ARM Licenses Microprocessor Cores to Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute

CAMBRIDGE, England and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ARM [(LSE: ARM; Nasdaq: ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan's leading research organization, today announced that ITRI has licensed the ARM922T(TM) core. ITRI is a national-level, government- sponsored, non-profit organization that aims to accelerate the development of industrial technology and promote growth throughout Taiwanese technology industries.

ITRI is a significant seeding ground for Taiwan's technology industry, with many of its leading companies including TSMC and UMC having originated from the Institute. ITRI is already an ARM Partner, having previously licensed the ARM7TDMI® microprocessor core in 2000. Under the terms of the agreement, ITRI will utilize the ARM922T core and the ARM7TDMI core in a number of internal research projects aimed primarily at mobile devices. The first project will use the ARM922T core for developing mobile information appliances, with the first prototypes available in 2003. ITRI will continue to use the ARM7TDMI core and the ARM922T core for system-on-chip (SoC) design to develop future products and applications based on the ARM® architecture.

"With all the added benefits, such as extensive third-party support and first-class development tools that a leading technology brings, the ability to offer local support to our engineers and designers was a key factor in reaching this agreement with ARM," said Dr. Bao-Shuh Paul Lin, general director of CCL and STC and vice president of ITRI. "ARM's proven track record of designing high-performance microprocessors with minimal power consumption and silicon footprint makes it an ideal choice for developing applications and devices for mobile computing and we look forward to working with ARM towards the next generation of mobile devices."

"This agreement with ITRI demonstrates the value ARM can bring to Taiwan's semiconductor industry through its ongoing relationships with both manufacturers and academic parties," said Philip Lu, president, ARM Taiwan. "Many of Taiwan's leading technology companies have their roots in ITRI, which shows the levels of innovation and excellence embodied in the Institute. This endorsement of our technology by ITRI demonstrates that ARM will play an important role in Taiwan's vision of the future."

About ITRI

The Industrial Technology Research Institute is a non-profit R&D organization engaged in applied research and technical service. It was founded in 1973 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China to attend to the technological needs of Taiwan's industrial development. It has since grown to become both a technical center for industry and an important arm of the government's industrial policies. Today ITRI is a 6,000-person operation with 12 research divisions working on Internet, communications, optoelectronics, nanotechnology and biomedical technology, among others. For more information, please visit www.itri.org.tw .

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 (SoC) designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions.

ENDS

ARM and ARM7TDMI are registered trademarks of ARM Limited. ARM922T is a trademark 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.

For further information, please contact Editorial, Michelle Spencer of ARM, +44 1628 427780, michelle.spencer@arm.com; or Espe Escobedo of The Townsend Agency, +1-858-457-4888, ext. 121, eescobedo@townsendagency.com, for ARM.