Improv Systems Joins IBM Blue Logic IP Collaboration Program

Improv will Provide New, Fixed-Processor Cores for Communications Applications Areas

Beverly, MA - October 28, 2002 - Improv Systems, a pioneer in application-optimized DSPs, today announced that it has joined IBM's Blue Logic IP Collaboration Program and will provide ready-to-implement, fixed processor cores for key communications application areas, such as MPEG4, MP3 and VoIP, for companies designing ASICs manufactured by IBM.

The IBM Blue Logic IP Program, established in March 2002, was created to foster close working relationships between IBM and select third-party providers so that customers can easily use intellectual property (IP) cores that have been proven in IBM Microelectronic's leading ASIC manufacturing technologies.

"The IBM Blue Logic IP Collaboration Program is designed to provide our customers with a broad and robust IP library," said Tom Reeves, vice president, ASIC product group, IBM Microelectronics. "Now, as part of the IBM Blue Logic IP library, our customers can incorporate these Improv Systems cores into their SoC designs."

Having achieved the highest speed rating per cycle of any processor ever certified by the EEMBC Telecom Benchmark, Improv's, Jazz DSP™ 2020 Processor, will now be available to IBM's ASIC customers as a stand-alone, drop-in core starting at $150,000 depending on the configuration.

In total, the company is offering a set of six fixed cores at lower price points to help IBM's customers get SoCs to market quickly. These cores include:

· Crescendo™ Broadcast-Quality Media Processor - MPEG4 ASP encoder
· Crescendo Broadcast-Quality Media Processor - MPEG4 ASP decoder
· Crescendo Mobile Media Processor - MPEG4 codec
· Crescendo Mobile Media Processor - MP3 decoder
· Acappella™ Home - VoIP subsystem including G.72x codecs and G.168LEC
· Jazz 2020 - standard dual MAC DSP core

"IBM's Blue Logic IP Collaboration Program, along with its Blue Logic design methodology, provide ASIC customers with a unique competitive advantage in meeting design and time-to-market goals," said Cary Ussery, president and CEO of Improv Systems. "By making our IP available in a ready-to-implement format and at a lower price-point as part of the IBM Blue Logic IP Collaboration Program, Improv is enabling IBM's customers to leverage our DSP and application expertise."

About Improv Systems, Inc.
Improv Systems, Inc. develops and licenses the Jazz PSA™ platforms featuring the Jazz DSP and application solution kits for Voice-over-IP, Networking and Emerging Media. Improv's Jazz DSP is a configurable DSP that allows designers to create optimized DSP cores targeted to consumer electronics and telecommunications markets. Through the company's Ensemble™ Partners program, formed to help accelerate the use and integration of designer-defined DSPs in System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions, Improv customers have access to complementary products and services from companies such as ARM (ARMHY), MIPS Technologies (MIPS, MIPSB), Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence Design Systems (CDN); and Wind River Systems (WIND) among others. Improv Systems has development centers in Beverly, MA, San Jose, CA, and Rochester, NY, and direct sales offices in the United Kingdom and Japan.

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Improv, Jazz DSP, Jazz PSA , Jazz PSA Composer, Jazz PSA Rehearsal, Acappella and Crescendo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Improv Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.