Micronas Licenses Range of MIPS Processor Cores for Consumer Electronics

MIPS32® 74K™ Cores Drive Performance for Feature-rich Devices

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- November 6, 2008 -- MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqGS: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard architectures, processors and analog IP for digital consumer, home networking, wireless, communications and business applications, today announced that Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN), a leading supplier of innovative application-specific IC system solutions for consumer and automotive electronics, licensed its synthesizable processor cores for next-generation applications. Long-time MIPS® licensee Micronas licensed the popular MIPS32® 24Kc™ core as well as MIPS' highest-performance single-threaded cores—the MIPS32® 74Kc™ and MIPS32® 74Kf™ cores; and the MIPS SOC-it® L2 Cache Controller.

Micronas will leverage the MIPS cores in their chip solutions for consumer applications such as digital TV, set-top box, video, audio, portable consumer and consumer multimedia. These applications demand high-performance, low-power and compact solutions that enable advanced services, content and functionality while reducing system cost.

"In consumer electronics, ever-changing standards and security features together with increasing functionality and services mean processors must be high-performance and have broad software support," said Dirk Wieberneit, vice president, Product Development Consumer, Micronas. "For consumer electronic products like DTVs and STBs, the MIPS ecosystem is unrivaled, providing critical development support. We believe that any next-generation Micronas products leveraging MIPS cores will offer distinct value in terms of performance, power consumption and price."

"As a MIPS licensee since 2002, we are pleased that Micronas continues to leverage MIPS solutions for its innovative chip solutions," said Brad Holtzinger, vice president of worldwide sales at MIPS Technologies. "By licensing our 74K cores, Micronas once again demonstrates technological leadership and innovation, taking advantage of the industry's highest-performance single-threaded microprocessor cores. We are pleased to announce yet another licensee for the 74K core, as it gains increasing momentum for the next generation of feature-rich devices."

The MIPS32® 74K™ core is the industry's first fully synthesizable processor to surpass 1 GHz in TSMC 65nm GP process using industry standard libraries and EDA flows. The 74K core is based on MIPS' latest superscalar microarchitecture. Its 15-stage pipeline design employs a unique combination of out-of-order dispatch and asymmetric dual-issue, enabling a higher-frequency, higher-performance solution with lower area and power. Designers can use existing binaries, saving significant time and money, since in-house and third-party software doesn't need to be recompiled. The innovative embedded microarchitecture also incorporates the MIPS DSP Application Specific Extension (ASE) Rev2 to dramatically boost signal processing performance. The core IP is available in versions with (74Kf core) or without (74Kc core) floating point unit support.

Low-power MIPS32® 24K® cores offer 700 MHz worst-case performance in a 65nm process, and offer the best combination of performance, power and density of any midrange synthesizable CPU in the industry. They are ideal for home entertainment applications as well as portable, battery-powered consumer devices.

About Micronas

Micronas (SWX Swiss Exchange: MASN), a semiconductor designer and manufacturer with worldwide operations, is a leading supplier of cutting-edge IC and sensor system solutions for consumer and automotive electronics. As a market leader in innovative global TV system solutions, Micronas leverages its expertise into new markets emerging through the digitization of audio and video content. Micronas also offers a variety of microcontrollers and Hall-sensors for automotive and industrial applications, such as car dashboard, body control, as well as motor management and comfort functions. Micronas serves all major consumer and automotive electronics customers worldwide, many of them in continuous partnerships seeking joint success. While the holding company is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), operational headquarters are based in Freiburg (Germany). Currently, the Micronas Group employs around 1800 people. In 2007 it generated CHF 713/USD 596/EUR 433 million in sales.

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqGS: MIPS) is the world's second largest semiconductor design IP company and the number one analog IP company worldwide. With more than 250 customers around the globe, MIPS Technologies is the only company that provides a combined portfolio of processors, analog IP and software tools for the embedded market. The company powers some of the world's most popular products for the digital entertainment, home networking, wireless, and portable media markets—including broadband devices from Linksys, DTVs and digital consumer devices from Sony, DVD recordable devices from Pioneer, digital set-top boxes from Motorola, network routers from Cisco, 32-bit microcontrollers from Microchip Technology and laser printers from Hewlett-Packard. Founded in 1998, MIPS Technologies is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, contact (650) 567-5000 or visit www.mips.com.