ARC International GmbH Expands SoC Development Product Offering

Complete SoC Development Solution of Hardware and Software Components Now Available Direct in Central Europe

Munich, December 9th, 2002 – ARC International (LSE: ARK), a world leader in configurable System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies, is now offering its complete range of hardware and software SoC development products directly from its central European office in Munich. The enhanced product offering is the result of the recent integration of ARC's microprocessor, Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), software, peripheral and toolset product lines.

Following the success of ARC's microprocessor and USB peripheral hardware IP in Germany and Central Europe, ARC is now directly offering its full range of software and tools on a direct basis. ARC's powerful suite of MetaWare software development tools support not only the ARCtangent™ user-customizable 32-bit RISC/DSP processor, but also other architectures like ARM®, MIPS®, PowerPC®, and Xscale®. The MetaWare C/C++ compiler generates fast, compact and optimized assembly code and the linker allows full control of section layout and placement with data to save memory space. The SeeCode™ debugger, is an advanced and user-configurable debugger for single or multiprocessor systems, delivering a full set of traditional native and embedded application debugging features. It is also fully OS-aware for various RTOSs on a range of popular platforms. ARC's MQX™ RTOS is small, scalable and portable. Licensed royalty-free, it can be extended with the Precise/RTCS full-featured TCP/IP stack and other communication and network protocols.

David Doyle, Director of European Sales at ARC International said, "We now offer a highly integrated portfolio of pre-verified SoC development products that are guaranteed to work together. ARC has effectively become a one-stop shop for developers looking to cut development time by sourcing embedded RISC/DSP processors, RTOS, software, peripherals and development tools from one IP supplier". "What's more", he continued, "our development system works not only with the ARCtangent processor, but also supports other architectures, like ARM and MIPS, so developers can really leverage the benefits of using a single world-class tool chain for all of their processor development tasks."

ARC's goal is to provide a single SoC development platform to help customers meet time-to-market goals where design cycles of six months or less are critical. By sourcing all of the required IP from a single, reliable source, developers save valuable integration time, reducing risk and cost.

About ARC
ARC International is an industry-leading developer of embedded user-customizable, high-performance 32-bit RISC/DSP processor cores, with integrated development tools, peripherals, RTOS and software. These integrated products and solutions are a result of the acquisitions of MetaWare, VAutomation and Precise Software Technologies. ARC's integrated intellectual property solutions assist customers in rapidly developing next generation wireless, networking and consumer electronics products, reducing the number of IP suppliers, reducing time-to-market, reducing costs, and reducing the risk for System-on-Chip product development. Products based on ARC's technology include digital still cameras, set-top boxes, and network processors.

ARC International employs 200 people in research and development, sales, and marketing offices across North America, Europe and Israel. Full details of the company's locations and other information are on the company's web site, www.ARC.com. ARC International is listed on the London Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE:ARK).