Haier IC Standardizes on ARM Artisan Physical IP for Consumer Electronics Applications

BEIJING, CHINA AND CAMBRIDGE, UK - Feb. 15, 2006 –Haier (Beijing) IC Design Co., Ltd. (Haier IC), a renowned Chinese IC design house, and ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], today announced that Haier IC is standardizing on ARM® Artisan® MetroTM  physical IP for the development of low-power, high-performance integrated circuit (IC) designs. Haier IC will incorporate the physical IP into consumer electronics designs, which will be available in the second half of 2006.

In order to meet the growing demands of the consumer electronics market, an increasing number of fabless, Chinese design companies are striving to develop new ICs that meet their customers’ requirements for increased functionality and performance, while lowering costs. As the industry’s first comprehensive physical IP solution designed specifically for performance-oriented portable devices, the ARM Metro physical IP provides the ideal platform for design engineers working towards this goal.  The Metro products are optimized for high density and low power; this enables smaller die sizes leading to lower costs.

“The ARM Metro physical IP meets our production requirements to develop smaller die sizes, low power and high performance in digital TV core chips and consumer chips,” said Mr. Yanchun Yang, vice general manager of Haier IC. “ARM’s Metro physical IP was, therefore, an easy choice as it enables us to increase our customers’ competitive advantage, helping them meet the evolving demands of the consumer electronics market.”

“The acquisition of Artisan at the end of 2004 enabled us to expand our expertise in the CPU arena, using the industry-leading standard cell libraries, memories and PHYs to offer our Partners a comprehensive solution,” said Dr. Jun Tan, president of ARM China. “ARM is committed to providing our Chinese Partners, such as Haier IC, with a range of products that will enable them to improve design capabilities, and exceed market requirements.”

The ARM Metro physical IP is based on a series of new circuit design innovations that significantly reduce power consumption while enhancing density and yield: one-fifth the power, a twenty percent reduction in area and improved production yield. The standard cell libraries  and memory compilers take advantage of new processes, circuit design, voltage scaling, and power-aware EDA and chip-level design techniques to deliver solutions that enable designers to meet the growing demand for performance-oriented, low-power ICs.

About Haier (Beijing) IC Design Co., Ltd.

Haier (Beijing) IC Design Company is a business of new advanced technology invested in and established by the Haier Group. It has in-depth knowledge and experience in Set-Top Box and Digital TV, and is dedicated to developing its core chips and solutions. Haier (Beijing) IC Design has completed the HiPatriot series MPEG-2 decoding chips, demodulating chips and solutions for DVB-S, DVB-C and DVB-T. It provides not only the best chips, but also the best system solutions and services to help its customers be successful.  More information on Haier IC is available athttp://www.haier-ic.com/english/profile/index.html.

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, peripherals, software and tools, combined with the company’s broad Partner community, provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.