Atheros Licenses Highest Performing 32-Bit Cores from MIPS Technologies

MIPS32® 24Kc™ and MIPS32 4KE™ Processor Cores Will Enable More Services in Powerful, Next-Generation Wireless LAN Solutions

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 12, 2004 - MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MIPS) announced that Atheros Communications, Inc., a leading developer of advanced wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets, is expanding its use of the MIPS® architecture by taking a license for four of MIPS Technologies' high performance 32-bit cores, including the new MIPS32® 24Kc™ core, the embedded industry's highest performing 32-bit synthesizable core at 550 MHz, and the MIPS32 4KE™ family of cores. Atheros has been a MIPS Technologies licensee since 2001.

The 32-bit processor cores are well suited for next-generation WLAN solutions for a range of end markets. The new 24Kc core is ideal for high-performance, highly integrated, gateway solutions for cost-sensitive applications such as small office and home networking, where an increasing number of clients and the high data rates required by HDTV and other video applications are placing greater demand on the gateway. The 4KE family is ideal for high-performance, highly integrated chipsets for client applications.

"Developers of wireless infrastructure systems need solutions that significantly increase performance and security, while reducing parts count, cost and power consumption," said Colin Macnab, vice president of marketing and business development at Atheros. "Over the past three years, the MIPS architecture has helped make Atheros a market leader by giving us performance, power efficiency, flexibility and development tools to deliver advanced wireless access point, gateway and audio/video solutions. We believe the new 24Kc core and the 4KE core family will help us carry on that tradition."

"Atheros' leadership and expertise in WLAN solutions, together with our high-performance 32-bit cores, raises the bar on wireless technology and promises to give users an enhanced experience, with untethered access to high-speed multimedia throughout the home and workplace," said Jack Browne, vice president of worldwide sales at MIPS Technologies. "We are delighted to expand our relationship with Atheros, whose pioneering chipsets are used by leading providers of wireless networking systems."

About the MIPS32 24K Core Family
The MIPS32 24K core family, which includes the 24Kc™, 24Kc Pro, 24Kf™ and 24Kf Pro versions, offers performance from 400 to 550 MHz worst case in a 0.13 micron process, the highest frequency available in 32-bit synthesizable cores for embedded markets, while minimizing design time and reducing product costs. Tailored SOC design methodologies, an Open Core Protocol (OCP) interconnect structure, standard libraries and on-chip memories from industry-leading companies help speed time-to-market, an important advantage for a processor core suited to embedded consumer applications such as digital and interactive TVs, set-top boxes and DVD players.

About the MIPS32 4KE Family
MIPS32 4KE family, which includes the 4KEc™, 4KEm™ and 4KEp™ cores, offers frequency of 255 MHz (worst case) and 1.5 Dhrystone MIPS/MHz performance. Features such as code compression, larger writeback cache memories and extensive clock gating give SOC designers the flexibility to optimize their applications by maximizing performance or minimizing power consumption, making the 4KE cores an ideal solution for a wide range of cutting-edge applications, from ultralow-power mobile devices to high-performance broadband networking products.

About MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and business applications. 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 and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif., and can be reached at +1 (650) 567-5000 or www.mips.com.