Chip Express Signs Electec as Sales Rep for California.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 1999--

Chip Express Corporation, a fast-turn ASIC supplier, today announced that the company has signed Electec, Manufacturing Representative, as its Sales Rep for Northern California, Southern California and San Diego.

The three separate Electec organizations (Electec NorCal, Electec SoCal and Electec San Diego) will represent Chip Express' ASIC products and services for sale to commercial, industrial and military OEMs. Electec is also representing Lucent Microelectronics, and therefore the addition of Chip Express complements the offering of the Lucent system-on-chip solution that incorporates the Chip Express LPGA core.

"We are delighted to partner with Chip Express and be able to provide our customers with a cost-effective complete ASIC solution to answer their current design requirements. Chip Express' ability to provide ASIC prototypes in a matter of days and initial production in a couple of weeks is very attractive for time-critical applications. Using the Chip Express design methodology, designers can achieve shorter design cycles and introduce new products to market ahead of the competition," stated Greg Barnhart, Vice President of Sales for Electec NorCal.

"The Chip Express line has been spectacular to work with on the front end, and we've been getting a lot of support from the company," said Clancy Barham, Vice President of Sales for Electec SoCal. "Our initial expectations have only been exceeded by the amount of sales we've booked in the first month. The Chip Express line definitely complements our work with Lucent."

Chip Express' product line includes the company's ASIC, dubbed LPGA (Laser Programmable Gate Array) offered for prototyping and production. To complement the ASIC offerings, the company also provides design services including conversions and RTL sign-off. Chip Express is selling its fast-turn ASIC through about 20 Sales Rep companies throughout the US. In addition, the company is engaged with several Sales Rep firms and design houses in Europe and the Far East.

"With the addition of Electec to our Sales Rep network, we have strengthened our presence in the electronics design marketplace," stated Steve McMinn, Chip Express' Senior VP of Marketing and Sales. "Since Lucent has adopted Chip Express' LPGA technology for their system-on-chip approach, we see a positive synergy that can work to the best for all parties. Chip Express can support customers that either do not meet Lucent's volume requirements or need fast-turn multiple iterations to get to a final prototype. Overall, we are very pleased with the early results of this relationship. Given Electec's strong reputation for technical expertise and experienced sales team supporting ASIC designer requirements, we believe that Electec can significantly increased the number of opportunities we are seeing in the San Diego, Orange County and Bay Area markets."

Chip Express Corporation is the world leader in "Time-to-Market Solution(R)" for high-performance, high-density ASIC devices. Chip Express provides the industry's fastest-turn ASIC products, including one-day Laser Programmable Gate Array prototypes utilizing the QuICk(R) laser micro-machining system; one-week initial production utilizing its innovative OneMask(R) process to personalize a single wafer at a time; and a smooth transition to its TwoMask(TM)/HardArray(TM) technology for cost competitive high volume production in as short as one month.

Chip Express is a privately held corporation, founded in the US in 1989. From its headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, Chip Express services leading-edge computer, communications and military companies worldwide including Hewlett-Packard, Intel, 3Com, Sun, Cisco Systems, Bay Networks, Lockheed Martin, Hughes Aircraft, and National Semiconductor.