Silterra Adds ARM Core to Its IP Portfolio - PLL and High-Speed I/Os from ParthusCeva and Unive are also available

KULIM, Malaysia (December 11, 2002) - Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., a premier wafer foundry, announced today that it has joined the ARM® Foundry Program, giving it access to the ARM7TDMI® core. In addition, Silterra has added a PLL compiler from ParthusCeva and high-speed I/Os from Unive, Inc. Each of these partners provides a unique IP offering, with a wide variety of tools and support to aid Silterra in better serving its customer base. 

ARM’s industry-leading core is being implemented in both baseline and low-power versions of Silterra’s 0.18-micron process, CL180G and CL180LP, respectively. The ARM7TDMI core is a 32-bit RISC processor optimized for area, low-power consumption and high-performance. It is a popular platform for many consumer and telecommunication applications. Fully silicon verified design kits for both processes will be available in Q1 2003.

ParthusCeva has optimized its programmable PLL compiler in Silterra’s CL180G and CL180LP processes. The compiler creates PLL instances in the frequency range between 32MHz to 650MHz with very low jitter. Available immediately, Silterra customers will have free, direct access to the PLL compiler through www.pllexpert.com. The Web site allows customers to design their PLL according to specific application requirements. A complete design kit for the compiled instances, including EDA tool views, timing models and GDS2 layout, will be electronically delivered to Silterra’s customers.

Silterra has also commissioned Unive, Inc., an analog and high-speed I/O specialist, to develop LVDS, USB 1.1, SSTL2 and PECL high-speed interfaces for the CL180 process. These cores are prevalent in many consumer, telecommunication and computational products such as digital cameras, MP3 players, cellular telephones, global positioning systems, etc.

“Offering these proprietary cores is key to our overall strategic IP initiative to better serve our expanding customer base,” stated Victor Kwong, vice president of design solutions for Silterra. “Many of our customers’ designs require low-power, high-performance CPU’s to deliver the functionalities required to support demanding end-applications for the growing wired and wireless communications and telecommunications segments and ARM, ParthusCeva and Unive all provide IP that is considered standard for their  respective markets. I am excited about these partnerships and I look forward to developing more projects with these companies in the future as our product tape-out portfolio continues to diversify.”

About ParthusCeva:

Headquartered in San Jose, with principal offices in Dublin, Ireland and Herzeliah, Israel, ParthusCeva (NASDAQ: PCVA; LSE: PCV) is a leading licensor of DSP and application- specific platform Intellectual Property (IP) to the semiconductor industry. ParthusCeva was created through the combination of Parthus Technologies plc, a leading provider of application-specific platform IP, and Ceva, formerly the licensing division of DSP Group, Inc. The CUSIP number for the ParthusCeva common stock is 70212E106 and the ISIN number is 70212E1064.

About Unive:

Unive offers basic analog IPs, such as ADC, DAC, PLL, Voltage Regulator, Power On Reset, OP AMP, and Power Converters to the high speed interface IPs, LVDS, SSTL2, HSTL, USB2.0, IEEE802.11a/b/g, and Optical Transceiver. Unive lists its IP blocks on the VCX TradeFloor to create an efficient transaction process that enables mutual customers to rapidly embed Unive's technology ranging from 0.35 micron to 90-nanometer. Unive also supports the mixed signal ASIC design service with `Silicon Tailoring' Analog IP solutions in the standard CMOS process. To find more Unive information, visit the web at www.unive-inc.com.

About Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.:

Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is a premier semiconductor manufacturing service provider that offers customers leading-edge CMOS process technologies. The company was a winner of Semiconductor International’s 2002 Top Fab Award. Silterra’s wafer fab will reach its planned capacity of 40,000 eight-inch wafers per month in 2003.  The company’s headquarters and factory are located in Kulim, Malaysia, and has a worldwide sales and marketing office in Sunnyvale, California.  For more information on Silterra or its services, please visit www.silterra.com.

ARM and ARM7TDMI are registered 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; ARM France SAS; and ARM China.