The event aims to enable a greater range of new intellectual property offerings designed for device categories such as multimedia, consumer electronics, digital imaging, gateways, set-top boxes, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phones.

The full text of the Microsoft/ARM announcement follows . . .

---

Microsoft and ARM Announce Eight New Silicon Vendors Are Developing Solutions for Windows CE 4.2,

Sep. 16, 2003 -- Microsoft Corp. and ARM today announced that eight new silicon vendors -- Centrality Communications, Cirrus Logic, Conexant Systems, Globespan Virata, LSI Logic, MagicEyes Digital., NVIDIA, and Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas -- will develop ARM core-based solutions optimized for Microsoft Windows CE 4.2.

The solutions developed by these companies will further extend the underlying performance, functionality and power efficiency of innovative, next-generation consumer devices. These silicon vendor solutions join existing ARM core-based solutions from vendors including Intel, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector, NeoMagic, Samsung Electronics, and Texas Instruments to provide customers with a greater range of new intellectual property (IP) offerings designed for device categories such as multimedia, consumer electronics, digital imaging, gateways, set-top boxes, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phones.

"The close level of technical collaboration between Microsoft, ARM and its licensees has resulted in increased shipments and broadened opportunities for Windows CE running on ARM processors," said Todd Warren, general manager of the Embedded Devices Group at Microsoft. "These relationships have yielded a wide range of choices and exciting new IP offerings to OEMs designing emerging device categories like multimedia, consumer electronics, digital imaging, gateways, set-top boxes and VoIP phones."

"The need to integrate hardware, software and communications protocols has made the development of consumer electronics increasingly complex," said Mike Inglis, executive vice president of marketing at ARM. "It is therefore vital that developers and providers of ARM technology-based solutions work together with industry leaders like Microsoft to develop the features and functionality that will enable the delivery of innovative devices that the market has come to expect. Through our close collaboration, we will be able to ease the development path and help device manufacturers easily and cost-efficiently deliver ARM Powered, Windows CE products that will meet consumer demands."

Second Annual Executive Summit Promotes Learning and Opportunity

Starting tomorrow, ARM and Microsoft will hold their second annual Executive Summit, a two-day event that will provide 80 attendees from 40 ARM Partner companies with the opportunity to participate in the development of innovative consumer devices and applications running on Windows CE and powered by ARM microprocessors. The summit enables ARM silicon Partners to provide input into the technology and business road maps for Windows CE and ARM microprocessors, which will result in greater innovation and choice of devices for customers and faster time to market for device manufacturers designing the next generation of "smart" devices. The relationship between Microsoft and ARM has delivered increased functionality and performance to silicon partners and device manufacturers of innovative consumer electronics since 1996.

The summit is an invitation-only event that will share confidential technology road maps and marketing strategies. Topics covered at the summit will include Pocket PCs, Smartphones, "Media2Go," Windows Media, VoIP phones, network gateways, Internet Protocol set-top boxes (IP-STBs), Windows Automotive, Visual Studio, and the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework.

Development in Breadth of Device Categories

The additional collaboration and commitment of eight new silicon vendors that are developing solutions brings the number to 15, demonstrating wide support from industry leaders for ARM and Windows CE-based solutions. The collaboration accelerates the innovation of a range of devices such as VoIP phones, multimedia players and network gateways, as well as the efforts already in motion for PDAs and smartphones. ARM and Windows CE-based solutions in these device categories are expected to be delivered by ODMs (original design manufacturers) and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) during 2004.

Microsoft's software and ARM's hardware leadership provide device manufacturers with a means to leverage ARM Silicon Partners' innovations and integrated development environment to increase functionality and performance and achieve faster time to market for their products.

About the ARM Consortium for Windows CE

The ARM Consortium for Windows CE was born out of the need to respond to increased demand for Windows CE 4.2 support on ARM processors to build next-generation 32-bit connected devices that enable rich applications and services. ARM and Microsoft have come together to combine their industry expertise and provide partner members with a means to speed and optimize development efforts. Membership in the consortium is available to all ARM silicon Partners that want to take advantage of the rich Windows CE 4.2 operating system with ARM Powered solutions, which include a wide array of ARM cores and processors. Microsoft provides all the necessary components that enable ARM core-based solutions for the Windows CE device platform.