Cypress Semiconductor Licenses Astro Semiconductor's PCI Express PHY Technology

SAN JOSE, Calif.-- September 13, 2004 -- Astro Semiconductor, an innovative supplier of high-speed serial interface solutions, announced today that Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:CY), a world-class supplier of high-performance integrated circuits, has licensed its PCI Express Physical Layer (PHY) technology.
 
"The PHY is probably the most technically challenging piece of a PCI Express solution, and Astro was able to demonstrate that its PHY technology could meet some very stringent requirements in the area of process and price/performance. PCI Express will be an important addition to Cypress’ product line and we’re happy to be working with Astro," said Cathal Phelan, Vice President of the Personal Communications Division at Cypress Semiconductor.
 
Astro’s PCI Express PHY includes the PMA and PCS layers and interfaces to the MAC layer through a PIPE-compliant interface. Typical applications include communication switches, bridge chips, and chipsets for desktop and mobile computers.
 
"We’re delighted to be working with Cypress. PCI Express will bring high-end performance to the mass market where price/performance metrics are critical," said AJ Sen, President and CEO of Astro. "Our PHY technology will help Cypress meet these metrics."
 
In addition to the PCI Express PHY, Astro licenses its Serial ATA PHY and together they serve the computing and storage markets where a rapid shift from legacy parallel interconnect to high-speed serial interconnect is underway. To ensure silicon success, Astro provides its customers with comprehensive engineering support including PHY integration services, signal integrity analysis, test chip development and evaluation, compliance testing and PHY test program development.
 
About Astro Semiconductor, Inc.
Astro Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company located in San Jose, California. Astro provides mixed-signal high-speed serial interface solutions to the consumer, communications and storage markets for applications such as PCI Express and Serial ATA. More information about the company and its products and services is available at www.astrosemi.com or call 408-436-1548.