STARC Standardizes On Artisan's Memories For IC Designs Targeted At 90-Nanometer Process Technologies

Agreement Provides Consortium of Japan's Leading Semi Companies With Full Suite of Artisan's High-Speed, High-Density and Low-Power Memory Generators

SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- May 18, 2003 -- Artisan Components, Inc., (Nasdaq: ARTI), a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP), today announced that its high-speed, high-density and low-power memory generators have been adopted by the Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center (STARC). A consortium comprised of Japan's leading semiconductor companies, STARC will standardize on Artisan's memory products for IC designs targeted at 90-nanometer processes. The designs will be produced at Advanced SoC Platform Corporation (ASPLA), which is a common fabrication facility established by Japan's leading integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) that have jointly developed mainstream and low-power process technologies.

Artisan expects to deliver a comprehensive offering of its memory generators for single- and dual-port SRAM, single- and two-port register files and diffusion programmable ROM. The suite of products will be optimized for ASPLA's 90-nanometer process technologies' design rules and characterized using ASPLA's latest electrical models. The Artisan memory generators will include support for Artisan's extensive set of views and models of the industry's leading EDA tools.

"STARC's mission is to create an infrastructure of common IP components and process technologies to make SoC design more efficient, manufacturable and affordable," said Tadahiko Nakamura, vice president and general manager of IP Development Department at STARC. "Artisan's widely used memory products have a reputation for quality and first-right silicon, and meet our criteria for building a common design standard for our path to silicon."

STARC and ASPLA are comprised of Fujitsu Ltd., Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Ltd., NEC Corporation, OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd, Renesas Technology Corporation (a joint venture of Hitachi Ltd. & Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Rohm Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation and Toshiba Corporation. The twelve member companies are working together to offer a standardization of IP components for SoC design and establish manufacturing technology platform to drive the fabrication of these devices in 90-nanometer and lower process technologies.

"STARC's initiative is in step with Artisan's focus on providing a common design foundation to address design-for-manufacturability solutions," said Mark Templeton, president and chief executive officer of Artisan. "We are pleased that this consortium of Japan's leading semiconductor manufacturers have selected Artisan's memory products as their design standard."

About Artisan Components
Artisan Components, Inc. is a leading semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider. The company's design platforms are licensed to over 1000 companies worldwide. Artisan's design platforms provide IC designers with a common interface to a range of process technologies from the world's leading foundries. Built on Artisan's Process-Perfect™ memory generators, standard cell and I/O libraries, Artisan's design platforms include a comprehensive set of views and models supporting leading design tools and methodologies. Artisan's worldwide network of EDA, IP and design service partners extend the Artisan standard to a complete set of system level design and integration solutions. Artisan is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. More information about Artisan Components, including free library access can be found at: http://www.artisan.com.

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Artisan Components is a registered trademark and Process-Perfect is a trademark of Artisan Components, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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