Accelerated Technology's Nucleus 802.11 STA Delivers Wireless Ethernet Support to Nucleus Developers

Embedded Systems Conference Boston 2003

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2003--Accelerated Technology(R), the Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT), today announced the release of Nucleus 802.11 STA to developers requiring 802.11b or wireless Ethernet support to build their wireless application. The addition of 802.11b to the Nucleus(TM) real-time operating system (RTOS) product line will allow users of the Nucleus RTOS to easily add wireless capabilities to their devices including multimedia appliances, infotainment devices, PDAs, digital cameras, cellular phones, DVD players, set-top boxes and portable radios.

802.11b, or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi(R)), refers to a family of specifications for wireless local access network (LAN) technology. Wi-Fi, a term coined by the Wi-Fi Alliance, provides for wireless Ethernet transmission primarily between laptops and local access nodes that attach to the standard corporate LAN. While the office is a natural setting for Wi-Fi, the movement to wireless communication in the home has provided increased capabilities for personal Wi-Fi use. Cellular phones, PDAs and handheld Internet appliances are among many devices that now carry wireless Ethernet capabilities allowing users to connect with others across the room or across the country without the limitations of physical wires.

Nucleus 802.11 STA, a wireless Ethernet driver for wireless STAtion devices, gives developers a robust and easy-to-use solution to build their wireless application and get it to market quickly. The 802.11b support plugs seamlessly into the Nucleus NET, Accelerated Technology's TCP/IP protocol stack. Nucleus 802.11 STA supports infrastructure and ad-hoc mode, wired equivalent privacy (WEP) security, and has been tested against multiple off-the-shelf PC Cards. Nucleus 802.11 STA is also provided with well-documented source and without royalty fees.

"Wi-Fi, which has been a hit on the desktop, is quickly becoming a must-have technology for many of our embedded customers, especially in the consumer electronics space," said Robert Day, director of marketing, Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division. "Because the Nucleus software dominates the commercial-off-the-shelf market for operating systems in this area, the addition of 802.11 technology to the Nucleus family of products was an easy decision to make. This will further strengthen our Nucleus product line for any applications that are considering adopting Wi-Fi."

Pricing and Availability

Available now, licenses for Nucleus 802.11 STA start at U.S. $7,495. For more information, please contact Accelerated Technology at 800-468-6853 or info@acceleratedtechnology.com.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $650 million and employs approximately 3,500 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

Accelerated Technology, Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation, is located in Mobile, Alabama with sales offices and distributors worldwide. By providing embedded systems developers with a focus on service, well-documented source code and industry-leading non-royalty-based Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) software, AT's RTOS software shortens time-to-market and provides a complete solution for engineers. For more information, please visit www.acceleratedtechnology.com or email us at info@acceleratedtechnology.com.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance

The Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of IEEE 802.11 products and to promote them as the global, wireless LAN standard across all market segments. For more information, please visit www.wi-fi.org.

Mentor Graphics and Accelerated Technology are registered trademarks and Nucleus is a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Mentor Graphics/Accelerated Technology
             Jennifer Whiddon Tanveer, 251/661-5770 ext 5032
             jennifer_tanveer@mentor.com 
             OR
             Mentor Graphics
             Suzanne Graham, 503/685-7789              
             suzanne_graham@mentor.com