Tensilica Unveils Comprehensive Third Party Customer Support Network

Santa Clara, CA, October 9, 2000 – Tensilica Inc., the leading supplier of configurable microprocessor core intellectual property (IP), announced today the establishment of the third-party “Tensilica Xtensions Network,” a broad and comprehensive web of resources that Tensilica licensees can access.

The new network is composed of seven resource categories: Design Centers, Real Time Operating System (RTOS) suppliers, Applications Software/Middleware vendors, Peripheral and On-Chip Bus IP suppliers, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) partners, Semiconductor Library and Memory Model suppliers and Silicon Sources.

According to Bernie Rosenthal, Tensilica's vice president of marketing and business development, the Xtensions Network is designed to ensure system-on-chip (“SOC”) success for the company's current and future customers.  “We recognized the growing, critical need for many types and levels of support as configurable processor cores gain acceptance from a broader user base. Tensilica's Xtensions Network will provide substantial benefits for both our customers and ourselves.”

Tensilica Xtensions Network charter associates and their categories are:

Larry Przywara, Manager of the Tensilica Xtensions Network program, said, “We have assembled a world-class partnership team under the common charter to provide Xtensa™ users best-of-breed resources across a broad spectrum of requirements.  And this is just the start of our program; within two years, the Xtensions Network will have a substantial presence across the globe.”

Tensilica's Xtensa IP provides embedded systems designers with a configurable processor technology for system-on-chip (SOC) applications.  Now, with the availability of Xtensa III, designers are able to accommodate their requirements with a single core microprocessor incorporating specific instruction extensions to accelerate their applications.

About Tensilica

Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the fast-growing market for configurable microprocessor cores and software development tools for high volume, embedded systems.   Using the company's proprietary Xtensa Processor Generator, system-on-chip (SOC) designers can develop a processor subsystem hardware design and a complete software development tool environment tailored to their specific requirements in hours.

Tensilica's solutions provide a proven, easy-to-use, methodology that enables designers to achieve optimum application performance in minimum design time. The Company is engaged in research, development, and customer support from its offices in Santa Clara, California, Waltham, Massachusetts, Princeton, N.J., Houston, Texas, Oxford, U.K. and Yokohama, Japan.

Tensilica is headquartered in Santa Clara, California (95054) at 3255-6 Scott Boulevard, and can be reached at (408) 986-8000 or via www.tensilica.com on the World Wide Web.

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"Tensilica" is a registered trademark and "Xtensa" and “Xtensions” are trademarks belonging to Tensilica Inc.

“AMBA” is a trademark belonging to ARM Limited. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Partner Roles:

Design Centers are independent third-party organizations that Tensilica has trained and authorized to assist Xtensa licensees with the configuration, implementation and evaluation of System-on-Chip (SOC) designs.  The design centers offer a broad spectrum of services that can be tapped in whole or in part, depending upon customer needs.  In the most comprehensive instance, a design center assignment would start with receipt of a high-level block diagram of the customer's system.  From this, the organization would create an RTL (Register Transfer Level) representation. Next, the RTL is synthesized to gates, which are then placed and routed, and finally, taped out and handed off to a foundry for silicon fabrication.

Design centers can provide substantial benefits to Tensilica customers among which are faster time to market, a telescoped learning curve for customers lacking appropriate engineering resources, and more effective use of existing customer resources.

Tensilica will develop design center resources on a global basis, achieving a strong presence in all major market areas.  The company expects there will eventually be 10 to 15 firms on its design center roster, with facilities in North America, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Tensilica's charter Design Center appointments and their operating areas are: Intrinsix, North America and Europe; Global UniChip, Taiwan; Silicon Media, Japan; Tonbu, worldwide, and Virtual IP Group, North America.

Peripheral and On-Chip Bus IP Partners

Peripherals and on-chip buses provide the critical link between the processor and the rest of the chip and system.  Tensilica's partners provide solutions that will accelerate the development process by promoting design reuse with existing buses, peripherals and software.

The Company anticipates adding new resources to this category in the next two years as new requirements are developed and find usage.

Real Time Operating System (RTOS) and Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Vendors

Real Time Operating Systems and their Integrated Development Environments provide control and task management functions while speeding the development and bring up of system software.  Using Tensilica's OSKit™ porting technology, commercially available RTOS and IDE solutions can be fully supported on application-optimized Xtensa configurations, accelerating system development and reducing schedule and technical risk.

Tensilica's charter RTOS and IDEpartners Wind River and Accelerated Technology today supply the most popular systems currently available.  The OSKit overlay guarantees that all customer configured extensions, registers and, data types, are automatically defined in the RTOS and the integrated development environments generated in the Xtensa configuration process.  The company anticipates adding new resources to this category over time as new RTOSes are developed and find usage..

Application Software

Applications often have requirements that are standard in nature and also lend themselves well to optimization through the creation of unique instructions that accelerate underlying algorithms.  Tensilica has partnered with key suppliers to provide optimized, pre-configured and validated solutions to support specific vertical segment requirements including digital audio, communications and data security.

Electronic Design Automation

Since EDA tools lie at the center of all SOC development, Tensilica has verified the Xtensa processor is fully supported by the major synthesis, simulation, co-verification and physical design tools to ensure compatibility with standard ASIC design methodology.  We are working with new partners in areas such as formal verification and Lint testing.  They will be announced shortly.

Libraries/Memories

Standard cell libraries and memories are fundamental building blocks required to take an SOC design from concept to silicon.  Tensilica works with the leading library and memory suppliers to validate compatibility and performance of the Xtensa processor RTL, design and implementation flows, ensuring seamless support within common SOC design flows.

Silicon Sources

Our customers' ultimate success is determined by their ability to implement designs in silicon.  Tensilica has partnered with leading foundries and programmable logic suppliers to validate its RTL, design and implementation flows.  We continue to work with these semiconductor partners as process geometries shrink and higher performance levels become achievable, and new foundries and partners will be added to this category as they are qualified by the company.