NEC Licenses ARM946E-S Microprocessor Core to Expand Advanced System LSI Line-up

TOKYO, JAPAN - Dec 13, 2000 -- ARM (LSE: ARM, NASDAQ: ARMHY) and NEC Corporation (NEC) (NASDAQ: NIPNY, FTSE: 6701q.l, TSE: 6701) today announced that they have signed an agreement to license the ARM946E-S[tm] 32-bit RISC microprocessor core. NEC intends to use this key building block for advanced next generation system LSIs for application in third generation W-CDMA mobile terminals, initially in Japan and later for other global markets.

NEC has been an ARM licensee since 1995 when it licensed the ARM7TDMI® core. The license agreement signed today for the ARM946E-S core will also include the ARM Embedded Trace Macrocell[tm], a high-speed, real-time debugging core that enables design success when implemented for the first time in silicon. The core also has significant worldwide third-party design environment support, with development tools, software and documentation, reducing lead times and expense involved in developing custom-built devices.

"This new agreement reflects the ongoing success of ARM's Global Technology Network with industry-leading silicon providers such as NEC," said Reynette Au, vice president, Corporate Marketing at ARM. "With the licensing of the ARM946E-S core, this demonstrates our commitment to partners like NEC's System LSI Operations Unit to enable the development of innovative and feature-rich products."

"ARM brings considerable opportunities for NEC," commented Toshio Nakajima, general manager at NEC's First System LSI Division. "Combined with our leading systems integration capabilities and long experience in mobile communications, I expect to see a number of value-added and strategic products as a result."

To further enhance the performance and low-power consumption features of the ARM946E-S core, NEC will implement it in the company's UX4 process technology. Based on a 0.13-micron design rule, UX4 will enable the ARM core to be implemented with a combination of high-performance, low-power consumption and standard cores in a single device, optimizing overall system performance and power dissipation issues. UX4 was introduced at NEC Yamagata in April 2000.

The decision to license the ARM946E-S core is based on a commitment by NEC's System LSI Operations Unit to a global strategy for its products in the W-CDMA mobile terminal field. A particularly significant market is the European mobile terminal market where ARM is recognized as a de facto standard. The European market is expected to be the first to follow NTT DoCoMo's introduction of third generation mobile communications in Japan in May 2001. By combining the ARM core with NEC's considerable design library and its leading experience with customers in Japan's advanced mobile communications market, the company expects to open significant opportunities with European third generation mobile terminal manufacturers.
 

About ARM
ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-on-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming the volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, handheld computing, multimedia, digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at www.arm.com

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) (TSE: 6701) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer, network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of 4,991 billion Yen (approx. US$48 billion) in fiscal year 1999-2000. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec-global.com
 

ARM and ARM7TDMI are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM946E-S and Embedded Trace Macrocell are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and NASDAQ: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM, INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan.

NEC is a registered trademark and/or trademark of NEC Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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