Accelerated Technology Announces Complete Royalty-free OSEK 2.2 Package Including COM, NM and CAN Networking and Communication Products.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MOBILE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002

Accelerated Technology, the Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT), today announced a complete OSEK product line to help lower costs and reduce development time for developers in the automotive industry.

OSEK is an industry standard for automotive electronics.

The automotive product line includes an updated version of the source code, royalty free Nucleus(R) OSEK Real-Time Operating System (RTOS). In addition to Nucleus OSEK, the OSEK-compliant version of the Nucleus kernel, Accelerated Technology has also released OSEK-related components including Nucleus COM, Nucleus NM and Nucleus CAN for the reliable support of automotive networking and inter-processor communications. The Motorola MPC500 Family based on the PowerPC architecture will be supported by the Nucleus OSEK product family, with the first ports available for the MPC555 and MPC565 microcontrollers.

The components of the Nucleus OSEK software package have been designed according to the OSEK 2.2 standards and are currently being prepared for certification. Combined with the MPC555 and MPC565 controllers, Accelerated Technology's (AT) OSEK products will give developers the platform they need to build control-intensive applications in the automotive market such as engine and transmission controls. The OSEK products will provide users with such important benefits as cost savings, decreased development time and enhanced end product quality. By using Nucleus OSEK, automotive developers can utilize an off-the-shelf OSEK solution that has been tested and certified, which reduces the amount of engineering time needed during development.

Nucleus OSEK, AT's full-featured implementation of the OSEK/VDX operating system, has been updated to version 2.2. Nucleus OSEK is configurable and scalable, allowing embedded computing resources to be used more efficiently.

Nucleus COM is an extension of Nucleus OSEK that describes inter-processor and intra-processor communication. Nucleus NM, used together with Nucleus OSEK and Nucleus COM, ensures the safety and the reliability of a communication network for electronic control units (ECUs). Nucleus CAN, a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, is an ISO standard (ISO 11898) for serial data communication. CAN was developed specifically for automotive applications and has gained widespread use in the automotive and industrial automation industries today.

"The availability of Nucleus OSEK further adds to the attractiveness of the MPC500 Family which is already dominant in the automotive powertrain market and is quickly gaining acceptance in other real-time, control intensive applications like aerospace and industrial automation," said Dr. Kevin Klein, standard products marketing manager, Motorola. "This popularity is reflected in Accelerated Technology's decision to make the MPC555 and MPC565 the first processors available with this port. Motorola is proud to be able to work with Accelerated Technology to provide compelling solutions for these demanding applications."

"The latest release of the Nucleus OSEK product line finally provides automotive developers with a complete source code, no royalty OSEK solution. Supporting the MPC565 processor strengthens our relationship with the PowerPC family and provides the automotive market with a cost effective solution for their characteristic high volume applications," said Kyle Craig, product marketing manager at Accelerated Technology, the Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics.

OSEK Standard

The OSEK standard was defined by a group of major European automotive manufacturers and component suppliers to provide a common embedded development platform for the industry. The European Commission is currently proposing it as a required standard for automotive applications. The design objective for OSEK was to specify a product that delivered the portability, scalability, vendor-independence and productivity demanded by the industry within the code size and performance constraints of deeply-embedded automotive applications.

Pricing and Availability

Nucleus embedded software is licensed with source code and without royalty fees. Available now, licenses for Nucleus OSEK start at $19,995.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, 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 $600 million and approximately 3,700 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

Accelerated Technology, the Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics, is located in Mobile, Alabama with sales offices and distributors worldwide. By providing embedded systems developers with a focus on service, well-documented source code and industry leading non-royalty based Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) software, AT's RTOS software shortens time-to-market and provides a complete solution for engineers. For more information, please visit www.acceleratedtechnology.com or email us at [e-mail].

Mentor Graphics, Accelerated Technology and Nucleus are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.