Conexant to Offer Video Semiconductor Solutions with Support for PCI Express Technology; New Decoder Targets Computationally Intensive Video Processing Applications

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. & SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Feb. 17, 2004— Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor system solutions for digital home information and entertainment networks, today announced that the company will incorporate support for PCI Express(TM) technology in its video decoder product portfolio.

Advancements, including faster central processing unit speeds, faster memory, and higher-speed graphics and technologies are driving the need for increased internal system bandwidth in personal computers, set-top boxes and other consumer devices. PCI Express technology has been developed by the PCI-SIG(R), the special interest group responsible for PCI Express, to address this issue, providing manufacturers with a backward compatible, industry standard solution that emphasizes performance, cost, scalability, feature extensibility and quality of service. PCI Express technology also facilitates the simultaneous receipt and display of high quality visual images from multiple digital and analog broadcast sources.

"Delivering high quality video images to digital home information and entertainment devices requires a robust protocol that supports high resolution, computationally intensive applications," said Greg Fischer, vice president of Convergence Video Products for Conexant. "We have chosen to support this evolutionary technology because it fulfills this need, and helps to ensure that consumers will experience consistent quality levels for visually demanding information and entertainment applications such as personal video recording, video editing and archiving."

Conexant's video and multimedia semiconductor solutions include analog and digital video encoders and decoders, PCI video decoders, MPEG codecs, software and complete reference designs. The company's products are used in applications ranging from standard and high-definition video to interactive consumer entertainment services delivered through a set-top box, PC, digital video recorder, flat-screen TV or game console.

About Conexant

Conexant's innovative semiconductor system solutions are driving digital home information and entertainment networks worldwide. The company has leveraged its expertise and leadership position in modem technologies to enable more Internet connections than all of its competitors combined, and continues to develop leading integrated silicon solutions for cable, satellite, terrestrial data and digital video networks.

Key products include digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem solutions, home network processors, broadcast video encoders and decoders, digital set-top box components and systems solutions, and dial-up modems. The company also offers a suite of wireless data and networking components solutions that includes HomePlug(R), HomePNA(TM) and WLAN (802.11) components and reference designs.

Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company and has approximately 1,400 employees. The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. To learn more, visit Conexant at www.conexant.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements relating to future results of Conexant (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; changes in product mix; product obsolescence; the availability of manufacturing capacity; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the uncertainties of litigation; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; costs related to our proposed merger with GlobespanVirata, Inc.; the successful completion of our proposed merger with GlobespanVirata; and the risk that our and GlobespanVirata's businesses will not be successfully integrated, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in Conexant's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Note to Editors: Conexant is a trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. Intel is a trademark or registered trademark of Intel Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Conexant Systems, Inc.
Gwen Carlson, 949-483-7363