HP Selects the RM5271 MIPS RISC Processor for New HP Color LaserJet Printer Series

HP Selects the RM5271 MIPS RISC Processor for New HP Color LaserJet Printer Series

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 2  -- Quantum Effect Devices, Inc., (QED) (Nasdaq: QEDI) a leading provider of high-performance, cost-effective MIPS(R) RISC embedded microprocessor solutions, today announced that the company's RM5271(TM) microprocessor was selected by Hewlett-Packard Company for its recently announced HP Color LaserJet 8550 printer series. The RM5271, QED's 64-bit MIPS RISC microprocessor, provides controller-processing functions for the printer series at 200 and 300MHz.

Using QED's MIPS microprocessor, HP's new printer series enables business users to set free their creative power to easily design professional-looking color documents and also offers two breakthrough models specifically for multifunction users and graphics professionals. In addition, the HP Color LaserJet 8550 printer series offers the best balance of versatility, print quality, speed, reliability and price in its category, making in-house printing more affordable than ever. The HP Color LaserJet 8550 printer series delivers more creative possibilities for less money, with up to 400 percent faster processing and innovative features such as direct PDF printing, automatic duplex calibration and booklet printing.

"Businesses look to color printing for an added edge in a competitive market place. The new HP Color LaserJet 8550 printer series provides that edge by combining QED's high-performance RM5271 with HP's award winning printer solution," said Andy Keane, vice president of marketing for QED.

RM5271 MIPS microprocessor

QED's RM5271 is the highest performance member of the 64-bit RM5200 product family. Like all QED processor products, the RM5271 implements the MIPS IV instruction architecture. Packaged in a 304-pin BGA package, the 0.25-micron RM5271 is designed for high speed processing of large data sets typically found in printing applications. The processor supports a full 64-bit system bus and an integrated cache controller enables direct connection of high speed secondary cache. The RM5271's superscalar instruction issue architecture significantly increases processor throughput and instruction set extensions increase performance in vertical applications. Both the integer and floating-point unit have high-speed multiply-accumulate instructions that are the core of DSP applications.

Quantum Effect Devices Inc.

Quantum Effect Devices, Inc., founded in 1991, designs, develops and markets high-performance, cost-effective, market-driven embedded microprocessor solutions. QED's RM5200 and RM7000 product families include 32- and 64-bit embedded microprocessors targeted at the emerging and fast-growing communications, consumer appliance and office automation markets; specifically, printers, games, Windows(R) CE-based devices, Internet terminals, advanced digital set-top boxes, routers, bridges and other high-speed communications devices. Key customers include Cisco Systems, WebTV Networks, Lucent Technologies, ATI Technologies, Extreme Networks and Hewlett-Packard Company.

QED designed and developed many of the 64-bit MIPS microprocessors including the popular R4600(TM), R4700(TM), R4650(TM), R4640(TM), R5000(TM) and under its own "RISCMark(TM)" label, the RM5230(TM), RM5260(TM), RM5270(TM), RM5231(TM), RM5261(TM), RM5271(TM) and RM7000(TM).

Company headquarters are located in Santa Clara, California. Telephone: 408-565-0300. QED World Wide Web site: http://www.qedinc.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include our limited operating history and history of losses, fluctuations in our operating results, the inability of our products to achieve continued market acceptance, our failure to introduce new products, our failure to achieve design wins, competition, continued acceptance of the MIPS instruction set architecture, our dependence on third parties to manufacture our products and other risks identified in our reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our Registration Statement on Form S-1.

NOTE: MIPS is a registered trademark and R5000 is a trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. R4600, R4700, R4650, and R4640 are trademarks of Integrated Device Technology, Inc. RISCMark, RM5230, RM5260, RM5270, RM52xx, RM5231, RM5261, RM5271, RM52x1 and RM7000 are trademarks of QED, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Joanie Colby Bronzini of Shandwick Emergent, 650-596-5880, or
jcbronzini@shandwick.com, for Quantum Effect Devices, Inc.; or Mark Armstrong
of Hewlett-Packard Co., marmstrong@hp.com/