inc. is a power control IC company that designs, develops, and markets semiconductor products for the communication and consumer market segments. The company's patented digital control expertise raises the bar in power supply price/performance metrics. iWatt is currently working with market leaders in the telecom, networking, flat panel display, and consumer electronics markets to develop high density, high value AC-DC and DC-DC power supplies. iWatt is backed by VantagePoint Venture Partners, a leading CleanTech investor, and Sigma Partners. The company’s Silicon Valley headquarters is located in Los Gatos, CA with additional offices in Taipei, Taiwan; Seoul, Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Shenzhen, China; and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.iwatt.com or call iWatt at (408) 374-4200.

Media Contact
Sal Sestito
(408) 628-6510
ssestito@iwatt.com

News: Press Release: May 26, 2010

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