Hughes Network Systems Licenses Sonics MicroNetwork IP to Facilitate SOC Design for Spaceway Satellite Systems

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- Feb20, 2001 -- Sonics, Inc. (www.sonicsinc.com) today announced that it had licensed its µNetwork on-chip communications intellectual property (IP) and FastForward SOC Development environment to Hughes Network Systems (Germantown, MD) [NYSE: GMH]. Hughes will use the Sonics IP and tools in a complex, system-on-chip (SOC) design going into ground stations for its Spaceway[tm] global broadband satellite system.

"Selection of the SOC micro-architecture for these chips in our ground stations is essential to the long-term success of our Spaceway project," said Larry Blue, vice president of ASIC development at Hughes. "Sonics' µNetwork provides the scalable performance and support for the advanced capabilities we need in terms of remote configurability and multi-mode operation."

"With this Hughes win, we continue to make strong inroads into the high volume telecommunications and networking markets," said Grant Pierce, president and CEO of Sonics. "Our µNetwork is particularly well-suited to the needs of engineers creating next-generation communications products that require integration of proprietary and commercially available SIP to form flexible SOC platforms that will be the basis of families of products well into the future."

About HNS and Spaceway
A leading global provider of broadband communications, HNS has delivered communications solutions to enterprises for nearly 30 years. HNS provides products and services that support a growing suite of broadband applications in over 85 countries worldwide. Spaceway is a next-generation global broadband satellite system that will provide bandwidth-on-demand capability by employing satellites with innovative on-board digital processors, packet switching and spot beam technology. Headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, near Washington, DC, the company has sales and support offices around the globe. HNS is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation, the world's leading provider of digital television entertainment, satellite services and satellite-based private business networks. The earnings of Hughes Electronics, a unit of General Motors Corporation, are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE: GMH). For additional information, visit the HNS web site at www.hns.com.

About Sonics, Inc.
Sonics, Inc., the premier developer of MicroNetworks for "plug and play" integration of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) cores into system-on-chip (SOC) designs, is a privately held company in Mountain View, California. Sonics' MicroNetwork manages all communications between SOC subsystems, guarantees end-to-end performance, and ensures real-time quality of service. MicroNetwork technology enables flexible, platform-based SOC design through a robust development environment that uses an open standard core interface, the Open Core Protocol (OCP). Major semiconductor and systems companies have adopted Sonics' technology for SOC applications in the communications, networking and multimedia markets, reporting results such as six-month time savings, 80+ percent bandwidth utilization, and reduced design and silicon manufacturing risks. For more information, see http://www.sonicsinc.com.

For more information, contact:

David P. Lautzenheiser (Sonics)
   tel:  650/938-2500 x109
   e-mail: dave@sonicsinc.com

Scott Seiden (VitalCom)
   tel:  650/637-8212
   e-mail: scott@vitalcompr.com

Sonics, Inc., 2440 West El Camino Real, Suite 620, Mountain View, CA 94040, Tel: 650.938.2500

FastForward and SiliconBackplane are trademarks of Sonics, Inc. Spaceway is a trademark of Hughes Electronics Corporation.