ARM Invests in Japanese Software Vendor eSOL

Partnership to develop enhanced platforms for next-generation automotive electronics

CAMBRIDGE, UK and - TOKYO, Japan, Mar. ４, 2009 – ARM [(LSE:ARM) (Nasdaq:ARMH)] and eSOL Co., Ltd, today announced that ARM has made a strategic investment in eSOL Co., Ltd , a leading Japanese embedded software developer, and that the two companies plan to collaborate on a series of initiatives aimed at leveraging their combined strengths and delivering compelling ARM® processor-based solutions to the automotive industry, in addition to the digital consumer products.

The collaboration will enable the two companies to build on their existing relationship to develop automotive solutions, extending from automotive infotainment systems based around ARM MPCore™ multicore processor technology and eSOL’s groundbreaking multicore RTOS(eT-Kernel Multi-Core Edition), through to longer term strategic alignments based around the AUTOSAR standard running on ARM Cortex™ microcontrollers.

The results of this collaboration will enable automotive device manufacturers to improve the development efficiency of their products by standardizing on a single processor architecture together with validated software components and corresponding development environment.

The agreement is a significant endorsement of the ARM architecture in the automotive market and comes as manufacturers are endeavoring to consolidate their automotive functions into a reduced number of more capable processors and away from fragmented, proprietary solutions. Combining eSOL experience and expertise with the proven ARM processor architecture will enable automotive system developers to create next generation vehicle control solutions.

ARM has acted as a premium member of AUTOSAR since 2005. Both companies have also been active members of JasPar since 2005 and 2006 respectively. Both companies plan to demonstrate an automotive control system based around an AUTOSAR compliant platform utilizing the ARM processor architecture.

The two companies have a record of collaboration, including the development of the NEC Electronics NaviEngine in-car navigation system introduced in 2007 and subsequently adopted by major Japanese vendor. This first generation device is based on the ARM11™ MPCore multicore processor and the eSOL multicore RTOS (eT-Kernel Multi-Core Edition), with future generations targeting the ARM Cortex™-A9 MPCore  processor.

In addition, to support the progression of these automotive infotainment and control systems, eSOL is extending the eBinder® development environment and integrating leading ARM RealView® development tools, to provide embedded system developers with the best possible solution to perform development of the software, debug and optimization efficiently.

Mr. Yoshio Kuniyasu., General Manager of Fujitsu Microelectronics Ltd., IP Platform Solution Div, Common IP & Technology Development Unit, said: "The tie-up of ARM and eSOL will allow automotive developers to obtain one unified best fit solution for problems regarding complex vehicle software systems".

Mr Nishijima, President of ARM KK said: “The scale and complexity of automotive ECU software is demanding the adoption of industry-wide standards in the form of AUTOSAR and JasPar. The collaboration between ARM and eSOL will help solve the requirement for a single integrated, validated system development solution and enable the rapid development of solutions based on AUTOSAR compliance. Furthermore, this agreement underlines ARM’s commitment to the software ecosystem for multicore designs.”

Mr Sawada, President of eSOL Co.,Ltd. mentioned: “eSOL has been providing competitive solutions using eSOL’s strong OS technology optimized for ARM processors, for example, eSOL multicore RTOS (eT-Kernel Multi-Core Edition) for the ARM multicore platform. By this engagement, eSOL expects to expand their software development services and solutions, especially for the automotive industry.”

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 comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they 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.

About eSOL
Founded in 1975 in Tokyo, Japan, eSOL is a leading software developer in the embedded industry with core technologies in real time operating systems. We develop, market and sell proven RTOS suites, along with a rich set of vertically-oriented middleware libraries. Our rugged software development tools provide optimal reliability in backing up the highly complicated development process for RTOS-based applications. We know that a reliable RTOS and development tools make a significant difference to the quality and timeliness of our customers' products in a continuously growing and competitive world market. Today, our customers - global OEMs and ODMs ranging from consumer electronics to automotive applications - ship millions of products with technologies pioneered by eSOL.
For more information, please visit www.esol.co.jp.