ChipData Introduces New Design Chain Management Application Service Provider Suite Benefiting Electronic Design Engineers.

Business/Technology Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2000

World's First DCM ASP Suite Increases Efficiency and

Eliminates Human Error --

Previews at 37th Annual Design Automation Conference (DAC)

ChipData, Inc., a business-to-business (B2B) Design Chain Management(TM) company for electronic design engineers, introduces its innovative Design Chain Management(TM) Application Service Provider (ASP) technology suite at DAC.

ChipData's suite of products includes a complete range of design data and ASP-enabled tools, unifying the separate steps of the printed circuit board design flow into a seamless continuum with the goal to eliminate "board spins." The suite is specifically designed for design engineers, as well as electronic design automation (EDA) librarians, contract manufacturers and component makers.

"We offer electronic product designers the first Web-based solution for design information in CAD-Ready(TM), Correct-by-Construction(TM) form. This means ChipData obtains the information direct from suppliers in many different forms without having to spider or crawl through various Web sites," said Kevin McDonough, president and CEO, ChipData. "This is a new solution to a very common problem."

Design engineers have needed this type of information direct from their suppliers, but have traditionally received this information in paper form, such as datasheets. ChipData uses a new technology called iDataMiner(TM) to extract design-related information electronically from files and datasheets provided by manufacturers. The company does not re-key these datasheets; rather the company obtains the information and presents it in a common XML based format that ensures compatibility with several EDA tools. This means the design data, validated by the suppliers, is offered without chance for mistranslation directly from supplier to customer.

In the final CAD-ready form a designer uses ChipData's ASP services by searching the Designer Portal(TM) Web site for the necessary components, clicking on the appropriate design data type and loading it into a design agent. When finished, one simply selects from among six standard EDA formats and saves the results in the appropriate form.

The Designer Portal will be launched on June 22nd at www.chipdata.com.

About ChipData:

Founded in 1999, ChipData is a Richardson, Texas-based business-to-business (B2B) Design Chain Management(TM) company that uses the power of the Internet in an application service provider (ASP) model to automate electronic design in the electronics industry. Powered by unique technology, ChipData's services lower costs and improve efficiency and time to market for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and semiconductor manufacturers by simplifying the transfer of supplier component specifications. Renowned Dallas business and technology experts Kevin McDonough, Jerry Rogers and Tom Selgas founded this privately-held company. Independent investors and top high-tech venture capital firms CenterPoint Ventures, InterWest Partners and Sevin Rosen fund the company. For more information about the company and ChipData.com, please visit the company's Web site at www.chipdata.com.

Design Chain Management(TM), CAD-Ready(TM), Correct-by-Construction(TM), iDataMiner(TM), SymBuilder(TM) ASP, and Designer Portal(TM) are trademarks of ChipData, Inc., all rights reserved.