Industry's Highest-Performance Cores Just Got Faster with Release of Enhanced MIPS32 24K Core Family

- MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MIPS) announced today that is has released enhanced versions of the cores in the MIPS32® 24K™ core family, which have the highest performance in the embedded industry. Licensees now can obtain up to 625 MHz and 900 Dhrystone MIPS in a 0.13-micron process with a die size of less than 3.0 mm2. Since its introduction six months ago, the 24K core family has experienced the fastest rate of licensing of any MIPS Technologies product line. MIPS-Based™ silicon from a range of customers using 24K cores is being developed for the digital consumer, networking and office automation markets.

New Features Include:

• Faster floating-point unit: the 24Kf™ core integrates the high performance IEEE 754-compliant floating point unit previously found in the MIPS64® 20Kc™ and MIPS64 5Kf ™ cores. This FPU has a certified EEMBC Basic floating-point score of more than 1300 Iterations/MHz.
• Scratch-Pad RAM option is designed to provide low-latency access to on-chip memories in addition to traditional cache support.
• DMA reference design allows low-latency, high-throughput access to critical I/O devices in the system.
• A coprocessor 2 (COP2) interface enables easy coprocessor connection and support.
• OCP updated interface with additional clocking options and latest OCP-IP specifications.
• Record-breaking Java™ performance: at 625 MHz, a 24Kc™ core yields 4687 Embedded CaffeineMarks, and Esmertec's Jbed™ CDC with FastDAC (Dynamic Adaptive Compiler) delivers 7.5 Embedded CaffeineMarks per megahertz.
• Full EDA flow and optimized tools: Cadence, Magma and Synopsys flows enable designers to optimize for power, area and performance while ensuring their GDS II design tapeout with minimum risk.
• New documentation available to licensees and prospects at www.mips.com.

"To address the challenges our customers face in developing SOCs for high-growth, cost-sensitive markets, we introduced the 24K core family. The customer response has been outstanding, and with this enhanced version of the product line we fully expect to grow our market lead as the performance driver in embedded design," said Russ Bell, vice president of marketing at MIPS Technologies. "Our ongoing engineering and benchmarking efforts have greatly contributed to the 24K core family and made it even smaller, more flexible and cost-effective for a wider range of markets."

Announced 24K Core Family Customers:

• Atheros Communications expanded its use of the MIPS® architecture with a license for several 32-bit cores, including the 24Kc core, to deliver next-generation WLAN solutions that significantly increase performance and security while reducing parts count, cost and power consumption.
• Kawasaki Microelectronics (KME), a leader in advanced, affordable ASICs, added the 24K core family to its stable of MIPS Technologies 32- and 64-bit cores to develop a wide range of high-performance solutions for the digital consumer, networking and office automation markets.
• LSI Logic, one of the highest-volume suppliers of MIPS-Based SOCs and the first SOC provider to license the 24K core family, is implementing the cores in its advanced G90™ 90nm and Gflx™ 110nm standard cell-based ASIC product and in its RapidChip™ Platform ASIC product line.
• PMC-Sierra, widely recognized as one of the leading providers of 64-bit solutions based upon the MIPS architecture, licensed the 24K core family and 4KEm™ core to launch 32-bit MIPS-Based products targeting high-growth embedded markets such as lower-end printers, communications, storage and digital video.
• Realtek Semiconductor, one of Taiwan's leading fabless semiconductor companies, licensed a broad range of MIPS32 cores, including the Pro version of the 24Kc core. Pro Series™ cores include the CorExtend™ capability, which enables Realtek's development team to add its own instructions to create unique, highly differentiated and cost-effective solutions using standard embedded software tools.

The MIPS32 24K core family is targeted at high-volume applications such as broadband access, wireless, networking, digital television and office automation. It includes the 24Kc, 24Kc Pro, 24Kf and 24Kf Pro versions, and offers performance up to 625 MHz worst-case in a 0.13-micron process, the highest frequency available in 32-bit synthesizable cores for embedded markets. Designers have the flexibility to optimize for speed, area or power to obtain 2.8mm2 core-only size, 0.58 mW/MHz, or up to 900 Dhrystone MIPS performance.

Tailored SOC design methodologies from Cadence, Magma and Synopsys, an OCP interconnect structure, and standard libraries and on-chip memories from leading companies help speed time-to-market. MIPS16e™ code compression technology reduces memory requirements, providing significant savings in overall system cost.

About MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and business applications. The company drives the broadest architectural alliance that is delivering 32- and 64-bit embedded RISC solutions. The company licenses its intellectual property to semiconductor companies, ASIC developers and system OEMs. MIPS Technologies and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif., and can be reached at +1 (650) 567-5000 or www.mips.com.

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MIPS, MIPS32, MIPS64, MIPS16e, MIPS-Based, Pro Series, CorExtend, 4KEm, 24K, 24Kc and 24Kf are trademarks or registered trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.