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SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2000--Tensilica® Inc., the leading supplier of configurable microprocessor core intellectual property (IP), disclosed today that NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY) has executed a time-based license agreement for its flagship Xtensa(TM) III processor core and the recently introduced Vectra DSP engine.

Speaking for NEC, Makoto Tazaki, general manager of NEC's Network Node Division, said, ``Our previous experience with Xtensa has been an unqualified success. Not only have we been able to develop and implement custom processors in silicon for next generation communication products, our engineers have mastered the considerable power of the TIE language to truly optimize their designs. Now, with the addition of the Vectra DSP engine to Xtensa III's already broad capabilities, we see much faster time-to-market for our broadening system products.''

Bernie Rosenthal, Tensilica's vice president of Marketing and business development, said, ``After an extensive evaluation of our Xtensa technology, NEC determined that it was well-suited for their current and future needs in communications processing. Over the last half year, their unparalleled success using Xtensa in real-world System-on-Chip applications has encouraged them to broaden their use of our IP, and enter into a time-based arrangement with us.''

About NEC

NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY; FTSE:6701q.l.) 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. U.S. $48 billion) in fiscal year 1999-2000. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at http://www.nec-global.com.

About Tensilica

Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the fast-growing market for configurable micro-processor cores and software development tools for high volume, embedded systems. Using the company's proprietary Xtensa Processor Generator, system-on-chip (SOC) designers can develop a processor subsystem hardware design and a complete software development tool environment tailored to their specific requirements in hours.

Tensilica's solutions provide a proven, easy-to-use, methodology that enables designers to achieve optimum application performance in minimum design time. The company has over 100 engineers engaged in research, development, and customer support from its offices in Santa Clara, California, Burlington, Massachusetts, Princeton, N. J., Houston, Texas, Oxford, U.K. and Yokohama, Japan.

Tensilica is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. (95054) at 3255-6 Scott Boulevard, and can be reached at 408/986-8000 or via www.tensilica.com on the World Wide Web.

Note to Editors: ``Tensilica'' is a registered trademark and ``Xtensa'' is a trademark belonging to Tensilica Inc.

-- Tensilica's announced licensees are, in alphabetical order,

    -- Berkeley Wireless Research Center
    -- Cisco Systems
    -- Fujitsu Limited
    -- Galileo Technology
    -- NEC Corporation
    -- NTT
    -- ONEX Communications
    -- TranSwitch Corporation
    -- ZiLOG

• Visit Tensilica at MST, Booth Number B-22, Tokyo, Japan, November 15 -- 17, 2000.
• Visit Tensilica at Electronica, Hall 5A, Booth Number 175, Munich, Germany, November 20 -- 24, 2000.

     Tensilica Inc.
     Bernie Rosenthal, 408/327-7302
     Tensilica K.K., Japan
     Masumi Takahashi, 81-45-541-5496
             or
     Leapfrog Group
     Kim Alfaro, 415/563-4769