Soisic, a leading Silicon On Insulator IP Company secures $14 million in new funding from syndicate of leading international venture capital firms

Soisic strengthens its SOI enabler position, and attracts experienced industry CEO to lead company

GRENOBLE, France (November 24, 2003) — Soisic, the world’s leading Silicon on Insulator (SOI) semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) company announces the completion of its series-B funding round of 12.5 million euros (more than $14 million USD) led by Atlas Venture. The round also included co-investments from KT Venture Group and all existing investors : Crescendo Ventures; CDC-PME, Emertec; Siparex Ventures; CEA Valorisation SA, a subsidiary of the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), the French public technological research organization; and Soitec, the leading manufacturer of SOI wafers. With the funding, Alexander Bruehl, senior principal of Atlas Venture, will join the company’s Board of Directors.

At the same time, the company announces that Wayne Cantwell has joined the company as CEO. Wayne Cantwell has spent nearly 20 years in the semiconductor, software, and IP industries. He led inSilicon Corporation through a successful spin-out, subsequent IPO and two successful acquisitions. Prior to that, he led Phoenix Technologies worldwide field organization and held various sales and engineering positions with Intel Corporation and NEC Corporation. He has extensive international experience, having run operations in Japan, Taiwan, and Europe.

“I am pleased to join Soisic as it enters this exciting new phase of growth,” said Wayne Cantwell. “The initial financing was used to establish the company’s infrastructure and to complete the automation of the product design flow. This new capital will allow the company to continue to expand its product and patent portfolio, as well as expand the sales and marketing efforts of the company. Our primary focus is to service Foundries and IDM’s in developing the SOI libraries that enable the development of integrated circuits that take advantage of the many benefits of SOI, without intimate knowledge of SOI and the wafer substrate.” The company has had great success with several early adopters and is now gearing up to service and support the industry in its migration to SOI.

"Demand for increasing performance and complexity of computer chips will require new materials and technologies. SOI is on the forefront to overcome physical hurdles that we are about to reach and pave the way for the continuation of Moore's law," comments Alexander Bruehl, senior principal of Atlas Venture. "Soisic is the first company to solely focus on this technology, providing the world-wide semiconductor industry with an immense SOI know-how bundled to products and solutions meeting the industry's needs." “As the semiconductor market is headed towards recovery, more companies are exploring the advantages of SOI technology and Soisic’s value proposition offers compelling benefits to these companies. Soisic is well positioned to lead this high growth market opportunity,” said Ivan Bernard-Brunel, principal in the London office of Crescendo Ventures. “

SOI Technology Emergence:
SOI technology has recently emerged as a serious contender to traditional bulk silicon for high-speed processing, low power and system-on-chip (SoC) applications. While SOI wafer technology has begun to mature, device technology and circuit design environments must be adapted from bulk to SOI in order to obtain full performance benefits. Soisic is addressing this issue by developing and marketing SOI specific process test kits, electrical modeling methodology, standard cell libraries, memories and analog/RF circuit blocks.
With the announcements and introductions of the first high speed processors by major semiconductor players like IBM, Motorola and AMD, SOI is increasingly gaining public awareness. When compared to the equivalent “bulk” CMOS silicon technology, SOI CMOS designs can be in the range of 20% faster or 50% lower power. Additionally, SOI is ideally suited for highly integrated mixed signal “system-on-a-chip” designs due to transistor isolation.

About Soisic:
Soisic (Silicon on Insulator Systems and Integrated Circuits) is the world's leading company to focus solely on SOI semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) and SOI design markets. As a spin-off from the world-class Research Center CEA-LETI, the company has over 15 years of expertise in both SOI process development and advanced SOI designs. SOISIC offers its IP ( process characterization test-chip, standard cell and analog/RF libraries, SRAM design, digital and mixed signal ASIC and SoC design) to foundries, and integrated circuit design companies. For more information, please visit http://www.soisic.com

About Atlas Venture:
Atlas Venture is the leading international early-stage venture capital firm, investing in communications, information technology and life sciences companies. With investing offices in Boston, London, Munich and Paris, Atlas Venture divides its investments between the United States and Europe. Founded in 1980, Atlas Venture has organized six international funds, and currently manages $2.1 billion in committed capital. The Atlas Venture investment team is comprised of seasoned operating executives and career venture capitalists who have been deeply involved in the formation and development of more than 300 companies worldwide. For more information, please visit:. http://www.atlasventure.com

About CDC-PME:
The main objective of CDC PME, a subsidiary 100% owned by the Caisse des Dépôts, is to develop the private equity market in France, thus contributing to the creation of SMEs, value and jobs. CDC PME intervenes mainly like a fund of funds, investing in proprietary and private equity funds, focusing mainly on local firms and the financing of newly created companies. CDC PME aids in the development of these market sectors by striving towards levels of efficiency, liquidity and profitability that will enable it to exercise a ratchet effect on private investors. Its equity capital amounts to 400 million euros. For more information, please visit : http://www.cdcpme.fr

About CEA Valorisation SA:
CEA Valorisation S.A. is the subsidiary of Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA) devoted to worldwide technology licensing as well as investment in equity in innovative start-up companies originating from CEA IP and know-how. CEA is a multi-disciplinary scientific and technological research organisation, specialising in the fields of nuclear energy, new energy technologies, information and communication infrastructures, and biotechnologies. The company's ability to combine fundamental research and value enhancement within an industrial framework enables it to play a leading role in innovation. For more information, please visit : http://www.cea-valorisation.com

About Crescendo Ventures:
Crescendo Ventures is a global venture capital firm that provides early-stage funding and growth resources to high-potential companies in the communications and enterprise infrastructure industries. By collaborating with entrepreneurial teams to grow market-leading companies, Crescendo Ventures uses its industry expertise, team-based development model and global network to help high-growth companies achieve their full potential. Founded in 1993, Crescendo Ventures manages more than $1 billion from its headquarters in Palo Alto, California and offices in Minneapolis and London. For more information, please visit : http://www.crescendoventures.com

About Emertec:
The fund is dedicated to first stage (" seed ") or early stage investment, in the field of advanced technologies such as :Microelectronics, microsystems, regulation and measuring, advanced materials, robotics, thermohydraulics, science of heat, energetics.... For more information, please visit : http://www.emertec.fr

About KT Venture Group, LLC:
KT Venture Group is the investment partner of KLA-Tencor, a leader of process control and yield management solutions. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the venture capital group focuses on companies with disruptive technology in semiconductors, life sciences, and other related information technology The group combines the private VC-like structure and execution with unique corporate VC benefits. For more information, please visit : http://www.ktventuregroup.com

About Siparex Ventures:
The venture capital activity accounts for 32% of Sigefi Private Equity /Siparex Group (€ 810 million) assets under management. Sigefi Private Equity is one of the leading private equity management companies in France. The “group” first entered the venture capital business in the United States, where it has been present for 16 years through its San Francisco office. Siparex Ventures’ team comprises 13 professionals based in Lyon, Paris and San Mateo (California). Some of them have a double Franco-American culture and more than 15 years experience in venture capital. For more information, please visit : http://www.siparex.com

About Soitec:
Soitec is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of SOI wafers. Headquartered in Bernin, France, Soitec provides a broad range of advanced thin-film substrates for IC manufacturing, including bonded SOI (UNIBOND™) and silicon-on-quartz (SOQ) wafers—all of which are manufactured using Soitec’s proprietary Smart Cut™ process. For more information, please visit : http://www.soitec.com