Cypress Semiconductor Launches Internet Investor Forum; EVP to Dialog Directly With Small and Midsize Investors.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 1998--Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) today announced the launch of an interactive forum on its worldwide web site geared to respond to the information needs of small and midsize investors. Questions posted to the forum will be answered directly by Dan McCranie, executive vice president, sales and marketing.

Users can access the forum at www.cypress.com/ir/bbs/.

Online trading message forums are growing more popular, partly because many individual investors are moving away from traditional brokerages and toward electronic brokerage and information services. Independent investment and discussion groups now attract tens of millions of queries each year.

"Individual investors clearly have developed a taste for electronic information, and the Cypress Investor Forum is geared to meet their needs," McCranie said. "Electronic interaction is a time-effective approach that enables me to respond to the question of a single shareholder and simultaneously make that communication available to the general public -- sidestepping the problem of responding to a large volume of individual phone calls or emails.

"Our communications with institutions have become virtually seamless over the years, with customized presentations, one-on-one sessions, and teleconferencing featuring into the mix," McCranie added. "The new forum aims to level the playing field, providing individual investors with access to all public data about Cypress."

The Cypress forum offers an array of value-added links, including access to financial archives, a stock ticker, and background information about the company's products and executives. Investors can follow the development of particular lines of questioning and even correspond directly with one another.

"Investors of all sizes have a right to ask questions about our plans and capabilities," McCranie concluded. "Cypress remains committed to providing print information and welcomes the opportunity to communicate with our shareholders on an individual basis. But we hope our Internet forum provides another alternative in an investment, business, and popular climate increasingly driven by access to electronic information."

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation is an international supplier of high-performance integrated circuits with worldwide headquarters in San Jose, California. The company provides a broad range of products for leading computer, networking, and telecommunications companies worldwide. Cypress's product line includes static RAM and specialty memories; programmable logic devices (PLDs); data communications products; FCT logic, timing devices, and USB microcontrollers. Its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CY. The company's worldwide web site is located at http://www.cypress.com.

CONTACT: Cypress Semiconductor

Joe McCarthy, 408/943-2902