JVC Licenses Tensilica Xtensa for Digital Video Camcorder

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001--Tensilica® Inc., the leading supplier of configurable processor cores for embedded system-on-chip (SOC) applications, announced today that the Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) had licensed the company's Xtensa technology. According to JVC, Xtensa cores will be used in a next generation digital video camcorder.

``We selected Tensilica's architecture based upon its great design flexibility and efficiency,'' said Yasutoshi Matsuo, General Manager, Engineering Development Dept. of Video Product Division, JVC AV & Multimedia Company. ``With Xtensa technology, we are able to optimize the critical elements required for camera applications, in particular, the long lasting power requirements which lead to extended operating times and lighter products.''

Bernie Rosenthal, vice president of marketing and business development for Tensilica, commented, ``One of the clear targets for Xtensa technology from day one of Tensilica's existence was the consumer electronics sector, so it is with a great deal of pleasure that we welcome JVC to our growing group of licensees. Not only is the Xtensa processor ideal in high-speed imaging and audio applications, the power provided to designers through specific instruction extensions can endow high volume consumer products with features that add greatly to the end product's value and marketability. We expect that this engagement will lead to many more opportunities to support JVC, and we look forward to years of mutual collaboration.''

About Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC)

JVC, well known for its invention of the VHS format for VCRs, is a leading international electronics company that has achieved success by combining its excellence in audio and video hardware with its global-scale software business, and also has a growing reputation for its professional equipment. JVC operates several business lines through which it offers a wide variety of devices and solutions. JVC business lines are Video, Audio, TV, Entertainment, Information-related Equipment and Component Devices. Every endeavor still continues to actively focus on discovering a new digital and network society for the 21st century. Headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, JVC was founded in 1927. For more information, visit the JVC Web site at www.jvc.co.jp.

About Tensilica

Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the fast-growing market for configurable processors and software development tools for high volume, embedded systems. Using the company's proprietary Xtensa Processor Generator, system-on-chip (SOC) designers can develop a processor subsystem hardware design and a complete software development tool environment tailored to their specific requirements in hours.

Tensilica's solutions provide a proven, easy-to-use, methodology that enables designers to achieve optimum application performance in minimum design time. The Company has over 140 engineers engaged in research, development, and customer support from its offices in Santa Clara, Calif.; Burlington, Mass.; Princeton, N.J.; Houston, Texas; Oxford, U.K.; Stockholm, Sweden; Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.; and Yokohama, Japan.

Tensilica is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. (95054) at 3255-6 Scott Boulevard, and can be reached at 408/986-8000 or via www.tensilica.com on the World Wide Web.

Note to Editors:

``Tensilica'' is a registered trademark and ``Xtensa'' is a trademark belonging to Tensilica Inc. ``JVC'' is a trademark of the Victor Corporation of Japan, Ltd.

Tensilica's announced licensees are, in alphabetical order, Berkeley Wireless Research Center, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Conexant Systems, Fujitsu Ltd., Hughes Network Systems, Ikanos Communications, JNI Corporation, Marvell (Galileo Technology), Mindspeed Technologies, National Semiconductor, NEC Networks, NEC Solutions, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), ONEX Communications, Osaka & Kyoto Universities, TranSwitch Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC), and ZiLOG.

Contact:
     Tensilica, Inc.
     Kim Alfaro, 408/327-7343
     kim@tensilica.com
       or
     Tensilica K.K.
     Masumi Takahashi, 045-477-3373
     mastaka@tensilica.com
       or
     Tanis Communications
     Joany Draeger, 650/365-3395
     joany@taniscomm.com