VeriSilicon Licenses Full Range of ARM Processors for Consumer & Automotive SoC Design Services

SHANGHAI, CHINA AND CAMBRIDGE, UK – Oct. 18, 2005 – VeriSilicon Holdings Co. (VeriSilicon), a leading ASIC design foundry and one of the Red Herring’s 100 Private Companies of Asia 2005, and ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)] today announced that VeriSilicon is licensing a range of ARM® processors available via the  ARM Foundry Program, including the ARM7TDMI® processor, the ARM922TTM processor and the ARM926EJ-STM processor. Combined, these technologies will strengthen VeriSilicon’s development capability of ARM Powered® SoC solutions for use in multiple areas such as the consumer electronics, wireless and automotive markets.

China has become one of the most important regions for the global semiconductor market and is demanding diverse chip and system products for both entry- and advanced-level applications such as HDTVs, DTVs, set-top boxes, mobile handsets and automotive solutions. Global Source has reported that in 2005, China’s electronics industry will consume nearly US$60 billion worth of ICs (Global Source, Sept. 8, 2005). With a maturing silicon value chain and a more explicit division of roles, Chinese IC design foundries are gaining significant opportunity to grow by providing design services to various customers.

“ARM is the world’s most popular architecture for the digital world. By licensing multiple processor cores from the ARM Foundry Program, we will be able to expand our product portfolio to meet different market requirements,” said Dr. Wayne Dai, founder, chairman and CEO of VeriSilicon. “VeriSilicon is aimed at becoming a bridge to Chinese fabs by offering our customers comprehensivedesign services and turnkey services including manufacturing, packaging, testing, deliveryand advanced SoC solutions. This agreement will consolidate our collaboration with ARM, enabling us to meet clients’ demands for various applications and shorten the time-to-market.”

“Since 2001 ARM has been working with many leading companies along the silicon value chain of the Chinese semiconductor industry, so that Chinese companies can utilize the benefits of the ARM architecture for both local and global markets,” said Dr. Jun Tan, president of ARM China. “This strategic agreement demonstrates ARM’s commitment to working closely with Chinese design foundries such as VeriSilicon, to enable them to develop advanced SoC systems that will deliver more value to their customers and continue to grow the Chinese IC design industry.”

About VeriSilicon

VeriSilicon Holdings Co., Ltd. is a fabless ASIC design foundry focusing on providing semiconductor IP, design services and turnkey services including manufacturing, packaging, testing, and delivery. VeriSilicon has operation centers in Shanghai, China; Silicon Valley, US; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, to service worldwide customers. Over 400 customers worldwide have licensed VeriSilicon IP, optimized specifically for China-based wafer foundries. VeriSilicon has achieved the first silicon success and started volume production of many complex, multi-million gates ASICs using 0.18 um and below technologies at China-based wafer foundries. VeriSilicon is the first and only ARM Approved Design Center (ADC) and the first and only LSI certified ZSP design center in mainland China. In 2005, VeriSilicon has been names one of the Red Herring 100 Private Companies of Asia. More information on VeriSilicon is available athttp://www.verisilicon.com.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, 3D processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.