MIPS-Based 32- and 64-Bit processors score highly in EEMBC benchmarks

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – April 11, 2000 – MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS) announced today that three key licensees, IDT, NEC Corporation and Toshiba Corporation’s MIPS-based™ processors have achieved outstanding scores in the new EEMBC (EDN embedded processor benchmark consortium) benchmark tests. These new EEMBC ratings are intended to augment the widely quoted Dhrystone 2.1 MIPS (millions of instructions per second) ratings as more accurate ratings of processor performance in specific applications.

MIPS Technologies business model is designed to provide licensees with the flexibility to create MIPS-based processor implementations targeted to specific applications. Processors from IDT, NEC and Toshiba were rated highly in the real-world benchmark tests in consumer, networking, telecom, office automation and automotive/industrial areas. The entire list of results can be viewed at the EEMBC website at: www.eembc.org.

"We applaud the efforts of both the EEMBC consortium and participating licensees of MIPS Technologies to provide systems OEMs and developers with accurate standards by which to judge the performance of embedded processors," stated Brian Knowles, vice president of marketing at MIPS Technologies, Inc.

"These new standards are meaningful because they measure performance in real applications. We are particularly pleased that MIPS-based processors scored so well in these benchmarks. This validates the position of the MIPS-based processor architecture as the leading high-performance solution for embedded applications."

"Choosing the right processor for an embedded processor-based application may be the most important decision in the entire design cycle, affecting product performance, time-to-market and cost-to-develop," adds Karl Auker, assistant general manager, VRSeries Microprocessors at NEC Electronics. "Our scores give our customers the security of knowing they are making the right choice in embedded processors."

"Benchmarks have always been an issue for designers," said Hiroshi Sekiguchi, business development director, Microprocessor Business Unit at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. "Vendors can manipulate their scores to reflect positively on their products. With the EEMBC consortium benchmarks, this is less likely as the tests measure performance in a number of important applications and vendors cannot optimize their processors by tweaking one parameter or another."

"Leading-edge communications applications require different levels of processor performance," said Ian Ferguson, IDT’s technical marketing manager for communications ASSPs. "These new benchmarks are tailored to give IDT’s communications customers an indication of how a specific device will perform in their application and allow them to select the right level of performance to meet their system requirements."

About EEMBC
Providing the embedded community fair and certified benchmarks and real-world applications, EEMBC is comprised of 40 of the world’s leading and most influential semiconductor and intellectual property companies. EEMBC members are committed to helping customers get product easier and faster through fair benchmarking and establishment of industry standards. Benchmarking fairness is provided through the EEMBC Certification Labs with offices in Texas and California. Benchmarking results are posted on the EEMBC website at www.eembc.org.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is one of the world's primary architects of embedded 32- and 64-bit RISC processors. 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, Inc. and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products.

Licensees currently include:
Alchemy Microprocessor Design Group (Cadence); ATI Technologies, Inc.; Broadcom Corporation; Centillium Communications, Inc.; Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing; CommQuest (IBM); ESS Technology, Inc.; Excess Bandwidth; General Instrument Corporation; Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT); Lara Networks, Inc.; LSI Logic Corporation; Macronix; Metalink Ltd.; NEC Corporation; NKK Corporation; Philips Semiconductors; Quantum Effect Devices, Inc. (QED); QuickLogic Corporation, Sandcraft, Inc.; SiByte, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Synova; Texas Instruments Incorporated; Toshiba Corporation; and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Numerous companies utilize MIPS-based™ intellectual property. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is based in Mountain View, California, and can be reached at 650-567-5000 or http://www.mips.com.

MIPS is a registered trademark and MIPS-based is a trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. All press materials are available on the World Wide Web via: http://www.mips.com.