Alta Group Gears-Up For New Growth Phase And Expands Investment In R&D; Alan Naumann appointed Alta Group vice president and general manager.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 1996--Alta Group of Cadence Design Systems, Inc., a strategic subsidiary in Cadence's technology and services portfolio, announces a change in organization and increased investment in research and development to support its rapid growth and to further cement its leading position in system level design.

As part of this strategy, Alta is enhancing its position as a leading provider of new innovative technology - for wireless, multimedia and networking system and product design - with a focus on automated hardware and software implementation linkages to meet the increasing market demands for complete system design solutions.

To ensure the success of this new focus, Alan Naumann, formerly vice president of Alta Group world wide sales, has been appointed to the position of vice president and general manager reporting directly to Joe Costello, president and CEO of Cadence Design Systems. In this new position, Naumann will focus his leadership and business skills on making Alta design methodologies the standard practice for all innovative electronic design.

Naumann brings a wealth of experience to his new position. He has over nine years of experience at Cadence in various management capacities, including that of vice president of worldwide field operations, with responsibilities over Europe and Asia/Pacific. Prior to Cadence, Naumann held key positions at Hewlett-Packard in marketing, services and field sales. Naumann holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Iowa State University.

In addition to Naumann's appointment, Cadence has increased its investment in research and development for the Alta Group by doubling the number of people in engineering to include approximately one hundred engineers. This expansion provides Alta with resources for additional focus in the areas of hardware/software co-design, streamlined paths to hardware implementation, high level estimation and technology to support intellectual property distribution and integration.

Doug Fairbairn, founder and former vice president and general manager of Alta Group, has begun a vice presidential assignment within Cadence. Fairbairn's first initiative in this role is to drive Cadence's Intellectual Property strategy and provide active participation in the recently announced VSI alliance.

Fairbairn was chosen for this new assignment based upon his experience in putting system-level design on the map with the Alta Group (and Redwood Design Automation before that), his expertise in the field of high-level design for systems-in-silicon and the industry- recognition that he earned with his visible and influential roles at VLSI Technology.

According to Costello, "Alta Group is one of the crown jewels in Cadence's technology and services portfolio and of key importance for the success of Cadence's business model. With Alan as general manager, and increased investment in R&D, Alta Group is strategically positioned to enable the success of this model. At the same time, Fairbairn's expertise and experience in the semiconductor, systems and EDA industries will be invaluable in driving Cadence's IP strategy. I am extremely pleased to have individuals of this caliber and experience heading up these efforts for Cadence."

Alta Group is the leading supplier of system-level development solutions (tools, libraries and services) for the design of electronic products. The company's solutions are focused on the early high-level portion of the design cycle where fundamental design decisions are made. Alta Group's target customers include electronic systems and semiconductor companies that design wireless communications, multimedia, networking and related products. -0-

Note to Editors: Alta Group is a registered trademark of Alta Group of Cadence Design Systems. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Reader Contact: http://www.altagroup.com/

CONTACT: The Alta Group of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

Melissa Baten Caswell, 408/523-4101

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