Artisan Collaborates With Chartered and IBM on IP for 90-Nanometer Process

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2004 -- Library Sharing Agreement Supports Design Compatibility and Multi-Source Chip Manufacturing at 90nm

Artisan Components, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTI) today announced it has signed agreements with IBM and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing to ensure design compatibility for foundry customers that manufacture chips with 90-nanometer (nm) silicon technology jointly developed by IBM and Chartered. The agreement is based on a collaborative engagement model aimed at providing multi-source flexibility with access to a robust design ecosystem for the IBM-Chartered 90nm semiconductor process platform.

Under terms of the collaboration, Artisan, a leading provider of semiconductor intellectual property (IP), is developing a new family of physical IP for the IBM-Chartered 90nm advanced logic platform. The IP is based on Artisan's Advantage Platform(TM) and includes the most advanced version of Artisan's SAGE-X Standard Cell Library, general-purpose I/Os as well as Artisan's new Advantage Memories offering a forty-percent speed increase with a fifty-percent power reduction over current industry solutions. Artisan is working closely with Chartered and IBM to achieve optimized performance targets for a broad range of high-volume applications, including wireless, handheld, graphics and system-on-chip (SoC) markets. The Advantage IP will be distributed under Artisan's Access Library Program on a worldwide basis at no charge to licensed customers.

"We are pleased to be working with these industry leaders as they establish a common process for 90nm that leverages Artisan's most advanced IP technology," said Mark Templeton, Artisan's president and chief executive officer. "It is truly a step forward for the foundry industry and for IC designers to have this type of compatibility and flexibility between suppliers, especially at the leading-edge of process technology."

"We're breaking through the barriers to real design portability with shared design solutions and multi-source manufacturing capabilities," said Kevin Meyer, vice president of worldwide marketing and services at Chartered. "This approach makes nanotechnologies more accessible and affordable by combining leadership technologies with a flexible business model. We offer a smart choice that enables Artisan's broad base of foundry customers to maximize their considerable investments at 90nm by deploying strategies to increase first-pass silicon success, reduce design costs and leverage the benefits of multi-source manufacturing for their leading-edge products."

The Advantage 90nm Platform includes memory generators for single-and dual-port SRAM, single and two-port register files, programmable diffusion ROM, as well as a complete set of general-purpose I/O cells in both in-line and staggered configurations. The offering features high-speed and high-density standard cell libraries characterized for multiple voltage thresholds, enabling designers to effectively target the variable performance and power requirements of their products in silicon. The libraries will be jointly qualified for GDSII compatibility using a common set of design rules and electrical models, and will support Artisan's extensive set of enhanced views and models for the industry's leading electronic design automation (EDA) tools.

"First and foremost, this agreement with Artisan provides a very compelling value proposition -- a global technology platform -- for our customers," said Jim Doyle, vice president of foundry manufacturing services, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "It also creates a strategic advantage for the Chartered-IBM 90nm platform by offering one of the industry's fastest paths to proven design solutions and a smooth transition to advanced process technologies."

Availability

A complete set of Artisan products is currently available for download from Artisan's website, free of charge to customers in the FTEOS process. Front-end views for Artisan's Advantage Memory Generators, SAGE-X Standard Cell and general-purpose I/O libraries are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2004 for the Low-K process. Complete views for these products are expected to be available by the third quarter of 2004. For more information about Artisan's Chartered- and IBM-based IP products, visit Artisan's website at www.artisan.com.

About Artisan Components

Artisan Components, Inc. is a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP) components for the design and manufacture of complex system-on-a-chip integrated circuits. Artisan's products include embedded memory, standard cell, input/output, analog and mixed-signal components, which are designed to achieve the best combination of performance, density, power and yield for a given manufacturing process. Artisan has licensed its IP components to over 1,200 companies involved in integrated circuit design. Artisan is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. More information about Artisan Components, including free library access, can be found at http://www.artisan.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements regarding the products to be developed and made available as a result of the Artisan-Chartered-IBM collaboration, the benefits of such collaboration for customers of Artisan, Chartered and IBM, and the customer-owned tooling foundry industry as a whole, and the performance of Artisan products expected to be developed. In some cases, you will be able to identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "believes" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the forward-looking statements and Artisan's results to differ materially, including the market for integrated circuits, SoCs and IP components, the performance and quality of Artisan's products relative to other IP components (both individually and used in conjunction with third party products), the acceptance of Artisan's products by existing and new customers and the growth and changing technical requirements of the IP component market. For additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Artisan, see its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other periodic reports filed with the SEC from time to time, including its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Although Artisan believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Artisan cannot guarantee the future performance or achievements of its products. In addition, neither Artisan nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of these forward-looking statements. Artisan disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement.

Artisan Components and Artisan are registered trademarks and SAGE-X and Advantage are trademarks of Artisan Components, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Artisan Components, Inc.