TASKING and First Silicon Solutions Selected to Support Parthus MediaStream Platform

Agreement Provides Complete Development Solution for Internet Audio platform

Dublin, November 7, 2000 — TASKING, The Embedded Communications Company, and First Silicon Solutions (FS2), a leading supplier of debugging tools for System-on-Chip applications, today announced that they are to provide third-party software development tools for Parthus' MediaStream IP platform.

Parthus Technologies, a leading developer of semiconductor intellectual property for the mobile Internet market, is leveraging TASKING's expertise in DSP and embedded communications and First Silicon Solutions' knowledge of the comprehensive debugging features needed for System-on-Chip solutions. In supporting Parthus Technologies, TASKING will deliver a tool suite for the Parthus MediaStream platform, complete with a powerful IDE, C and C++/EC++ compilers with DSP-specific extensions, and CrossView Pro multicore debugger. First Silicon Solutions provides On-Chip Instrumentation (OCI) technology that reduces the amount of time developers need for presilicon testing, silicon verification, software development and debug of the final hardware. FS2 uses TASKING's open-debug interface to seamlessly integrate its OCI technology into TASKING's CrossView Pro debugger, improving user efficiency through a single-user interface.

"Our goal is to provide customers with a complete solution," said Sean Mitchell, general manager of the InfoMedia Business Unit at Parthus. "The combination of TASKING's expertise in DSP, compiler and debugger technologies with First Silicon Solutions' on-chip instrumentation tools offers our global customers a complete software development environment that provides significant ease of use. These tools, coupled with the Parthus IP technology, gives developers the opportunity to produce more highly integrated products with faster time-to-market."

"Parthus Technologies offers unrivalled expertise in building the intelligence underlying the smart devices that combine broadband wireless access with advanced Internet capabilities," notes Scott Taitel, TASKING's President and COO. "In selecting TASKING to support the Parthus MediaStream platform, Parthus saw TASKING's large DSP installed base, more than a decade of DSP experience and relationship with many of the major DSP suppliers as factors that establish TASKING as a premier DSP tools provider. Together, FS2 and TASKING enable developers to address all aspects of the design cycle with heightened functionality and productivity."

To increase customer productivity, TASKING's Embedded Applications Services Group will offer customized embedded communications applications development services for Parthus and its customers, targeting evolving technologies such as Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, PDA and MP3 that power today's Internet applications. TASKING's services group brings extensive Internet connectivity experience that reduces development time, providing a quicker return on investment.

"We are pleased to support the Parthus MediaStream platform, which is making significant inroads in the exploding markets of Internet, mobile and multimedia applications," said Rick Leatherman, President of First Silicon Solutions. "As the mobile Internet market reaches for smaller, more integrated solutions, there is an increasing need for the kind of on-chip instrumentation technology that FS2 provides. By packaging our tools with TASKING's CrossView Pro debugger, developers enjoy a seamless, single-user interface environment, which eases development and improves developer productivity."

The On-Chip Instrumentation provided by First Silicon Solutions integrates debug block logic with many test and measurement functions into a synthesizable core. It provides comprehensive debugging features, including on-chip instruction trace capability. By connecting a high-performance, hardware-assisted debugger to the target system using a standard JTAG interface, the developer can communicate between the OCI debug block and a Windows-based development platform.

Availability:

The FS2 OCI tools are available immediately. Orders for the TASKING Parthus Tool Suite are currently being taken, and product will begin shipping in January, 2001. Release notes and manual files can be downloaded from www.tasking.com/products/mediastream and www.fs2.com/pages/products.

About TASKING

TASKING, the Embedded Communications Company, brings together the software technology needed to compete in the embedded communications era. TASKING's award-winning integrated development environment, compiler, debugger, embedded Internet and RTOS offerings support a wide range of DSPs and 8-, 16- and 32-bit microprocessors and microcontrollers for all areas of embedded communications. TASKING, founded in 1974, is a privately held company with headquarters in Dedham, Massachusetts, and engineering, sales and support offices in California, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK. TASKING's 100,000 licensed users include the world's leading telecom, datacom, wireless and peripheral manufacturers. More information about TASKING can be found at www.tasking.com and www.embeddedcommunications.com.

First Silicon Solutions

First Silicon Solutions provides On-Chip Instrumentation (OCI) and related tools for testing and debug of hardware and software in System-on-Chip applications. First Silicon Solutions' OCI technology integrates many test and measurement functions directly into the silicon. The tools enable SoC silicon vendors and their customers to develop and more effectively market their products, save development time, and allow them to focus on delivering all the potential of the system on silicon. For more information about FS2, call (503) 645-9591 or visit the web site at www.fs2.com.

TASKING, the TASKING logo, and The Embedded Communications Company are trademarks of TASKING. OCI is a trademark of First Silicon Solutions. MediaStream is a trademark of Parthus Technologies. All other trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.