Alvand Technologies' Ultra-Low Power ADC/DAC IP Has Been Selected By Faraday Technology for High-Performance, and Next-Generation Mixed-Signal ASICs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- March 05, 2009 -- Faraday Technology Corporation [TAIEX:3035], a leading ASIC and silicon IP provider, and Alvand Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance, ultra low-power mixed-signal IP solutions, today announced a partnership between the companies that is aimed at enhancing their respective global market presence and competitive technology offerings. Faraday has selected Alvand Technologies to be its partner for high-performance, ultra-low power analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters (ADC/DAC) for Faraday’s next-generation mixed-signal ASICs. ASIC customers looking for top tier ASIC SOC services can now seamlessly incorporate Alvand’s mixed-signal IPs into their designs at Faraday.

Under the Joint Sales and Marketing Agreement executed between the companies, Faraday will market Alvand’s award-winning, best-in-class ADC/DAC technology to its global base of tier 1 ASIC customers. Alvand’s ADC/DAC IP technology offers the industry’s lowest power consumption, smallest die area and high-performance robustness, which makes the technology ideally suited to integration into advanced wireless (LTE, HSPA+, WiMAX, DVB-T/H and Wi-Fi) and wireline (10GBASE-T, PON, VDSL, DOCSIS and MOCA) ASICs in deep submicron technologies. Alvand’s comprehensive IP portfolio includes ADC/DAC with resolution of up to 18-bit dynamic range, speeds of up to 1.2 Giga-samples-per-second (GSPS), and in multiple manufacturing process nodes: 65nm 90nm, 130nm and 180nm.

In addition, Alvand will promote Faraday’s market-leading ASIC design services to its high-end customer base. With over 3,000 successful ASIC designs completed and 100 million ASIC chips shipped annually, Faraday offers unparalleled design expertise, system know-how and best-in-class ASIC service to help customers develop the most complex and sophisticated ASICs that incorporate high-performance IP technologies such as the ADC/DAC IP from Alvand. Faraday provides customers with end-to-end services, from the industry’s broadest cell libraries and memory compilers for UMC to a spectrum of efficient design methodology tools that are streamlined for first-cut silicon successes; from packaging and testing services to yield enhancement and full production support.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Alvand Technologies, which has clearly demonstrated its technology and market leadership in ultra low power data converter IP,” said Luis Ancajas, vice president of sales at Faraday Technology Corporation. “As high-quality ADC/DAC IP is becoming increasingly central to the majority of communication, networking and consumer ASICs, and because designing high-performance ADC/DAC with low power-consumption in advanced process nodes is getting challenging, our partnership with Alvand is a great milestone, especially in terms of our differentiation from competitors and our offerings of highly-competitive next-generation ASIC solutions.”

“We are pleased and committed to be able to provide our comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class mixed-signal IP to Faraday’s broad base of customers worldwide,” said Mansour Keramat, president and CEO at Alvand Technologies. “The combination of Faraday’s superior ASIC design team, infrastructure and services along with Alvand’s silicon-proven IP portfolio provides customers with a highly-compelling solution that ensures the performance, robustness and high yields required for high-volume ASICs while accelerating time-to-market and mitigating development risks.”

About Faraday Technology Corporation

Faraday Technology Corporation is a leading fabless ASIC and silicon IP provider. The company's broad silicon IP portfolio includes Cell Library, Memory Compiler, ARM-compliant CPUs, DDRI/II/III, MPEG4, H.264, USB 2.0/3.0, 10/100 Ethernet, Serial ATA, and PCI Express. With 2008 revenue of US$ 149 million, Faraday is one of the largest fabless ASIC companies in the Asia-Pacific region, and it also has a significant presence in other world-wide markets. Headquartered in Taiwan, Faraday has service and support offices around the world, including the U.S., Japan, Europe, and China. For more information, please visit: www.faraday-tech.com.

About Alvand Technologies

Alvand Technologies is a leading analog IC company that specializes in high-performance data converters (ADC/DAC) and Analog Front End (AFE) for a broad range of applications, such as wireless (Wi-Fi, WiMax, LTE) and wireline (10GBASE-T) communication systems, ultrasound, mobile TV and advanced semiconductor inspection equipment. Alvand offers a full line of high-speed, low-power ADC/DAC and AFE solutions, ranging from best-in-class IP cores to full turnkey mixed-signal ASICs. Alvand's solutions are based on patented ADC/DAC and AFE technologies; Alvand currently has over 10 issued and pending patents. Alvand’s seasoned team of analog and mixed-signal IC designers has extensive experience in high-performance analog and mixed-signal IC design with particular emphasis on ultra low power applications. Our team has a successful track record of delivering high-quality products and IP cores that are shipping in mass production. Founded in 2005, Alvand Technologies has experienced significant sequential revenue growth and has been profitable since inception. The company has received a number of industry recognitions, including the KLA-Tencor “Developer Achievement Award”, the UMC “Special Achievement” Award, and the UMC “Best Partnership” Award. Alvand Technologies is privately held and is located in Santa Clara, California. For more information about Alvand Technologies, please call +1-408-988-8902 or visit the Alvand website at http://www.alvandtech.com.