INDUSTRY MOMENTUM TOWARDS TRUE INTEROPERABILITY CONTINUES TO BUILD 

Sagantec Joins the OpenAccess Coalition 

AUSTIN, Texas (October 14, 2002) - The OpenAccess Coalition, a group of top electronics companies focused on creating a standard for true interoperability among integrated circuit (IC) design tools, announced today that Sagantec, a leading provider of full-custom physical design acceleration solutions, has joined the Coalition. The OpenAccess application programming interface (API) and database will enable the building of a truly interoperable infrastructure for electronic design technology.

"We have been watching the momentum build for OpenAccess with growing interest for some time," said Hein van der Wildt, president and CEO, Sagantec. "Meanwhile, our major customers have been encouraging us to become a part of the OpenAccess movement by adopting the standard and contributing to it. We are very proud to be joining the OpenAccess Coalition and look forward to supporting the standard in our tools. The OpenAccess standard presents us with a unique opportunity to offer tools to our customers that can be plugged into their OpenAccess-based flows along with other EDA vendor tools in a truly interoperable way not previously possible."

"Sagantec's membership in the Coalition demonstrates the expansion of OpenAccess," said Greg Spirakis, vice president of the architecture group and director of design technology at Intel, a member of the OpenAccess Coalition. "The breadth of coverage is extending to more and more areas of the design flow as new industry leaders continue to join the movement."

"Si2 and the OpenAccess Coalition are very excited to have Sagantec as a new member of the OpenAccess Coalition," said Steve Schulz, president and CEO, Si2. "Sagantec is well-positioned to contribute to the future direction of the OpenAccess standard. This new addition further demonstrates how the EDA community recognizes the importance of early participation to create a truly interoperable flow for their customers."

About OpenAccess 
OpenAccess is a community effort to provide true interoperability, not just data exchange, among IC design tools through an open standard data access interface (API) and reference database implementation supporting that API for IC design. The OpenAccess technology will help enable easy tool integration, smooth interoperability and faster application development. The initiative is driven by the OpenAccess Coalition, a neutral organization comprised of leading EDA and electronics companies. The Coalition operates under the governance and bylaws of Si2. For more information about OpenAccess, please visit www.si2.org/openaccess and www.OpenEDA.org.

About Sagantec
Sagantec provides software, methodologies and services that enable rapid physical implementation, reuse, design closure and manufacturability for full-custom physical designs in subwavelength technologies. The company is working closely with its semiconductor partners and customers to ensure that its products work with the most aggressive technologies of 0.13 micron and below. Sagantec products are specifically designed to accelerate the physical design process of high performance/low power CPUs and DSPs, dedicated and embedded memories, and analog/mixed-signal circuits. Privately held and funded, Sagantec was founded in 1993 in Israel. Its corporate headquarters are located in Fremont, Calif. For more information about Sagantec, please call 510-360-5200 or visit www.sagantec.com. 

About Si2
Silicon Integration Initiative, Inc. (Si2) provides engineering consultation and services to leading silicon, electronic systems and EDA companies. Our members are championing API level integration that will enable design reuse, EDA tool choice and increased productivity. Si2's approach is based on the transfer of proven technology to industry standards and enabled by the demonstrated success of the open source methodology. Si2 represents members throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information about Si2, please visit www.Si2.org or www.OpenEDA.org. 

For more information, contact:

Phyllis Orlando
Sagantec           
Tel: 510.360.5200 x115              
Email: phyllis@sagantec.com                  

Kate Tapley
Silicon Integration Initiative, Inc. 
512-342-2244, ext. 32 (office)
512-771-3773 (cell)
kate@si2.org