Tower Semiconductor Selects Artisan's Digital and Mixed-Signal IP Platform for 0.13-Micron Process

Companies Extend Relationship to Provide Comprehensive IP Solutions for Next-Generation IC Design

<> MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel & SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2004 -- >Tower Semiconductor (Nasdaq:TSEM)(TASE:TSEM), a premier pure-play independent wafer foundry and Artisan Components, Inc., (Nasdaq:ARTI), a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP), today announced a license agreement for Artisan to develop and deliver its digital and mixed-signal IP platform for Tower's advanced 0.13-micron CMOS process. The agreement extends Artisan's and Tower's relationship and provides customers access to comprehensive IP solutions to help meet their next-generation, IC design and silicon requirements.

Tower has completed the development of its 0.13-micron process in cooperation with Motorola. The process meets foundry standards and is ready to qualify libraries and mixed signal IP.

The licensed platform includes a wide selection of Artisan's advanced SRAM, ROM and register-file generators as well as Artisan's SAGE-X(TM) Standard Cell Library and general-purpose I/O cells. The 0.13-micron platform conforms to the Artisan design standard and is expected to be delivered with Artisan's extensive set of views and models in support of industry leading EDA tools.

Artisan's platform also includes a robust offering of Artisan's specialty I/Os as part of its Capstone(TM) analog/mixed signal technology. The portfolio includes USB 1.1, SSTL2, HSTL, LVDS and PCI-X specialty I/Os that are fully compatible with Artisan's general-purpose I/O offerings, which support a wide variety of drive strengths and I/O control functions. Artisan plans to distribute its IP products under its Access Library Program on a worldwide basis at no charge to licensed design teams.

Additionally, the agreement calls for Artisan to deliver its Velocity(TM) PCI Express PHY compliant with PCI Express Specification 1.0A and PIPE (Physical Interface for PCI Express). The PHY is expected to be delivered with comprehensive support for leading EDA tools and validated in silicon with characterization reports.

"Tower selected Artisan for its established market presence and especially their extensive offering of specialty I/Os," said Doron Simon, president of Tower Semiconductor USA. "By working with Artisan, customers will be provided with a comprehensive, silicon-proven IP design platform that may accelerate the utilization of our advanced process technologies to get them quickly and successfully to volume-production."

"Artisan recognizes Tower's impressive growth in advanced technologies with the introduction of 0.13-micron and is pleased to partner with them in offering customers leading-edge design environments," said Neal Carney, Artisan's vice president of marketing. "This agreement furthers our relationship and coincides with our goal to provide a seamless migration to smaller geometries and common design environment to meet our customers' design-to-silicon requirements."

Product Availability

Front-end views for Artisan's 0.13-micron Tower platform are expected to be available on Artisan's website for licensed design teams to download at no charge at the end of the third quarter of 2004. Customers interested in Artisan's Tower-based library products should contact Tower or Artisan.

About Tower Semiconductor Ltd.

Tower Semiconductor LTD. is a pure-play independent wafer foundry established in 1993. The company manufactures integrated circuits with geometries ranging from 1.0 to 0.13 micron; it also provides complementary technical services and design support. In addition to digital CMOS process technology, Tower offers advanced non-volatile memory solutions, mixed-signal and CMOS image-sensor technologies. To provide world-class customer service, the company maintains two manufacturing facilities: Fab 1 has process technologies from 1.0 to 0.35 micron and can produce up to 16,000 150mm wafers per month. Fab 2 features 0.18-micron and below process technologies, including foundry-standard technology. When complete, Fab 2 is expected to offer full production capacity of 33,000 200mm wafers per month. The Tower Web site is located at www.towersemi.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 www.artisan.com.

Artisan Components and Artisan are registered trademarks and SAGE-X, Capstone, and Velocity are trademarks of Artisan Components, Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Artisan Components, Inc.

Safe Harbor Statement for Tower Semiconductor Ltd.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary from those projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: (i) the successful completion of the 0.13 micron process technology transfer (ii) market demand for 0.13 micron technology manufacturing services; (iii) final qualification of the 0.13 micron process (iv) timely and successful validation of 0.13 micron IP offering; A more complete discussion of risks and uncertainties that may affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements included in this press release or which may otherwise affect Tower's business is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in Tower's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and in our Form F-3, as amended, as were filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Israel Securities Authority.

Safe Harbor Statement for Artisan Components, Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the availability, features and performance of Artisan's single- and dual-port SRAM, one- and two-port register files, via programmable ROM, SAGE-X Standard Cell Library, general-purpose I/O Library, specialty I/Os and Velocity PCI Express PHY for Tower's 0.13-micron CMOS process.. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, technical or other difficulties that delay or prevent the availability of such 0.13-micron library products or otherwise affect the performance of such products; and market acceptance of such 0.13-micron library products. We refer you also to the documents that Artisan files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the section entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" in Artisan's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q.