Tahoe RF Semiconductor Announces Four (4) New 'Ready for IBM Technology' Validations

Extends design services reach to Automated Tester manufacturers

AUBURN, Calif. -- Aug. 7, 2006 -- Tahoe RF Semiconductor, Inc., the leading Wireless Electronic Design Services (EDS) provider and one of IBM's Business Partners, announced today their validation as "Ready for IBM Technology" (RFIT) in four (4) additional industry-leading IBM process technologies. With extensive design experience in IBM's RF CMOS: 6RF, 7RF and SiGe BiCMOS: 5HP, 5AM, 5PA, 6HP, 7WL, 5HPE, 7HP process technologies, Tahoe RF is the premier full-service custom wireless semiconductor design services provider.

Tahoe RF brings over 200 man-years of analog/RF design experience to the wireless market. Specializing in high-frequency, low-power transceiver and synthesizer design with experience from baseband to excess of 12GHz designs, Tahoe RF continually delivers first-time success in a consistently predictable manner. Leveraging their transceiver intellectual property, Tahoe RF provides services from block-level design through complete program management, including delivery of first article silicon often exceeding their customer's specifications and delivery expectations.

"Our customers maintain their competitive edge with faster time to market," said Irshad Rasheed, CEO of Tahoe RF. "These new RFIT validations increase our suite of IP offerings and reinforce our continued commitment to our customers' rapid product development cycles."

In a recent design services engagement, Tahoe RF Semiconductor jointly developed with Credence Systems (CMOS) a very high-performance pin electronics IC for their next-generation Automated Testers. Tahoe RF was solely responsibly for the critical high-performance (8GHz) drivers and comparators that met the specification on first silicon. "Tahoe RF bridged the critical knowledge gap between our conceptual design and fully functional first silicon on a leading-edge process," said Steven Payne, design director at Credence Systems. "Not only did Tahoe RF deliver a solution that enabled Credence to meet our aggressive product introduction schedules, they also added significant value to the product by actively engaging our designers at both the conceptual and the circuit levels to help us deliver the best overall solution."

"Tahoe RF continues to expand their ability to deliver high-frequency, low-power design solutions to IBM foundry customers in an increasing number of IBM technologies," said Ned Cahoon, manager of the IBM Foundry Business Partner program. "Experienced design partners with proven circuit IP are an important element in improving our customers' time to market. We are pleased to have a partner like Tahoe RF with broad experience across so many of our RF technology nodes."

ABOUT THE RFIT PROGRAM

The Ready for IBM Technology program is intended to help IBM's foundry customers speed time to market, reduce development risk, lower development costs, and improve their return on investment by identifying design centers that have pre-tested and validated their methodologies for compatibility with IBM technologies. Tahoe RF was among the first IP and design services companies to participate in the IBM RFIT program and has been an active member since 2003.

ABOUT TAHOE RF SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.

Tahoe RF Semiconductor, Inc., provides world-class RFIC design services and IP blocks to SoC manufacturers in the wireless communications market. Tahoe RF was founded in 2002 by key engineers and managers from IBM's analog and mixed signal design center. Located in the Sierras near Lake Tahoe in California, this team provides everything from front-end architecture, design and simulation all the way to post-layout simulation and fully packaged fabrication support and management. For additional information, visit us at http://www.tahoerf.com.