American Megatrends Announces Aptio UEFI BIOS Support for Windows 8, UEFI Development PC at BUILD Conference

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BUILD --

Editorial Summary:

• AMI announces full Aptio® UEFI BIOS firmware support for Windows 8 at BUILD
• The Samsung Windows Developer Preview prototype PC presented at BUILD is powered by Aptio 4.6.5.1
• Aptio's support for Windows 8 is made possible due to full compliance with the UEFI 2.3.1 specification
• AMI adoption of the UEFI 2.3.1 specification adds pre-boot, security, speed and touch-enabled enhancements
• AMI announced the unveiling of a new UEFI Development PC platform today at BUILD conference
• AMI has worked with Microsoft to develop this system and facilitate the rapid development for the Windows 8 Developer Preview throughout the entire developer community
• The new UEFI Development PC platform is powered by the latest version of Aptio® UEFI BIOS, version 4.6.5.1
• The UEFI Development PC platform is one of the first PCs on the market with full UEFI 2.3.1 support, for a great Windows 8 Developer Preview experience that includes Secure Boot and advanced TPM Support for enhanced platform security, UEFI boot mode, seamless boot, fully localizable user interface, FastBoot and much more
• An announcement from AMI on this system's availability and configuration options will be coming soon
• AMI will provide a demonstration of the UEFI Development PC platform, together with demonstrations of several platforms from leading manufacturers ready to support Windows 8 and all powered by Aptio 4.6.5.1, in Booth 37 at the BUILD conference for the duration of the event

American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leader in BIOS and computing innovations, is pleased to announce support of its Aptio® UEFI BIOS firmware for the upcoming Windows 8 along with the unveiling of a new UEFI Development PC platform today at BUILD conference.  

BUILD is a Microsoft Corp. event that shows hardware and software developers how to take advantage of the Microsoft platform including Windows. The presentations and demonstrations at BUILD will show developers how to work with Windows 8 to create fast, fluid, and dynamic applications that make optimal use of the power and flexibility of Windows. During today's BUILD keynote speech, Microsoft made available to attendees a Samsung Windows Developer Preview prototype PC, powered by American Megatrends' Aptio UEFI BIOS firmware.  

These prototype PCs are running the latest version of Aptio UEFI BIOS, version 4.6.5.1. This version of Aptio not only offers support for the Windows 8 Developer Preview, but also complies fully with the latest UEFI specifications, UEFI 2.3.1 and PI 1.2, making the advanced features of the UEFI specification such as Secure Boot for enhanced platform security and pre-boot touch support available to manufacturers.

In other news, today at BUILD, Microsoft presented the new UEFI Development PC platform powered by Aptio UEFI BIOS firmware from American Megatrends.  AMI has worked with Microsoft to develop this system in order to facilitate rapid development for the Windows 8 Developer Preview throughout the entire developer community. These development systems are some of the first PC systems on the market with full UEFI 2.3.1 support.  

"Microsoft is pleased to have worked with AMI in the realization of their new UEFI Development PC platform," said Tony Mangefeste, Senior Program Manager, Windows Engineering Ecosystem Division of Microsoft Corp. "We believe this will unleash a broad spectrum of apps and tools from developers worldwide that spur application development for the next version of Windows."

"AMI has collaborated closely with Microsoft to bring the UEFI Development PC unveiled at BUILD to reality, in order to accelerate development for both Windows 8 and UEFI firmware," said Stefano Righi, Vice President of American Megatrends and AMI representative to the UEFI Board of Directors. "AMI and Microsoft continue to contribute to the UEFI community by providing this first UEFI 2.3.1 compatible system, as Secure Boot and the Human Interface Infrastructure are two cornerstones of the recently published specifications."

AMI will provide a closer look at the UEFI Development PC platform - powered by Aptio 4.6.5.1 - in Booth 37 at the BUILD Expo throughout the event. Details on this system's availability and configuration options will be coming soon in an announcement from AMI.

AMI will also provide demonstrations of several platforms from leading manufacturers– all ready to support Windows 8 and all powered by Aptio 4.6.5.1 at the BUILD Expo as well. Interested parties should contact an AMI Sales Representative at 1-800-U-BUY-AMI (1-800-828-9264) for more information on availability and supported chipsets.

About AMI

Founded in 1985 and known worldwide for AMIBIOS®, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software, and utilities to today's high-tech manufacturers. AMI's innovative Aptio® solution for UEFI, modular AMIBIOS8, high quality StorTrends® IP Storage Area Networks (IP-SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Management software solutions, along with MegaRAC® remote server management, KVM over IP, IPMI 2.0 firmware and high-density motherboards continue to garner industry acclaim and awards around the world. In line with the diversity of its technology and product line, AMI is a member of a number of industry associations and standards groups, such as the Unified EFI Forum (UEFI), the Intel® Embedded Alliance and the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S., China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI, and its products and services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visit www.ami.com.

SOURCE AMI