STARC Selects Chipidea PLL for Advanced Semiconductor Design Effort

Update: MIPS Technologies Acquires Chipidea (August 27, 2007)

STARC Star Shuttle Users To Use Chipidea’s Intellectual Property

Lisbon, Portugal --- June 6, 2006 - Chipidea, the world leader in analog/mixed-signal semiconductor intellectual property, announced today that the company’s 100Mhz to 1GHz programmable clock multiplier PLL IP core was implemented in the library of the Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center (STARC), an association of Japan’s eleven largest semiconductor companies and top universities.

The Chipidea PLL CI14340M is available for STARC Star Shuttle by the users. Star Shuttle service has been started since October 2003. The service has a good track record over 170 chip designs for research and development activities.

The Chipidea PLL CI14340M is a state-of-the-art high performance PLL IP core available for complex SoC designs in 90-nanometer process technology. With an input frequency range up to 100MHz, and a maximum output frequency of 1GHz, the company’s PLL is a programmable multiplier up to 1,000 times. This offers the ability to reduce lock time to achieve system stability dramatically faster than competitive offerings. With a compact design of 0.12mm2 and a low supply voltage of 1.1V, the Chipidea PLL CI14340M is ideally suited mixed-signal IP for the most advanced mobile communication and digital consumer chip designs.

“We’ve designed this innovative PLL, that integrates a new technique developed by us, to speed-up the lock time, with very low consumption, high performance and very low jitter. Because the acquisition locked time is so fast, it allows switching off and on, as needed,” said Luis Miguel Sampaio, vice president for IP Connectivity Solutions of ChipIdea.

STARC was established in Japan in December 1995. Its original goal was to seek out new and effective semiconductor technologies through joint research between universities and semiconductor companies, in order to achieve breakthroughs in semiconductor technologies. The center now focuses on dramatically increasing design efficiency as part of an effort to develop a reference design flow for next-generation process technology.

“A huge volume of resources and capital investments are focused on advancing the level and growing diversity of semiconductor devices in order to keep pace with the changes in the marketplace, and as a result this is an extremely high-risk industry,” said Soichi Ito, vice president and general manager, Development Department-3 of STARC. “STARC’s work in advancing these technologies through research and development efforts is instrumental in lowering this risk. Using Chipidea IP in our research efforts will help us achieve our objectives.”

STARC choose Chipidea because it was the best proposal in terms of area, consumption, performance in jitter and in acquisition locktime. This PLL will be used in communications and high speed processors.

About Chipidea

Chipidea is the world’s number one IP analog/mixed-signal technology supplier targeting fast-growing market segments like wireless communications, digital media and consumer electronics. Chipidea supports blue-chip customers across the globe, has an impeccable reputation for delivering high-quality products and is known for its reliable execution. Chipidea licenses its technology to leading companies in these and other key markets, delivering everything from precision single-function blocks to full analog sub-systems. Chipidea employs more than 200 people in its research and development, and sales and marketing offices across Europe, Asia and North America.

About STARC

STARC was formed by the leading companies and the top universities in Japan to develop new design methods and design technologies that will dramatically improve SoC design productivity and will enable the most effective use of advanced semiconductor technologies, as well as to promote the standardization of these methods and technologies. STARC is in charge of a wide range of research and development activities, from joint research with universities to business-related projects, and through these activities we pledge to contribute to the improvement of Japan’s position in the semiconductor industry. To learn more, visit www.starc.jp .