Ralink Employs MIPS32 74K Processors in New 802.11n Dual Band WLAN AP/Router SoC

- MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqGS: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for home entertainment, communications, networking and portable multimedia markets, today announced that its MIPS32® 74K^TM processor core is powering Ralink Technology's next-generation 802.11n Dual Band WLAN AP/Router SoC. The superscalar 74K core enabled Ralink to design a powerful chipset for broadband routing, Ethernet to Wi-Fi bridges, VoIP, online gaming and home entertainment. These applications require high-performance, low-power and compact processing solutions to support advanced services, content and functionality, along with reduced system cost.

"MIPS Technologies provides a breadth of cores to meet differing market requirements. We've leveraged MIPS' processors for numerous products throughout the years, and are pleased to now reap the performance benefits of the 74K core for our new SoC," said Fred Jann, vice president of marketing for Ralink Technology. "Our new 802.11n Dual Band AP/router SoC delivers superior data rates and the best available wireless coverage for 802.11n, and MIPS is a critical component of our success."

"Ralink is recognized worldwide as an innovator in WLAN chipset development, and we're proud to be part of another of its successful designs," said Art Swift, vice president of marketing, MIPS Technologies. "The 74K core provides the performance headroom required for today's networking and other high-bandwidth applications. The combined expertise of Ralink and MIPS results in high-performance, reliable and cost-effective solutions, building on our market leadership in networking, communications and multimedia."

According to market research firm ABI Research, shipments of consumer-oriented 802.11n Wi-Fi access points are expected to increase dramatically over the next several years, rising from six million in 2008 to a forecast of 88 million in 2013. The firm anticipates that the greatest adoption will take place in 2009-2010, when sufficient numbers of consumers will have 802.11n capabilities embedded in their laptop and desktop computers.

About MIPS32 74K Cores

The 74K core is the industry's first fully synthesizable processor to surpass 1 GHz in TSMC 65nm GP process using industry standard libraries and EDA flows. The 74K core is based on MIPS' superscalar single-threaded microarchitecture. Its 15-stage pipeline design employs a unique combination of out-of-order dispatch and asymmetric dual-issue, enabling a higher-frequency, higher-performance solution with lower area and power. Designers can use existing binaries, saving significant time and money, since in-house and third-party software don't need to be recompiled. The innovative embedded microarchitecture also incorporates the MIPS DSP Application Specific Extension (ASE) Rev2 to dramatically boost signal processing performance. The core is available with floating point unit (74Kf^TM core) or without floating point unit (74Kc^TM core) support.

About Ralink Technology Corporation

Ralink Technology Corporation is a leading innovator and developer of wireless LAN chipset solutions. Ralink 802.11x chips are recognized for superior throughput, extended range, low-power consumption and consistent reliability demanded by Wi-Fi, mobile and embedded applications. These feature-rich chipsets have a high level of chip integration for client and AP solutions for CB, miniPCI, PCI, PCIe and USB interfaces, enabling customers to build smaller and more sophisticated mobile wireless products cost-effectively. Ralink's patented MIMObility^TM technology extends Wi-Fi applications from traditional PC networking to a range of digital multimedia and handheld devices including cell phones, PDAs, cameras, print servers, HDTV and video game players. Ralink customers can look forward to continuous improvements in speed, bandwidth and reliability with 802.11n solutions for next-generation high-performance Wi-Fi. Ralink Technology was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan and an R&D center in Cupertino, California. For more information, visit Ralink at www.ralinktech.com or send email to info@ralinktech.com.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqGS: MIPS) is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores that power some of the world's most popular products for the home entertainment, communications, networking and portable multimedia markets. These include broadband devices from Linksys, DTVs and digital consumer devices from Sony, DVD recordable devices from Pioneer, digital set-top boxes from Motorola, network routers from Cisco, 32-bit microcontrollers from Microchip Technology and laser printers from Hewlett-Packard. Founded in 1998, MIPS Technologies is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, contact (408) 530-5000 or visit www.mips.com.