Tensilica Announces Strategic Investment by DOCOMO Capital

– Tensilica, Inc. today announced that DOCOMO Capital, Inc. has made a strategic investment in Tensilica. DOCOMO Capital is the corporate venture arm of NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s leading wireless carrier. Tensilica is a major semiconductor IP (intellectual property) supplier specializing in dataplane processor cores, which are a combination of CPU (central processing unit) and DSP (digital signal processor) that can be rapidly customized to provide 10-100x the performance of standard CPUs and DSPs. Tensilica’s DPUs (dataplane processing units) are widely used in system-on-chip (SoC) designs for mobile consumer devices.

“We recognize the growing importance of Tensilica’s customizable DPUs for semiconductors that enable lower power and innovative mobile devices, and that’s why we made this investment,” stated Tomoya Hemmi, president and CEO, DOCOMO Capital. “Tensilica’s high-performance DPUs for audio, video and baseband functions will be key enablers for new capabilities and increased battery life in future mobile telephones.”

“NTT DOCOMO is well respected for its deep involvement in the holistic design of its mobile networks, down to the algorithms, semiconductors and systems technology employed in the handsets. We are excited about our new, closer relationship with this tech savvy carrier and work with them to drive new technology and the early deployment of new standards,” stated Jack Guedj, Tensilica’s president and CEO. “We are also pleased that our major capital investors - Foundation Capital, Meritech Capital Partners, Oak Investment Partners and Worldview Technology Partners - participated along with DOCOMO Capital in this financing round.”

Tensilica, Inc. is a privately held company. The Gartner Group, in its March 2009 report on the semiconductor IP market, recognized Tensilica as the fastest-growing semiconductor IP supplier

About DOCOMO Capital

DOCOMO Capital, Inc. is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, INC. (NYSE:DCM), the leading wireless network operator based in Japan. Working closely with NTT DOCOMO’s business and R&D divisions, DOCOMO Capital is in charge of NTT DOCOMO’s strategic investments in mobile communications related start-up companies mainly in the United States. For more information, visit www.docomo-capital.com.

About Tensilica

Tensilica, Inc. – the leader in customizable dataplane processors – is a semiconductor IP licensor recognized by the Gartner Group as the fastest growing semiconductor IP supplier in 2008.  Dataplane Processor Units (DPUs) combine the best capabilities of CPUs and DSPs while delivering 10-to-100-times the performance because they can be customized using Tensilica’s automated design tools to meet specific dataplane performance targets. Tensilica’s DPUs power SOC designs at system OEMs and five out of the top 10 semiconductor companies for products including mobile phones, consumer electronics devices (including digital TV, Blu-ray Disc players, broadband set top boxes and portable media players), computers, and storage, networking and communications equipment. For more information on Tensilica’s patented, benchmark-proven DPUs visit www.tensilica.com.