Artisan Components and Dongbu Electronics Announce Delivery Of Early Access 0.18-Micron Libraries To Customers.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2002

Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd.

Selected Dongbu Customers To Receive Artisan's 0.18-Micron

SAGE-X Standard Cell Library, Dual-Port SRAM and ROM

Generators for Evaluation

Artisan Components, Inc., (Nasdaq: ARTI), a leading provider of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) and Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd., Korea's largest pure-play foundry, today announced that Artisan has delivered to Dongbu early access libraries optimized for Dongbu's advanced 0.18-micron CMOS process. Fulfilling certain terms of an agreement signed between Artisan and Dongbu in December 2001, Artisan's SAGE-X(TM) Standard Cell Library, dual-port SRAM and diffusion programmable ROM generators will be made available to selected Dongbu customers. Fully compliant with Dongbu's foundry-compatible 0.18-micron design rules, the delivered libraries are characterized using Dongbu's latest electrical models and include support for Artisan's extensive set of views and models of the industry's leading EDA tools.

Artisan expects to deliver to Dongbu its single-port SRAM generator and I/O library before or during June and September 2002, respectively. Additionally, as part of its free library program, Artisan expects to distribute a suite of products optimized for Dongbu's 0.18-micron CMOS process to licensed customers from Artisan's web site at http://www.artisan.com beginning in the third quarter of 2002. In selecting Artisan as its strategic library partner, Dongbu expects to facilitate the use of its foundry-compatible 0.18-micron CMOS process among fabless and IDM companies worldwide. Dongbu's foundry-compatible process enables the fast and easy transport of chip design databases to Dongbu's fabrication facility. Dongbu is currently engaged with more than 20 customers at various stages in manufacturing advanced 0.18- and 0.25-micron CMOS wafers. The Artisan-Dongbu agreement expands the choices that Artisan customers have when selecting a foundry for fabrications of their IC designs. Artisan introduced its Foundry Library Program in 1998 and has licensed its library products to over 900 companies.

"We selected Artisan because its libraries are the most widely used and set the industry standard for quality, performance and ease-of-use," said Peter Hillen, executive vice president of marketing and sales at Dongbu. "We look forward to furthering our relationship with Artisan and enabling Dongbu customers' successes with leading-edge technology."

Commented Neal Carney, Artisan's vice president of marketing, "Artisan is very pleased that Dongbu has chosen Artisan as its library partner and we look forward to working with Dongbu to help ensure the best possible results for every customer's design."

Product Information

Customers interested in Artisan's Dongbu-based library products should contact Artisan via e-mail at [e-mail] or via telephone at 877-ARTILIB (877-278-4542).

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitations, statements regarding the availability of Artisan library products for Dongbu's 0.18-micron process and statements regarding the impact of Artisan's libraries on the use of Dongbu's CMOS process among fabless and IDM companies and the success of Dongbu customer designs. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to technical or other difficulties that delay or prevent the availability of the 0.18-micron library products; technical or other difficulties inherent in the design and manufacture of semiconductors; and market acceptance of the 0.18-micron library products. We refer you also to the documents that Artisan files from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the section entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" in Artisan's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q.

About Dongbu Electronics

Dongbu Electronics is a privately held wafer foundry specializing in advanced CMOS processing for logic, mixed signal, embedded flash and system-on-chip designs. With worldwide business development offices based in the Silicon Valley in Mountain View, California, Dongbu operates a state-of-the-art pure-play foundry in Eumsung, Korea, near Seoul. Dongbu is a key global supplier within Korea's vibrant semiconductor manufacturing, test and assembly infrastructure. Major investors include Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer, and the Dongbu Group, a multi-billion dollar industrial and financial conglomerate. For more information, visit www.dsemi.com.

About Artisan Components

Artisan Components, Inc., is a world leader in semiconductor intellectual property (IP) components, providing high-quality solutions for many of the world's leading semiconductor foundries, fabless IC companies, integrated device manufacturers and ASIC vendors. Artisan's Process-Perfect(TM) memory generators, standard cell and I/O libraries are optimized to achieve the full-speed, density and power potential of each semiconductor process and are delivered as full solutions, ready to use with industry-standard design environments. Artisan's headquarters are located at 141 Caspian Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1201. World Wide Web address: http://www.artisan.com.

Artisan Components is a registered trademark and Artisan, Process-Perfect and SAGE-X trademarks of Artisan Components, Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.