MIPS Technologies and Chartered Semiconductor complete architecture verification of MIPS-based cores in Silicon

MIPS TECHNOLOGIES AND CHARTERED SEMICONDUCTOR COMPLETE ARCHITECTURE VERIFICATION OF MIPS-BASED[tm] CORES IN SILICON

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN -- IP JAPAN CONFERENCE-- May 31, 2000 -- MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:MIPS) and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (NASDAQ:CHRT; SGX-ST:Chartered) have announced the completion of key milestones necessary for customers to use "drop-in" MIPS Technologies intellectual property (IP) processor cores directly through the foundry.

Chartered?s silicon implementation of the MIPS32 4Kc[tm] 32-bit processor core has successfully passed architecture verification testing, which demonstrates compatibility with the MIPS32[tm] architecture standard. This milestone ensures that the hard core design methodology has been fully validated by Chartered?s design services team. With this advantage, designers can shorten time to market by using the MIPS® processor cores as drop-in blocks that are pre-proven for manufacturability in Chartered?s fabs. An additional advantage includes compatibility with the large body of third-party development tools and software available for the MIPS processor architecture.

The two companies have produced a design kit that contains the models and documentation necessary for implementing the MIPS32 4Kc core within a system on a chip to be manufactured at Chartered. The kit includes sample boot code developed by MIPS Technologies, plus a hard-core integration guide; timing, simulation and synthesis models; verification test vectors and scripts; physical design, production test and back-end design methodologies, and data sheets. Engineers can use the design kit as a reference for both 0.25- and 0.18-micron designs. The kit is available now from Chartered.

Ana Hunter, vice president of worldwide EDA services for Chartered, said, "With a corporate strategy to enable systems on silicon, we continue to expand the services that verify, validate and qualify IP for a seamless path from design to silicon to market entry. As a result of creating a design kit with MIPS Technologies, our mutual customers get the best of both companies? expertise: the system architecture knowledge with software from MIPS Technologies and the manufacturing implementation support from Chartered."

"We are delighted to be working with Chartered on developing new tools that speed time to market for users of MIPS Technologies? processor cores," said James Mac Hale, director of semiconductor licensee marketing at MIPS Technologies. "We chose to work with Chartered because of their commitment to providing value-added services for their customers as well as the final silicon. Our licensees, especially those in the communications and network markets, must meet stringent time to market requirements or they miss narrow market windows. These new design kits will help them get to market faster."

About Chartered
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Nasdaq: CHRT and SGX-ST: CHARTERED) is the top three leading independent foundries providing wafer fabrication services. Guided by the tenets of trust, service, partnership, advanced technology and stability, the Company aims to provide world-class semiconductor foundry services that enable customers to create and deliver market-leading system-level solutions. Chartered operates five fabrication facilities that serve high-growth, technologically advanced applications such as communications and networking. Headquartered in Singapore, Chartered employs approximately 3400 people at its 11 locations in North America, Asia and Europe. The Company reported 1999 revenues of US $694.3 million. For more information, visit the company?s website, www.charteredsemi.com.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is one of the world's primary architects of embedded 32- and 64-bit RISC processors. 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, Inc. and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products.

Licensees currently include: Alchemy Semiconductor, Inc.; ATI Technologies, Inc.; Broadcom Corporation; Centillium Communications, Inc.; Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing; CommQuest (IBM); ESS Technology, Inc.; Excess Bandwidth; General Instrument Corporation; Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT); Lara Networks, Inc.; LSI Logic Corporation; Macronix; Metalink Ltd.; NEC Corporation; NKK Corporation; Philips Semiconductors; Quantum Effect Devices, Inc. (QED); QuickLogic Corporation, Sandcraft, Inc.; SiByte, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Synova; Texas Instruments Incorporated; Toshiba Corporation; and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Numerous companies utilize MIPS-based™ intellectual property. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is based in Mountain View, California, and can be reached at 650-567-5000 or http://www.mips.com.

MIPS is a registered trademark and MIPS32, 4Kc, and MIPS-based are trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. All press materials are available on the World Wide Web via: http://www.mips.com.
 
 

	Media Contact:
	Chartered Semiconductor: Rita Srinivasan +65.360.4368 ritasrinivasan@charteredsemi.com Maggie Tan +65.360.4705 tanmaggie@charteredsemi.com Thomas Avellone +1.408-941-1262 avellone@charteredsemi.com Barbara Kalkis Maestro Public Relations +1.408.996.9975 kkalkis@compuserve.com		MIPS Technologies, Inc: Constance Sweeney, 650 567 5059 cks@mips.com Kazufumi (George) Nakagami +81-3-3568-2368 nakagami@mips.com

 

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