Tower Semiconductor Enhances Fab 2's IP Portfolio With Artisan Components' Industry-Standard Design Platforms

Business Wire, Dec 17, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel & SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 17, 2002

Artisan's Product Solutions Optimized for Tower's 0.18-Micron

Process and Fab 2 Technologies

Tower Semiconductor (Nasdaq:TSEM) (TASE:TSEM) has enhanced its Fab 2 IP portfolio by licensing industry-standard design platforms from Artisan Components, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTI). As part of the agreement, Artisan will deliver a suite of memory generators, a standard cell library and a complete set of general-purpose I/Os optimized for Tower's 0.18-micron CMOS process. These platforms will be available to Tower customers as early as the first quarter of 2003.

"By licensing Artisan's products, Tower can provide its customers with a broad selection of widely used, silicon-proven semiconductor IP," said Sergio Kusevitzky, senior director of IP and design services at Tower Semiconductor. "The addition of Artisan libraries matches our strategy of helping our customers to shorten design time, while minimizing risk and accelerating time-to-market. Additionally, Tower will gain access to Artisan's diverse customer base, improving our competitive position in the marketplace."

More than 1000 companies around the world license Artisan's design platforms. Tower's advanced 0.18-micron process technology coupled with Artisan's state-of-the-art design platforms can provide the backbone for designing and manufacturing a variety of semiconductor devices.

"Tower's focus on providing leading-edge process technologies and superior customer support complements Artisan's commitment to deliver design products that are optimized for the latest design and manufacturing techniques. We anticipate that this powerful combination will give IC designers the best possible path to silicon," said Neal Carney, vice president of marketing, Artisan Components. "We are pleased Tower has selected our products to advance its technology and business goals."

Artisan will provide Tower with memory generators for single- and dual-port SRAM, one- and two-port register files, via programmable ROM, the SAGE-X(TM) Standard Cell Library and a set of general-purpose I/Os. Artisan's extensive set of views and models of the industry's leading EDA tools are a standard part of this comprehensive product offering.

Safe Harbor Statement for Tower Semiconductor Ltd.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary from those projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) conditions in the market for foundry manufacturing services and in the market for semiconductor products generally, (ii) obtaining additional business from new and existing customers, (iii) obtaining additional financing for the Fab 2 project from wafer partners and/or equity partners and/or other sources, (iv) any failure by Tower to raise additional funding by the deadlines set forth in its agreement with its banks and/or a failure by Tower to reach an agreement with its banks to extend the deadlines to raise additional financing in 2002 and 2003, which would result in an event of default of Tower's loan agreement, in which event the banks would have the right to call the loans and exercise its liens against Tower's assets, (v) a declaration of default by Tower's wafer partners, financial investors and the Investment Center of the State of Israel should Tower's banks call the loans, (vi) satisfaction of all other conditions under the agreements with the Fab 2 equity and wafer partners, the Israeli Investment Center and Tower's banks, (vii) completing the construction of a new wafer manufacturing facility, (viii) successful completion of the development and/or transfer of advanced CMOS process technologies to be utilized in Tower's existing facility and in Fab 2, (ix) market acceptance and competitiveness of the products to be manufactured by Tower for customers using these technologies and (x) ramp-up of production at Fab 2.A more complete discussion of risks and uncertainties that may affect the accuracy of these statements, and Tower's business generally, is included in our most recent Registration Statement on Form F-2, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Safe Harbor Statement for Artisan Components, Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the availability of Artisan's single- and dual-port SRAM, one- and two-port register files, via programmable ROM, SAGE-X(TM) Standard Cell Library and I/O Library for Tower's 0.18-micron CMOS process as early as the first quarter of 2003. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, whether there will be technical or other difficulties that delay or prevent the availability of such 0.18-micron library 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 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.