PLDApplications enters the highly coveted 2003 Deloitte European Technology Fast 500 Club

Joining the 500 fastest growing technology company, PLDApplications attributes its 261 percent revenue growth to a seven-year focused commitment and R&D investment in IP Cores for the PCI and derivative busses including PCI-X and PCI Express.

Aix-en-Provence, France - January 7, 2004 — PLDApplications (PLDA – www.plda.com), a leading provider of PCI, PCI-X and PCI Express intellectual property (IP) cores for ASICs, structured-ASICs and FPGAs, today announced that it joined the 2003 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in Europe. Rankings are based on five-year percentage revenue growth from 1998-2002. PLDA, which ranks #449, grew 261 percent during this period and is today strongly positioned in a market poised for a tremendous growth.

Today's news rewards PLDA for both its focused strategy and acuteness in management that have made it profitable since its inception. The company released its first PCI IP core in 1996 and since then has steadily grown to become a leading actor on its market, ranking world 2nd in 2002 (source Gartner). PLDA was also among the first to market a PCI-X 133MHz IP core in 2002 and announced the availability of a complete range of PCI Express solutions last spring. “PCI will still be the interconnect standard for some years, but many reports expect the number of PCI-X interface designs to increase fivefold until 2005 and foresee the likely migration to serial connectivity solutions like PCI Express. We are confident that the technological skills and experience we’ve accumulated and the strategic choices we have made will be valuable to both our customers and the company” said Arnaud Schleich, VP sales and marketing at PLDA.

“The economic pressures continue to bite, but a combination of business acumen and ambition have made all of these businesses exceptional,” said Karel Bakkes, Deloitte partner in charge of the 2003 European Technology Fast 500 programme. “All of the Deloitte Fast 500 companies are winners in different ways, but they have continued to invest in brand recognition and talent and keep customers coming aboard. Their brave efforts will help to mould the marketplace and lead others to the many opportunities in Europe’s fast-growing technology, media and telecoms sectors.”
 
Fast 500 Selection and Qualifications

The Fast 500 list is compiled from three sources:

• winners of Deloitte’s European Fast 50 programmes,
• nominations submitted directly to the Fast 500, and
• public company database research.

To qualify for the Fast 500 ranking, firms must have been involved in proprietary technology that contributed significantly to their operating revenues, manufactured a tech product or have been deeply involved in tech research and development. Also, the firm must have been in business at least five years, had 1998 revenue of at least 50,000 Euros, and been headquartered in Europe or have shares listed on a European stock exchange.

About PLDApplications - www.plda.com
Formed in 1996 by seasoned semiconductor industry engineers and profitable since its inception, PLDApplications (PLDA) is a privately owned company focused on the development and sale of high-quality semiconductor intellectual property cores (SIP) for ASICs, structured-ASICs and FPGAs.

Unlike other IP companies who spread their resources and efforts thinly over many technologies without really mastering any, PLDA concentrates on high-speed busses cores: PCI, PCI-X, PCI Express, AMBA.

Pioneering the PCI IP core market, PLDA was also among the first to introduce a real PCI-X 133MHz core and is today leading the migration to the new PCI Express architecture. These sharp focus and successes that met the needs of more than 400 customers on all continents have made PLDA the 2nd world's largest provider of PCI and derivatives busses IP cores (source Gartner-Dataquest 2003) and a proud member of the 2003 Deloitte European Technology Fast 500.

About Deloitte’s TMT Industry Practice

The Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Group has deep industry knowledge of technology, media and telecommunications companies and the challenges these industries face in areas such as Internet, software, computers, telecommunications and networking, semiconductor and related industries, along with broadcasting and publishing. Deloitte’s TMT practice provides a global network of dedicated professionals who can deliver innovative solutions to clients wherever they are in the world.