Canon Research and Be4 Join ARM PrimeXsys Community Program

New Partners are first to bring audio expertise for consumer and gaming applications to PrimeXsys Program

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Apr. 22, 2003 – ARM [(LSE:ARM) (Nasdaq:ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, today announced at Embedded Systems Conference, San Francisco, that Canon Research Centre Europe Ltd., (CRE), and Be4 Ltd., have joined the ARM® PrimeXsys™ Community Program, bringing with them significant expertise in speech recognition and advanced mobile audio technology. As a new Program member, CRE has ported its speech recognition IP to the ARM PrimeXsys Platform, which is the first time Canon has offered developers access to such proprietary solutions through an open platform. Be4 is currently porting its 3D audio engine named "MPulse™" to the Platform, enabling manufacturing and developers to incorporate, for the first time, rich, 3D sound in mobile devices such as cellular phones, game pads and PDAs. Together, CRE and Be4 are expanding the scope of the PrimeXsys Community Program to include important next-generation audio capabilities.

"The addition of CRE and Be4 to the ARM PrimeXsys Community is an important milestone in the evolution of this Program," said George Milne, PrimeXsys Community Program manager, ARM. "Both companies bring valuable expertise in mobile audio technology that will assist developers in creating the most advanced consumer electronics and gaming devices possible. As membership of the PrimeXsys Community Program continues to grow, Partner companies benefit from an expanding pool of support services, as well as pre-ported IP solutions that reduce costs and accelerate the product development process."

CRE's main focus is investigating issues relating to the usability and accessibility of information on networks under the theme of Information Interaction. Speech recognition, and in particular, its use in providing alternative user interfaces for consumer electronics and the latest mobile devices, is an important part of the R&D activities at CRE.

"Membership of the PrimeXsys Community Program broadens access to Canon's leading-edge speech recognition technology," said Andy Szeliga, president, Canon Research Centre Europe. "Our unique solutions are now available to a global network of engineers developing products based on ARM embedded microprocessor cores."

As the creator of MPulse, a proprietary audio processing technology, Be4 has pioneered the delivery of dynamic and realistic 3D audio through a software-based processing algorithm that runs on the target CPU and processes audio in real time. MPulse technology provides a powerful API, enabling developers to significantly enhance the mobile gaming experience with 3D audio, as well as enrich music playback with 3D audio effects. ARM is the only processor architecture supported by Be4.

"Audio is one of the dominant technologies of the mobile world, with ring tones, music playback and games all requiring sophisticated audio processing IP," said Giora Naveh, CEO, Be4. "MPulse technology is designed to take mobile audio to the next level and our participation in the ARM PrimeXsys Community Program will enable developers worldwide to significantly enhance the audio capabilities of their respective devices."

The ARM PrimeXsys Community Program provides a range of support services tailored to the design community, making the PrimeXsys Platform an even more compelling choice for developers, semiconductor vendors and OEMs looking for pre-ported IP solutions, which run on a standard open platform. The Community requires Partners like Canon Research Europe and Be4 to perform a port of their technology to the platform and submit the result for a compatibility check by ARM.

The PrimeXsys Community Program has been designed to service the requirements of PrimeXsys Platform licensees and their OEM customers. Community Partners, the software and hardware IP providers that integrate their products with the PrimeXsys Platform or specialist tool/service providers bring their specialist expertise to PrimeXsys technology-based SoC devices or OEM products. The Program already includes support across operating systems, real-time video technology and modules including Bluetooth GPS and DiskOnChip support from a wide range of third parties.

About ARM
ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals and system-on-chip (SoC) designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at www.arm.com

About Be4
Be4 is a leading provider of 3D audio solutions optimized for mobile devices. Be4's solutions are software based, fully compatible and designed for easy integration with mobile device platforms and operating systems. MPulse™, recently released by Be4, is the first 3D audio engine to enable developers to add 3D audio to mobile games and music applications. For manufacturers, operators and content developers, Be4's audio solutions are innovative, cost-effective and flexible means of offering exciting new services to generate additional traffic and increase revenues. More information on Be4 and MPulseTM is available at www.mpulsezone.com

About Canon Research Center Europe Ltd.
Canon Research Center Europe Ltd. (CRE) was Canon's first R&D laboratory to be established outside Japan. Officially opened in 1989, CRE undertakes a range of research and development projects for Canon and has worked in many technology areas ranging from speech recognition to 3D graphics.

The results of CRE's research have been focused both externally to and internally within Canon to deliver both new products and new features on products, including voice dialing on fax machines. CRE is a wholly owned Canon subsidiary and is based in Berkshire, UK.

For more information, visit the CRE website at: www.cre.canon.co.uk

ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. PrimeXsys is a trademark of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and Nasdaq: ARMHY); its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM INC.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan; ARM France SAS; and ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. .