Cygnus to deliver GNUPRO software for MIPS-based processor cores

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Media Contact:
Cygnus Solutions Becky Wood DiSorbo (408) 542-9667 bwood@cygnus.com Sara Killingsworth (602) 961-1515 Saralk@home.com		MIPS Technologies, Inc. Constance Sweeney (650) 358-9630 cks@mips.com

CYGNUS TO DELIVER GNUPRO SOFTWARE FOR
MIPS-BASED™ PROCESSOR CORES

Industry Leading Software Development Tools Enable
High Performance MIPS-based Applications

SUNNYVALE, Calif., August 30, 1999 – Cygnus Solutions, the leader in open source software, today announced that it will deliver industry leading GNUPro? software development tools for MIPS Technologies' (NASDAQ: MIPS) MIPS32? and MIPS64? architectures. Customers using high performance, cost effective MIPS-based? 32- and 64-bit embedded processors, will now have access to Cygnus' GNUPro tools and developer support to quickly develop custom applications for the consumer electronics, Internet, telecommunications, office automation, networking, aerospace and automotive markets.

Today, Cygnus currently offers more than 25 GNUPro tool chains to develop C and C++ applications that are optimized for the MIPS architecture. With this agreement, Cygnus' powerful, single source tool chain will support the MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures. Furthermore, the single source tool chain will be optimized to work with MIPS Technologies' entire product family including the MIPS32? 4K? family, MIPS64? 5K? family, and the MIPS64? 20K? family of processors. This will enable customers to use flexible and adaptable tools in the development of MIPS-based applications and MIPS-based system on chip (SOC) solutions.

"Our customers will benefit from this optimized tool chain from Cygnus. These tools will meet the increasing demands raised by the fast-growing trend of developing system on a chip solutions," said Greg Stoner, manager of applications at MIPS Technologies, Inc. "This announcement supports the MIPS IDF (Integrated Development Framework --see press release dated 3/3/99) which was designed to accelerate the development of advanced tools for the MIPS platform and enable developers to cut NRE or non recurring engineering costs and speed development. We are pleased that this world class vendor, Cygnus, has chosen to optimize its tool chain to support processors based on the MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures."

"This agreement brings together two industry leaders and offers a combined hardware and software solution to keep product development teams on the forefront of delivering deeply embedded or SOC solutions," said Alex Daly, president and CEO of Cygnus Solutions. "In fact, Cygnus' eight year track record in delivering and supporting GNUPro for the MIPS architecture clearly demonstrates our expertise in delivering GNUPro for the next generation of processors from MIPS Technologies."

Market Leading Software Development Tools
Cygnus GNUPro features the industry leading GNU compiler and the GNU debugger that is backed by ten years of Cygnus expertise in porting (and maintaining) the GNU technology to more than 125 host/target combinations. Cygnus GNUPro is a complete software development tool suite that includes ANSI-conforming C compiler, ANSI-tracking C++ compiler, the Cygnus Insight? visual debugger, a macro-assembler, linker/loader, binary utilities, libraries, printed and online documentation. Each release of GNUPro undergoes hundreds of thousands of tests to ensure that software developers have tools that work out-of-the-box with high reliability.

Leader in Open-Source Software
As the leader in open-source software, (2) Cygnus engineers have contributed the majority of all new innovations in GNU and drive GNU development tools technology forward by incorporating leading-edge features and optimizations. Cygnus works with platform vendors to ensure the latest GNU technologies are available on their platforms, as well as end users to customize and optimize GNUPro tools, the commercial version of the GNU tools, for specific applications. Cygnus offers support on a broad range of 32- and 64-bit microprocessors and the majority of UNIX-based and Win32 platforms, including all major Linux distributions, and Windows NT, 95 and 98.

Availability
The GNUPro Toolkit for MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures will be available from Cygnus in the first half of 2000. Adopters of the MIPS32 4Kc and MIPS32 4Kp cores can obtain GNUPro tools for the existing generation of MIPS-based processors. Cygnus will offer GNUPro tools for existing MIPS-based 32- and 64-bit processors through the GNUPro subscription program that includes regular software upgrades, featuring the latest innovations in GNU technology, as well as developer support services for rapid response and resolution of technical questions or problems.

For more information on GNUPro pricing, the power of Cygnus' source-level support, and the more than 125 cross-development environments supported by Cygnus GNUPro, contact Cygnus corporate headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif. at 1-408-542-9600, 1-800-CYGNUS-1, info@cygnus.com, or visit the Web site at http://www.cygnus.com/gnupro.html.

Cygnus Solutions
Cygnus Solutions, the leader in open-source software and an innovating force in Internet software infrastructure, offers development tools and operating systems based on an open source model. From GNUPro Toolkit and Code Fusion Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to eCos?, the Embedded Cygnus Operating System, Cygnus' open source and royalty-free software benefits Linux, Windows NT/95, and UNIX systems developers in a wide variety of market segments, including consumer electronics, Internet, telecommunications, office automation, networking, aerospace and automotive. Cygnus' products, custom engineering services, and developer support services enable customers to bring products to market faster at reduced system development costs.

Founded in 1989, with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, Cygnus has sales and engineering offices throughout North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.
MIPS Technologies, Inc. is the world's primary architect of embedded 32- and 64-bit RISC processors. The company drives the broadest architectural alliance that is delivering 32- and 64-bit embedded RISC solutions. It offers the only embedded 64-bit RISC architecture for emerging digital consumer, network systems, and information management applications. The company licenses its intellectual property to semiconductor manufacturing companies, ASIC developers, and system OEMs. MIPS Technologies, Inc. and its licensees offer the widest range of robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and application-specific products. Developers can choose from a broad menu of price/performance options that include execution units, clock speeds, instruction widths (16-, 32- or 64-bit), cache sizes, memory bandwidths, memory protection schemes, system interfaces, and on-chip system logic.

Licensees currently include: Alchemy; ATI Technologies; Broadcom Corporation; CommQuest (IBM); Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT); LSI Logic Corporation; Macronix; NEC Corporation; NKK Corporation; Philips Semiconductors; Quantum Effect Devices (QED); Sony Corporation; SiByte, Inc.; Synova; Texas Instruments Incorporated and Toshiba Corporation. Numerous companies utilize MIPS-based™ intellectual property. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is based in Mountain View, California, and can be reached at 650-567-5000 or http://www.mips.com.

(1) Cygnus and GNUPro are registered trademarks, and Code Fusion, Insight, Sourceware, and eCos are trademarks of Cygnus Solutions. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. (2) Forbes, August 1999. MIPS is a registered trademark and MIPS32, MIPS64 and MIPS64 20K are trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. All press materials are available on the World Wide Web via: http://www.mips.com