Toshiba and MIPS Technologies Agree to Joint Development of Next Generation RISC-Based Microprocessors

Targeting 1GHz Microprocessors for Use in Automotive, Office Automation, Networking and Digital Consumer Applications

TOKYO & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2002-- Toshiba Corporation, one of Japan's largest electronics companies and Japan's leader in semiconductors, and MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIPS - news; Nasdaq:MIPSB - news), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for embedded applications, today announced that they have agreed to jointly develop a next generation 64-bit microprocessor (the TX99) based on an enhanced MIPS® core (code named: "Amethyst").

Toshiba's TX99 is intended to be the highest performance standard for 64-bit embedded microprocessor products and will give semiconductor and system OEMs the highest performance available for cost- and power-sensitive embedded applications, such as automotive telematics, office automation, multimedia home gateways, digital consumer products and networking.

"We are delighted to undertake this joint-development project with MIPS Technologies," said Katsuji Fujita, corporate vice president of Toshiba Corporation and executive vice president of the System LSI Division at Toshiba's Semiconductor Company. "The opportunities offered by this joint development will allow us to realize the earliest introduction of the industry's highest performing embedded microprocessor and provide our customers with differentiated technical support in the RISC microprocessor and RISC embedded System on Chip (SoC) businesses. In response to increased demand for system support from customers, Toshiba, as a system solution provider, will further reinforce its system and software support capabilities. As the result of Toshiba's and MIPS Technologies' strong commitment to promote this microprocessor, we have already seen two TX99-based SoC design wins, for automotive telematics and office automation applications. We expect to cement our leadership in the SoC business by providing state-of-the-art TX99 products as well as platform and software support."

"The TX99 products will feature the MIPS-3D ASE (application specific extension) for efficient execution of multimedia tasks by future digital consumer products. This will allow Toshiba to offer the best solutions in the emerging digital consumer market. We plan to advance the operating frequency to over 1GHz," said Toshinori Moriyasu, general manager of Microprocessor Division at Toshiba's Semiconductor Company.

ArTile Microsystems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., will also join this program.

Tomohisa Shigematsu, CEO of ArTile, said, "ArTile already develops application specific standard products and SoCs based on the TX79 core, and TX99 is positioned to succeed this as an enhanced microprocessor core. Utilizing our scalable design methodology, we will provide our customers in the U.S. with standard products and custom SoC solutions based on TX99 core with full-scale technical support."

"The joint development effort with Toshiba and MIPS Technologies will leverage the strengths of each company to develop industry-leading products," said John Bourgoin, chairman and CEO of MIPS Technologies. "All of Toshiba's and MIPS Technologies' customers will benefit from the result of this collaboration, and we anticipate this venture will open up new markets for our respective companies."

"The 'Amethyst' core will give systems designers the highest performance available in licensable IP for 0.10 micron process technology and beyond, while offering low-power characteristics and low overall product cost," said Derek Meyer, vice president of worldwide field operations at MIPS Technologies. "It will meet the requirements of the most demanding embedded applications and be fully compatible with our 32-bit architecture and cores, giving customers a seamless migration path to 64-bit processing."

Development tools and applications software will be available from numerous third-party suppliers, including Algorithmics, Green Hills Software, Mentor Graphics, Microsoft, MontaVista, Red Hat and Wind River. In addition, the MIPS(TM) Alliance Program (MAP) supports the availability of critical hardware and software such as 802.11, Bluetooth, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, audio algorithms, ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), VoIP and networking protocol stacks.

Toshiba will support development of custom RISC embedded SoCs for applications in such areas as automotive, networking, office automation and digital consumer products, fully utilizing technology know-how cultivated in the joint development of the TX99 microprocessor. Toshiba will launch its initial product in the first quarter of 2003 and bring a TX99-based general microprocessor to market by the end of 2003.

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba Corporation is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. The company's integration of these wide-ranging capabilities assures its position as a leading company in semiconductors, LCDs and other electronic devices. Toshiba has 188,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US $47 billion. Visit Toshiba's website at www.toshiba.co.jp.

About MIPS Technologies

MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and network applications. 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 and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif., and can be reached at 650/567-5000 or www.mips.com.

About ArTile Microsystems, Inc.

ArTile Microsystems, a subsidiary of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., is the North American engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and sales arm of Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor Company and Toshiba Display Devices and Components Company. ArTile accelerates the development of very dense SoC designs using its TX79/TX99 microprocessor core and a proprietary design methodology. The TX79/TX99 is a powerful 64-bit MIPS-based microprocessor supporting SoC designs for diverse applications, including networking, digital set-top-boxes, digital TV and multimedia appliances. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, and can be reached at 408/526-2712.

Note to Editors: MIPS® is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, and MIPS64(TM), Amethyst and MIPS-based(TM) are trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

     MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Inquiries in U.S.)
     Lee Garvin Flanagin, 650/567-5180
     flanagin@mips.com
            or
     Toshiba Corporation (Inquiries in Japan)
     Kenichi Sugiyama, +81-3-3457-2105
     press@toshiba.co.jp
            or
     ArTile Microsystems
     Basheer Ahmed, 408/526-2750
     Basheer.Ahmed@artilemicro.com