National Semiconductor Licenses Gigabit Ethernet PHY Core to Alliance Semiconductor

April 20, 2005 – National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) announced today that Alliance Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:ALSC) has licensed National’s gigabit Ethernet physical layer (PHY) core for use in Alliance’s next generation of networking devices.

Alliance is a leading worldwide provider of mixed signal, bus connectivity and networking, and high performance specialty memory products for the communications, computing, embedded, industrial and consumer markets.  Alliance will embed the gigabit Ethernet PHY core into its next generation networking products.  Additional company and product information is available at www.alsc.com.

“Of all the available solutions in the market, we found National’s Gigabit Ethernet PHY to best meet our product requirements,” said Nirmal Saxena, chief technical officer of Alliance Semiconductor.  “Through this licensing, we are happy at the prospect of building a long-term relationship with National.”

“As a proven supplier of analog interface and Ethernet technology, National makes it possible for our licensees to focus their resources on integration efforts and add other features to their products,” said Mike Noonen, vice president of National Semiconductor’s Interface Group.

National’s gigabit Ethernet PHY core leverages National's 25-year heritage in innovative analog design for the communications market.  The core, building on this legacy, has a field-proven architecture that delivers gigabit per second performance, low power consumption, and enhanced testability.  A fully featured single port Ethernet PHY supporting 10BaseT, 100BaseTX and 1000BaseT Ethernet protocols, National’s gigabit Ethernet PHY core enables a cost effective, smooth integration migration path from existing fast Ethernet applications.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor, the industry's premier analog company, creates high performance analog devices and subsystems.  National's leading-edge products include power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, communication interface products and data conversion solutions. National's key markets include wireless handsets, displays, PCs and laptops.  The company's analog products are also optimized for numerous applications in a variety of electronics markets, including medical, automotive, industrial, and test and measurement.  Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $1.98 billion for fiscal 2004, which ended May 30, 2004.  Additional company and product information is available at www.national.com.

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