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Mentor Graphics Announces Nucleus OS and EDGE Developer Suite for the IBM Cell Broadband Engine Processor

Business Wire, August 21, 2007

WILSONVILLE, Ore. -- Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ:MENT) today announced a joint collaboration with IBM on the targeting and porting of Mentor's Nucleus[R] operating system (OS) and EDGE[TM] Developer Suite for the IBM Cell Broadband Engine[TM] (Cell/B.E.) processor, initially targeting IBM BladeCenter servers. This marks the availability of the first full-featured real-time OS port for Cell/B.E. with integrated Eclipse tools and MAJIC[R] multicore JTAG target connections.

The Mentor Graphics products included in this collaboration are all of the Nucleus OS components, the EDGE Developer Suite based on Eclipse, and the EDGE MAJIC JTAG probe -- each with specific extensions and features supporting Cell/B.E.

The Nucleus OS is a feature-rich and time-tested real-time embedded operating system, deployed in billions of embedded products, ranging from medical to avionics to consumer products and communications devices for over 4,000 customers worldwide. Configured with robust security framework and with extensive support for communications applications, the Nucleus product leads the industry in efficient OS platforms.

Based on the Eclipse framework, Mentor's EDGE Developer Suite represents a state-of-the-art environment for embedded open systems development and complements IBM's major contributions to the Eclipse ecosystem. The EDGE MAJIC JTAG probe completes the tools-to-targets connection for hardware-assisted debug, incorporating Cell/B.E. specific features and functionality.

"With the adoption of the Cell/B.E. technology in high-performance embedded applications for aerospace and defense, medical imaging and other areas, Mentor's integrated tooling framework provides designers a predictable path to success," said Hina Y. Shah, director of Cell/B.E. Ecosystem Development for IBM. "The Mentor Graphics Nucleus OS and the EDGE Developer Suite are key additions to our portfolio of tools for the Cell/B.E. developer community."

"The Cell/B.E. processor is a revolutionary approach to powering compute-intensive applications. Mentor's EDGE Developer Suite provides multi-core debugging for the Cell's PowerPC core and eight sub-processors while the Nucleus OS is the engine for execution control and scheduling for the entire architecture. Mentor's unmatched expertise in debug management, both at the software level and JTAG hardware level, brings the most advanced software development environment to the Cell," said Neil Henderson, general manager, Mentor Graphics' Embedded Systems Division. "This is the first time that a real-time OS framework has been applied to the capabilities of the Cell Broadband Engine processor and platforms. By leveraging the lean Nucleus OS architecture and real-time scheduling capabilities, developers will be able to extract maximum performance from their high-powered devices."

For more information about Nucleus OS or EDGE, please contact Mentor Graphics' Embedded Systems Division at 800-468-6853 or embedded_info@mentor.com. To learn more about IBM, go to www.ibm.com.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $800 million and employs approximately 4,200 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon, 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.> Mentor Graphics, Nucleus and MAJIC are registered trademarks, and EDGE is a trademark, of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

Cell Broadband Engine is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both, and is used under license.