UPEK®, Inc. Selected as 2006 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum

Business Wire, Dec 5, 2005

BERKELEY, Calif. -- UPEK, Inc., the leading supplier of biometric fingerprint security products and services, today announced that it has been named as a 2006 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. UPEK was selected as one of 36 Technology Pioneers worldwide and this recognition reflects the company's leadership in the field of silicon fingerprint biometrics.

"We are proud and honored to receive this recognition from the World Economic Forum," stated Alan Kramer, UPEK's president and CEO. "In a manner of only a few years, UPEK has been able to drive a technology considered essentially experimental to one quickly gaining mainstream acceptance by some of the world's leading consumer brands and with the potential to touch a large percentage of the world's population. The need to address the growing problem of identity theft in this new digital age and the need to protect individual users' private data and online transactions in a new virtual, wireless world are growing problems on a global scale that UPEK and the technologies we have pioneered are helping to address."

UPEK was recognized for its role in developing and applying highly innovative and transformational technologies in information technology with its TouchChip(R) and TouchStrip(TM) fingerprint authentication solutions, which enable secure sign-on and allow users to conveniently replace multiple passwords with the swipe of a finger. Presently, the company's products are incorporated into a diverse array of consumer, commercial, and government applications around the world, with customers ranging from IBM/Lenovo, Sony, SanDisk, LaCie, and NEC Computers to Symbol Technologies, Precise Biometrics, and others.

World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers are companies identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of Energy, Biotechnology and Health, and Information Technology. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovations and have potential for long-term impact on business and society.

About the World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org)

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is an independent organization committed to improving the state of the world. Funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost corporations, the Forum acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest to further economic growth and social progress. The Forum serves its members and society by creating partnerships between and among business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society to define, discuss and advance key issues on the global agenda. Incorporated in 1971 as a foundation, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit, and is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995 the Forum was awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

About UPEK (www.upek.com)

UPEK, Inc., the global leader in fingerprint security solutions, offers integrated end-to-end solutions including comprehensive design and integration services to the world's leading consumer and industrial products companies. UPEK solutions enable the strongest fingerprint authentication security available, packaged for high user convenience and rapid integration into existing products and network architectures.

UPEK biometric security products enable a wide range of applications including password replacement for PCs and applications, centralized management for corporate network security, secure mobile transactions, protection of portable data, identity verification for government and military applications, and physical access control.

UPEK has been pioneering biometric fingerprint technology since 1996 and shipping product in volume since 1999. UPEK is headquartered near Berkeley, California with offices in Prague, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo.