Artisan IP Solutions Selected by HHNEC for 0.18-Micron Process

Agreement Gives Thousands of Artisan-Based Worldwide Design Teams Access to HHNEC's Advanced Silicon Technologies

SUNNYVALE, Calif. & SHANGHAI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2004-- Artisan Components(R), Inc., (Nasdaq:ARTI), a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP), and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company Limited (HHNEC), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in China, today announced a license agreement for Artisan to support HHNEC's advanced 0.18-micron CMOS process. The agreement signals HHNEC's strategy to broaden its global IC manufacturing presence and is expected to provide thousands of Artisan-based worldwide design teams access to Artisan's IP solutions in HHNEC's advanced silicon technologies.>

The licensed IP products include Artisan's advanced memory generators for single- and dual-port SRAM, single- and two-port register files and diffusion programmable ROM. Artisan's SAGE-X(TM) Standard Cell Library and general-purpose I/O cells will also be licensed. The 0.18-micron IP conforms to the Artisan design standard including Artisan's extensive set of views and models in support of industry leading EDA tools. Additionally the agreement provides for Artisan to distribute its HHNEC-based IP under Artisan's Access Library Program on a worldwide basis at no charge to licensed design teams.

"HHNEC's goal is to provide customers with advanced process technologies supported by high-quality IP solutions to enable a high yield and within the short cycle time," said "Wentao Liu," president of HHNEC. "Working with an industry leader like Artisan allows us to provide our customers with Artisan's widely used, silicon-proven IP solutions that can help meet our customers' complex design-to-silicon requirements."

"HHNEC is committed to becoming a leading player both globally and in China's rapidly growing semiconductor market," said Mark Templeton, president and chief executive officer of Artisan. "We are pleased that HHNEC has selected Artisan IP solutions and look forward to working with HHNEC to help customers utilize the full potential of our advanced technologies and to successfully meet time to market with first time silicon success."

Product Availability

Front-end and complete views of Artisan's memory generators, SAGE-X Standard Cell Library and general-purpose I/O cells for HHNEC's 0.18-micron process are expected to be available on Artisan's website for licensed design teams to download at no charge in the first quarter of 2005.

About HHNEC

Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company Limited (HHNEC) is the first 8" wafer foundry provider in Mainland China with state-of -the-art CMOS Process technology, manufacturing equipment and ISO certification (both ISO9001 and ISO14001) and BS7799 qualified service support system. Founded on July 17, 1997, HHNEC is known as the core of "National 909 Project" and is headquartered in Jin Qiao Export Processing Zone, Pu Dong Shanghai. HHNEC serves as the wafer Foundry provider for customers from both abroad and domestic China. For more information, please visit our website at www.hhnec.com.

About Artisan Components

Artisan Components, Inc. is a leading provider of physical intellectual property (IP) components for the design and manufacture of complex system-on-a-chip integrated circuits. Artisan's products include embedded memory, standard cell, input/output, analog and mixed-signal components, which are designed to achieve the best combination of performance, density, power and yield. Artisan has licensed its IP components to over 2,000 companies involved in integrated circuit design. Artisan is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. More information about Artisan Components, including free library access, can be found at www.artisan.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the availability, features and performance of Artisan's products for HHNEC's 0.18-micron process, statements regarding the impact or benefit of such products and statements regarding the HHNEC's impact on the worldwide market for integrated circuits. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, technical or other difficulties that delay or prevent the availability of such 0.18-micron library products or otherwise affect the performance of such products; and market acceptance of such 0.18-micron library products. We refer you also to the documents that Artisan files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the section entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" in Artisan's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q.

Artisan Components and Artisan are registered trademarks and SAGE-X is a trademark of Artisan Components, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.