University of Edinburgh Develops an Advanced Research Processor based on the ARC600 Architecture

SAN JOSE, Calif., and ST. ALBANS, England -- July 27 2009 -- ARC International, (LSE: ARK), a leading provider of IP to OEM and semiconductor companies worldwide announced today that its University Program partner, the University of Edinburgh, has created a silicon implementation of its advanced research microprocessor family, a configurable and extendable implementation of ARC’s “ARCompact®” instruction-set architecture.

The University of Edinburgh Informatics Department is ranked as number one amongst its peers in the UK and its Professor of Computer Systems, Professor Nigel Topham, was instrumental in the design of the original ARC600 in 2003. Since that time, the processor family has taken the pre-eminent market position in many “super microcontroller” application segments, such as in flash memory control where it boasts greater than 60% market share, with its “Storage-to- Silicon” offering.

“This development underlines the importance of working with universities to benefit from leading edge research” said Dr. Geoff Bristow, CEO of ARC International.

ARC will announce a broad ranging university sponsorship initiative in September, including cooperative development at Edinburgh as well as at universities in Russia, India and Israel.

"As a research group with a long-standing association with ARC, we welcome this new initiative," said Professor Topham. "Over the years our students have benefited from our collaboration with ARC, through access to tools and exposure to challenging research topics. This program will stimulate further research across a wider group of universities as well as providing academic access to an influential technology base."

For further details of the project, see the attached news release by the University of Edinburgh.

About ARC International plc

ARC International is a world leading provider of consumer IP to OEM and semiconductor companies globally. ARC’s award-winning, vertically integrated audio and video solutions enable high quality multimedia content to be captured, shared, and played on a wide range of electronics devices. ARC’s 150+ customers collectively ship hundreds of millions of ARC-Based™ chips annually in products such as PCs and laptops, digital and mobile TVs, portable media players, flash storage, digital cameras, network appliances, and medical and government systems.
ARC International maintains a worldwide presence with corporate and research and development offices in San Jose and Lake Tahoe, Calif., St. Albans, England, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Hyderabad, India. For more information visit www.ARC.com. ARC International is listed on the London Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE: ARK).