Avnet Cilicon And CAST Announce Alliance; CAST Inc. Brings Xilinx FPGA IP Cores to Avalon Reference Design System

November 20, 2002, Phoenix, Arizona -- Avnet Cilicon, the focused semiconductor distributor division of Avnet Electronics Marketing and CAST Inc., a provider of intellectual property (IP) cores, today announced an alliance to jointly deliver CAST Xilinx cores as part of the Avnet Design Services Avalon Reference Design System(TM).

The CAST cores will be offered in conjunction with Avnet Design Services designed hardware platforms, providing customers with complete development platforms and reference designs. This combination of proven hardware and IP will simplify a designer's selection and evaluation process and remove risks, speeding time to market.

"We're including CAST IP cores and hardware bundles in our Avalon Reference Design System because of their proven track record with Xilinx FPGA customers, their broad IP core portfolio for applications areas of interest to our customers' base and compatibility with other elements of the Avalon Reference Design System," said Warren Miller, vice president of marketing at Avnet. "Customers will now be able to select the right hardware development kit, add on hardware modules, like our new communications and memory module, and combine these with selected IP cores from CAST. They then can add device drives and applications code to create a complete product."

"Avnet and CAST have long had the same goal: helping designers get competitive products out the door as quickly and cost-effectively as possible," said Bill Finch, vice president of sales at CAST Inc. "Our new alliance combines the broad range of CAST general purpose IP cores with the proven utility of the Avalon Reference Design System so that designers can develop and evaluate their Xilinx-based designs faster and easier than before. We're excited to be a part of it."

The initial focus will be multimedia platforms using CAST's JPEG 2000 and MPEG cores, and embedded control systems (using 8051 and other 8- or 16-bit processor cores). The entire range of popular andstandards-based CAST cores will soon be available, including bus and network interfaces (PCI, USB, MAC, etc.), encryption functions (AES, DES, SHA-1, etc.), serial communications, and peripheral controllers. Designers can see new CAST/Avalon boards in the Reference Design Village at DesignCon 2003 in Santa Clara, Calif., Jan. 27. For the latest information about the Avalon Reference Design System and the variety of development platforms that can be used in conjunction with CAST IP cores, designers should visit www.avnetavenue.com or contact their Avnet representative.

About CAST Inc.
CAST provides general purpose IP (gpIP), a broad range of popular and standards-based cores that includes processors, interfaces, and application-specific functions for multimedia and encryption. Designers use these cores so they can concentrate on the more unique, creative aspects of their system designs, or to quicklyincorporate technology beyond their normal expertise. Privately owned and operating since 1993 with a focus on making IP practical and affordable, the company has established a reputation for high-quality products, simple licensing, and responsive technical support. CAST is located near New York City, and works with an international network of IP developers and distributors.

About Avnet Cilicon
Avnet Cilicon is the semiconductor distribution specialist division of Avnet Electronics Marketing in the Americas. Avnet Cilicon combines semiconductor expertise, technical excellence and deep market knowledge to enhance time to revenue for all supply-chain partners in the electronics arena. Avnet Cilicon's core competencies include materials management, technical support through Avnet Design Services, logistics support through Avnet IMS and customer-centric, dedicated sales channels. To learn more about Avnet Cilicon's capabilities, please visit http://www.cilicon.com or call 800/408-8353.

Avnet Cilicon, and the Avalon Reference Design System are trademarks of Avnet Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.