MIPS Technologies Used Artisan's High-Speed Logic IP to Validate Newest High-Performance 32-Bit Core Family

Artisan’s SAGE-HS™ Standard Cell Libraries Help SOC Developers of MIPS32® 24K™ Core-Based Designs Hit Performance Targets

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 5, 2004 - MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MIPS) today announced that Artisan's SAGE-HS High-Speed Standard Cell Libraries were used to help validate the performance of the new MIPS32® 24K™ family of processor cores, the highest performing 32-bit synthesizable cores in the embedded industry (see related announcement by MIPS Technologies).

"When customers implement the 24K core using Artisan's high-speed logic libraries they can be confident that their MIPS-Based silicon products will meet their most demanding performance and area requirements," said Victor Peng, vice president of engineering at MIPS Technologies. "Artisan's cell libraries provided a standard environment in which we were able to validate our design targets and flows. Because their technology also features integrated clock gating cells, the 24K development team was able to implement the core's fine-grain power control capability with a more streamlined and efficient design flow."

"We developed our SAGE-HS Library to address the needs of our customers high-performance applications, such as the MIPS 24K core," said Neal Carney, vice president of marketing at Artisan. "We are very pleased that MIPS Technologies has used our high-speed SAGE-HS Library as a reference platform for its high-performance 24K cores. This combination should help designers to make the right decisions for performance and area while meeting the speed targets of the industry's most demanding embedded applications."

About Artisan's SAGE-HS™ Libraries
Artisan's standard cell libraries offer a wide range of performance and density choices and are designed to generate superior RTL-to-GDSII results through state-of-the-art EDA tools and flows. The SAGE-HS High-Speed Libraries are for cell blocks that require the highest performance, and the SAGE-X™ Library is for cell blocks that require both speed and area optimization. The SAGE-HS Library has a set of almost 600 cells and over 150 functions and can offer up to 30-percent speed improvement. The library is architected with Artisan's time-tested Process-Perfect™ development flow and includes simulation models for industry-leading timing, synthesis, power, place-and-route and DFT tools.

About the MIPS32 24K Family
The MIPS32 24K core family, which includes the 24Kc™, 24Kc Pro™, 24Kf™ and 24Kf Pro versions, offers performance from 400 to 550 MHz worst case in a 0.13 micron process, the highest frequency available in 32-bit synthesizable cores for embedded markets, while minimizing design time and reducing product costs. Tailored SOC design methodologies, an Open Core Protocol (OCP) interconnect structure, standard libraries and on-chip memories from industry-leading companies help speed time-to-market, an important advantage for a processor core suited to embedded consumer applications such as digital and interactive TVs, set-top boxes and DVD players.

About MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and business applications. The company drives the broadest architectural alliance that is delivering 32- and 64-bit embedded RISC solutions. The company licenses its intellectual property to semiconductor companies, ASIC developers and system OEMs. MIPS Technologies and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif., and can be reached at +1 (650) 567-5000 or www.mips.com.