ARM AND SUN COLLABORATE ON NEXT-GEN EMBEDDED JAVA TECHNOLOGY.

ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) has announced that they have entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement that will enable the companies to jointly develop new Java technologies optimized for the wireless device market. The agreement will give ARM access to Sun's Java technology that ARM will incorporate into its roadmap of Jazelle technology-based microprocessors.

The ARM Jazelle technology is optimized for applications where users require high-performance Java execution in an environment where memory resources and power requirements are at a premium. The agreement will allow the two companies to align their respective Java technology roadmaps and collaborate on new Java technology, targeted specifically at embedded applications commonly found in wireless or mobile devices.

"We see ARM as underpinning a great deal of microprocessor technology in consumer electronics. The ARM Jazelle technology provides a highly-optimized implementation of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), speeding up execution times and providing consumers with an enriched user experience on their mobile devices," said Rich Green, vice president, Java Software, Sun Microsystems. "Together with our proven J2ME technology, our collaboration on new Java technology will provide OEMs with the best possible dedicated JVM for running the Java Platform in the wireless world."

In October 2000, ARM announced the availability of its Jazelle for Java technology extensions for microprocessor cores to enable direct execution of Java byte code in hardware and software. ARM intends to make the Jazelle technology, currently available for the ARM7 Thumb microprocessor family and the ARM9 Thumb microprocessor family, available throughout their performance roadmap.

"We are seeing a significant increase in demand from OEMs to provide Java implementations for devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, and ARM will play a central part in this," said Robin Saxby, chairman and CEO, ARM. "This collaboration with Sun, the original architect and acknowledged industry leader in Java technology, will deliver the best possible platform for the next generation of Java technology-enabled handheld, wireless and mobile devices and will give consumers an unprecedented user experience."