Circuit Semantics Appoints Industry Veteran Kevin Hall to Board of Directors; Hall's EDA Experience Invaluable for Growth of Company.

Business Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2002

Circuit Semantics(TM) Inc. (CSI), the leading provider of timing and characterization solutions for high-performance IC design, today announced that Kevin Hall has joined its board of directors. With over twenty years of experience in the EDA industry and 15 years in high tech venture capital, Hall brings in-depth industry knowledge and business acumen that will help guide the company through its next stages of growth. Hall, also a partner with Norwest Venture Partners, has chosen to invest in CSI through his private investment fund, Crescent Venture Investors.

"Circuit Semantics' outstanding customer list is made up of industry leaders developing microprocessors at the forefront of performance," said Hall, principal investor in Crescent Venture Investors. "As the rest of the industry moves to developing faster processors with more transistors, CSI's software will become essential for semiconductor companies wanting predictable accuracy in their designs."

"Kevin's extensive EDA experience and strategic involvement with both early and late stage technology companies will be invaluable as CSI continues its rapid growth path," said Gary Larsen, president and CEO of Circuit Semantics. "He's been on-board some very exciting technology growth companies in the past, and we're going to capitalize on his accumulated knowledge."

Hall has an excellent record of successful investing in the field of information technology, focusing primarily on software, communications, and semiconductors. Since 1993, he has been a partner with Norwest Venture Partners. Before Norwest, he spent five years as a principal with Brentwood Venture Capital. His significant investment achievements include Brocade Communications, Xylan, Documentum, Quantum Effect Devices, Polycom, Vantive and Docent. Hall also has operating experience as a marketing director and engineer at Valid Logic, GE Calma, and Intersil Semiconductor. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and M.S. and B.S. degrees with highest distinction in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

About Circuit Semantics

Circuit Semantics, Inc. provides timing and characterization solutions for high performance cells, cores, and blocks based on innovative technology for which patents are currently pending. IC designers employ these mixed-level solutions to create high-performance chips using full-custom and structured-custom methodologies. The company's products support precise, gate-level abstraction of transistor-level circuits to accelerate timing closure for designs fabricated in deep submicron (DSM) process technologies. These solutions are especially well suited for the microprocessor, digital signal processing, graphics and the high-speed communications markets. Circuit Semantics is headquartered at 2590 North First Street, Suite 301, San Jose, California 95131, telephone [phone]; fax [phone]. For more information, visit www.circuitsemantics.com.