Under the agreement terms, Molex is licensed under Teradyne''s patents, trademarks, and technology to manufacture and sell the GbX product family worldwide. The two companies will work jointly to deliver truly intermateable, interchangeable products by sharing design and manufacturing processes. Molex expects to begin production of the four pair configuration of the GbX connector in September 2003.

"The Teradyne-Molex partnership is unique in that the two companies deliver products that share design, not just specification," says Rick Schneider, president, Teradyne TCS. "We collaborate continuously over the product lifecycle to improve our respective production and process capabilities. OEM users can source either company''s components with confidence that the parts will work together and meet their performance and reliability requirements."

The GbX license agreement marks the fourth product generation that Teradyne has licensed to Molex since 1995, beginning with Teradyne''s HDM connector family and extending to include its industry-leading VHDM and VHDM-HSDT high-speed, high-density connector platforms.

Says Martin Slark, president and chief operating officer, Molex: "We are very pleased about extending our second-source partnership with Teradyne. The GbX connector is well positioned in the marketplace, enabling real-world system solutions with exceptional mechanical integrity and electrical performance. Molex will work aggressively to tool the GbX product family."

Teradyne''s GbX connector provides the highest level of density available today, offering an upgrade path beyond existing 2mm platforms. The GbX 4-pair platform offers 55 differential pairs per linear inch, allowing for the most XAUI links in the industry today. GbX is currently available from Teradyne in 4-pair and 5-pair versions (69 differential pairs per inch) with a complete breadth of components including power, guidance and polarising.

Teradyne delivers solutions for testing and connecting electronics. It is the world''s leading supplier of automatic test equipment for testing semiconductors, circuit boards and modules, vehicle diagnostics and voice and broadband telephone networks.

Teradyne is also a leader in total system solutions, providing a broad range of technology-focused products and services, including high-speed, high-density connectors, high-performance circuits, backplane assembly and complete systems integration and test. The company had sales of $1.22 billion in 2002 and currently employs about 7200 people worldwide.

Molex designs and manufactures electronic, electrical, fibre-optic components and application tooling. Molex''s worldwide operations include 54 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries, with sales in excess of $1.7 billion in 2001-02.

Molex India, an ISO 9002 and QS 9000-certified company, is one of the country''s largest connector manufacturers. By virtue of its technology leadership, local manufacturing and value-added service, Molex aims to become a complete interconnect solutions partner to its clients. An unrelenting commitment to quality and volume production is made possible with Molex India''s comprehensive infrastructure. This comprises of 90,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore with world-class capability to manufacture connectors cable assemblies and structured cabling systems.

Molex India commenced operations in India in 1988. A second plant at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, for telecom connectors and a tooling facility at Bangalore, which meets captive global tooling requirements, give Molex a very strong manufacturing base in India.