Cypress MicroSystems and Melexis Team to Provide Auto Manufacturers With Complete Solution for LIN Bus Communications

Programmable System on Chip (PSoC) Design Kit and LIN Transceiver Eliminate the Search for the Perfect LIN Components

BOTHELL, Wash., January 8, 2003 – Cypress MicroSystems, a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY), today announced it is collaborating with Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems to provide automotive manufacturers with a complete and cost-effective solution for implementing the LIN bus (Local Interconnect Network) communication protocol. Customers can take advantage of the interoperability between Cypress MicroSystems’ PSoCTM mixed signal array and Melexis’ family of LIN transceivers TH808x and TH806x to streamline their vehicle designs.

LIN bus is a low-speed communications protocol used to connect many of the electronic systems in an automobile, including body control, driver information, climate control, safety equipment and cockpit electronics. Cypress MicroSystems has developed a controller-based design kit that handles the higher layers of the communications protocol, while the Melexis LIN transceiver implements the physical layer of the standard – offering a complementary set of capabilities to simplify LIN bus implementations.

"As auto manufacturers utilize more electronic systems to increase the safety, comfort and fuel-efficiency of their vehicles, they are turning to LIN bus as the communications protocol-of-choice," said Nathan John, director of strategic marketing for Cypress MicroSystems. "Melexis already leads the LIN market with a range of intelligent solutions in production at automotive manufacturers. By augmenting their LIN transceivers with the PSoC reference board and software, we can offer exceptional embedded control support for LIN applications."

"The LIN Bus Consortium estimates that every automobile sold in 2004 will include three to ten LIN bus nodes," said Lutz Langelueddecke, business unit manager of internal communications for Melexis. "To capitalize on this growing market, Melexis and Cypress MicroSystems are combining our respective strengths to provide a best-in-class solution that eliminates the search for the perfect LIN components."

Elements of the Complete LIN Bus Solution
Melexis designs and manufactures products for the automotive sector, specializing in electronic control applications that require sensors, signal conditioning, signal processing, actuation, and programmability.

The family of LIN transceivers from Melexis (TH808x, TH806x) provides LIN bus architects with an efficient way of developing LIN nodes. Melexis offers a wide range of LIN transceivers, from single-up to highly-integrated slave ICs, that combine a LIN transceiver with a low drop voltage regulator – all on one die. These transceivers also offer very low current consumption and excellent EMI behavior. The combination of Cypress MicroSystems' mixed signal array with Melexis LIN transceivers makes it possible to develop simple, powerful and less expensive LIN bus slave nodes that can be connected directly to the power line.

Cypress MicroSystems' LIN bus design kit (CY3220LINBUS-RD) includes LIN bus reference software (separately available for free download at http://www.cypressmicro.com/download) and a $199 reference board, which includes one master node and two slave nodes. Customers can connect the reference board to a PC via the serial port to observe commands being transmitted over the LIN bus network. The design kit is based upon the PSoC IC, a configurable mixed-signal array with an on-board controller.

About the PSoC Family
The PSoC device family integrates programmable blocks of analog and digital logic, a fast 8-bit CPU, 8 to 16 Kbytes of Flash memory and 256 bytes of SRAM. PSoC provides designers with a flexible architecture that can be configured for a broad range of embedded applications and dynamically reconfigured to extend the capabilities and value of their product. The PSoC platform  typically reduces customer development time by 33% and lowers bill of material (BOM) costs by an average of $5, by significantly reducing the number of chips required for solutions utilizing a traditional microcontroller and discrete digital and analog components.

About Cypress MicroSystems
Headquartered in Bothell, Wash., Cypress MicroSystems develops and markets Programmable System on Chip (PSoC) devices – high-performance, field-programmable ICs for high-volume embedded control functions in consumer, industrial, office automation, telecom and automotive applications. Established as a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) in the fourth quarter of 1999, Cypress MicroSystems' stockholders are its employees and Cypress Semiconductor. The close association with Cypress Semiconductor allows access to their process and design technology, and field sales and applications forces. More information about Cypress MicroSystems and its products is accessible online at www.cypressmicro.com.

About Cypress
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) is Connecting From Last Mile to First Mile™ with high-performance solutions for personal, network access, enterprise, metro switch, and core communications-system applications. Cypress Connects™ using wireless, wireline, digital, and optical transmission standards, including Bluetooth, USB, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH, Gigabit Ethernet, and DWDM. Leveraging its process and system-level expertise, Cypress makes industry-leading physical layer devices, framers, and network search engines, along with a broad portfolio of high-bandwidth memories, timing technology solutions, and programmable microcontrollers. More information about Cypress is accessible online at www.cypress.com.

About Melexis
Melexis N.V., headquartered in Ieper, Belgium, with facilities in Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland and the United States, designs and manufactures advanced integrated semiconductors for automotive and other high reliability, harsh environment applications. The company’s products include Hall-effect sensor ICs, RF ICs, pressure sensors, accelerometers, infrared sensors, optical sensors, gyroscopes, contactless identification ICs, sensor interfaces, automotive microcontrollers, LIN Bus transceivers, and automotive systems-on-a-chip. Melexis is an approved supplier to all of the German car manufacturers, the French “big three” and the USA “big three.” Today, over two hundred (200) vehicle models are using Melexis' dedicated automotive ICs and SOCs. Melexis reported sales of EUR 102 million in 2001, an increase of 20% over the prior year, and is traded on the Euronext Brussel exchange, trading under the symbol MELE. For more information, visit http://www.melexis.com.

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Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. “Connectivity From Last Mile to First Mile” and “Cypress Connects” are trademarks of Cypress. “Programmable System on Chip” and PSoC are trademarks of Cypress MicroSystems. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.