MegaChips Completes Design Center Agreement with Tensilica to Enhance R&D and Expand Marketing Collaboration

Update: Cadence Completes Acquisition of Tensilica (Apr 24, 2013)

Customers to Get Superior LSI Products with Advanced Functionality and Shorter Lead Times

SAN JOSE, Calif. and SANTA CLARA, Calif. – March 4, 2013 – MegaChips and Tensilica, Inc. completed a design center agreement that will enhance research and development (R&D) and expand marketing collaboration, enabling large-scale integration (LSI) product customers to get advanced functionality with shorter lead times.

On April 1, 2013, MegaChips is going to integrate its business operation with Kawasaki Microelectronics Inc., its consolidated subsidiary, for further expanding LSI business, and this agreement with Tensilica is one of the important measures to reinforce MegaChips R&D.

“Our partnership with Tensilica enables us to procure Tensilica’s outstanding IP cores with ease and accelerate advanced SoC development,” said Gen Sasaki, director, officer and general manager of Division No. 2 at MegaChips. “This lets us deliver superior LSI products with shorter lead times to both domestic and international customers who constantly seek advanced functions.”

Using Tensilica’s customizable processor technology, MegaChips will develop original cores that are useful not only for voice and/or speech processing and codecs but also voice recognition, image processing and gesture recognition. The MegaChips products developed based on Tensilica’s customizable dataplane processors (DPUs) are used in the family of image processing and recognition chips for the network security camera market, which is one of the fastest-growing markets with around 20% annual growth rate.

“The electronics and semiconductor industries are facing both longer development time and higher development cost with smaller process geometries, hence the need to partner with LSI design and service companies and programmable IP companies to speed up time to market and reduce development risk,” said Steve Roddy, vice president of marketing and business development at Tensilica. “Our partnership with MegaChips will accelerate the development of new technology and supply cutting-edge products that will fulfill future demand.”

About Tensilica

Tensilica, Inc. is the leader in dataplane processor IP core licensing with over 200 licensees. Dataplane processors (DPUs) combine the best capabilities of DSPs and CPUs while delivering 10 to 100x the performance because they can be optimized using Tensilica’s automated design tools to meet specific and demanding signal processing performance targets. Tensilica’s DPUs power SOC designs at system OEMs and seven out of the top 10 semiconductor companies for designs in mobile wireless, telecom and network infrastructure, computing and storage, and home and auto entertainment. Tensilica offers standard cores and hardware/software solutions that can be used as is or easily customized by semiconductor companies and OEMs for added differentiation. For more information on Tensilica’s patented, benchmark-proven DPUs visit www.tensilica.com.

About MegaChips

MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE: 6875) was established in 1990 as an innovative fabless company dedicated to system LSIs with the goal of integrating LSIs and systems knowledge. Their focus is on the development of cutting-edge system LSIs and systems products incorporating original algorithms and architecture in the areas of imaging, audio, and communications, and using the advances they achieve to offer outstanding products and solutions that meet the needs of their clients. For additional information, please visit: www.megachips.co.jp/english/top.html.