Catalyst Semiconductor Earns "Product of the Year" Award from analogZONE.

Quad-Mode[TM] CAT3636 Named "Most Innovative LED Driver"

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ:CATS) a supplier of analog, mixed-signal and non-volatile memory semiconductors, announced that analogZONE has selected Catalyst's Quad-Mode[TM] CAT3636 adaptive fractional charge pump as a winner of the analogZONE 2006 "Product of the Year" award in the "Most Innovative LED Driver" category.

Catalyst's patent-pending Quad-Mode charge pump architecture enables the CAT3636 LED driver to deliver 10 percent higher efficiency compared to three-mode charge pumps, without the need for the additional capacitors required by all other four-mode charge pump devices. Quad-Mode efficiency levels are close to those of inductive boost converters, with the simplicity of charge pumps, without adding cost, components or board space. This significant power and space savings give next-generation handheld device designers a new level of system performance to meet consumer demand for lower cost and longer battery life portable products.

analogZONE Editor-in-Chief Paul McGoldrick stated, "With the efficiency savings provided by the different output voltages of Catalyst's Quad-Mode CAT3636 to suit specific load needs, this part is unique."

"Catalyst is honored to receive this prestigious award from analogZONE," said Scott Brown, vice president of marketing for Catalyst Semiconductor. "This recognition validates our contention that Quad-Mode is the world's best LED driver."

AnalogZONE's "Product of the Year" awards are based on the editors' analysis of hundreds of new products reviewed during the year, with criteria including technical innovation, performance and commercial viability of the products. According to McGoldrick, "The Product of the Year awards are selected by our editors, all of whom are specialists in their fields. We believe the products selected will make significant bottom line numbers for the companies involved because of their strong technical merit, design innovation and marketability."

About Quad-Mode[TM]

Catalyst's patent-pending Quad-Mode adaptive fractional charge pump product family takes LED driver performance to a new level by offering a 10% efficiency improvement and up to 65 percent smaller packaging compared to "traditional" three-mode charge pumps, without the need for an additional capacitor and with no price premium. The Quad-Mode architecture delivers the high efficiency levels normally associated with inductor-based LED drivers, while eliminating the associated high-profile inductors and unwanted EMI.

Most charge pump LED drivers today offer three modes of operation corresponding to the ratio of the output voltage to the input voltage: 1x, 1.5x and 2x. The Quad-Mode architecture of the CAT3636 adds a fourth mode of operation, 1.33x, without the need for the additional capacitor required by all existing four-mode charge pumps. The 1.33x fractional operating mode also reduces the input switching currents seen at the battery, minimizing the overall supply noise - a critical parameter in portable devices such as cell phones.

About analogZONE

analogZONE is the premier source for electronics design engineers working in the fields of power management, audio/video, acquisition, connectivity, networking, wireless applications and green engineering. sub-ZONEs covering these specific areas enable the designer to focus directly on products of interest, with timely and insightful reviews. News headlines and a calendar of events keep readers current, knowledgeable and informed, while companion ZONEs providing detailed technical notes and guest columns -- along with the usual trenchant commentary by Editor-in-Chief Paul McGoldrick and other ZONE editors -- offer a wealth of information in an independent arena free from the limitations of print publication. For more information, visit www.analogzone.com.

About Catalyst Semiconductor

Founded in 1985, Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc. is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The Company produces analog and mixed signal products in addition to an extensive range of non-volatile memories. The analog and mixed-signal product lines include Digitally Programmable Potentiometers [DPP(tm)], white and color LED drivers, DC/DC converters, voltage supervisors, linear regulators and I/O expanders. The memory product lines consist of serial and parallel EEPROMs, Flash and NVRAM. Catalyst devices are used in telecommunications, networking systems, computation, automotive, industrial and consumer markets. Typical applications include LCD displays, automotive instrumentation, optical networks, modems, wireless LANs, network cards, DIMM modules, cellular telephones, digital satellite box receivers, set-top boxes and Internet routers. Catalyst's Quality Management System is ISO 9001:2000 certified. All Catalyst products are available in "green" lead- and halogen-free versions with full RoHS compliance. For additional information, visit www.catsemi.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains some forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include references by third parties to performance and commercial viability of Catalyst's products. Additional information on factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release is contained under the section "Certain Factors That May Affect the Company's Future Results of Operations" listed from time-to-time in Catalyst's SEC reports including, but not limited to, the report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2006 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the first and second quarters of fiscal year 2007.

Editor Notes:

1. Trademark notices: Quad-Mode and DPP are trademarks of Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc.