PDF Solutions Achieves Platinum Status in Cadence Connections Program; New Membership Status Results from PDF's Growing Role in DFM at 90nm.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003

PDF Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PDFS), the leading provider of Process-Design-Integration for manufacturability of integrated circuits, announced that it has been elevated to Platinum status within the Cadence (NYSE: CDN) Connections program. The elevation is recognition of the need for designers and design flows to actively participate in DFM (Design for Manufacturability) as the industry moves to 90 nanometer (nm) technology nodes. PDF Solutions(R) is the industry pioneer in solutions for manufacturability, and as such has been engaged in joint development work with Cadence to connect the design tool portion of those solutions into Cadence design flows. The first result of this collaborative effort is achieving interoperability between PDF's Circuit Surfer(R) software and the Cadence Analog Design Environment.

Circuit Surfer enables designers to perform statistical analyses on analog and mixed-signal circuits and simulate their behavior as a function of realistic process and design variables, enabling designers to more accurately optimize circuit performance, area, power, and parametric yield. Circuit Surfer achieves this by leveraging statistical device and circuit models that predict behavior across the spectrum of manufacturing process variability. This capability is of special interest to analog designers, since the speed and noise margins demanded by their applications require a more thorough understanding of process parametrics.

"The joint work we have done with PDF Solutions has elevated the company to Platinum member status in the Cadence Connections Program. The Connections Program was established to promote open interoperability in the industry and our work with PDF Solutions supports that goal," said Penny Herscher, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Cadence. "Integrating products like PDF's Circuit Surfer into the Cadence Analog Design Environment enables our mutual customers to have a seamless design environment to perform manufacturability trade-offs critical for analog designs."

"Integrating our Circuit Surfer capability with the Cadence Analog Design Environment is a good first step in addressing the manufacturability issues facing analog designers today," stated John Kibarian, Chief Executive Officer of PDF Solutions. "It provides our mutual customers access to the benefits of statistical modeling capabilities in an environment that is familiar to most analog designers in the industry."

Customers interested in Circuit Surfer technology should contact their local PDF Solutions sales office, call 408-280-7900, or email [e-mail].

About the Cadence Connections Program

The Cadence Connections Program promotes open interoperability in all areas of electronic design including digital, custom IC, analog/mixed-signal and PCB design. By attracting best-in-class partners, Cadence offers the industry's largest collection of third-party solutions operating fully with the Cadence suite of design tools. The Connections Program has over 120 member companies working toward developing an optimized silicon design chain for customers. Information about the Connections Program may be found at www.connectionsprogram.com.

About PDF Solutions

PDF Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PDFS) is the leading provider of process-design-integration technologies for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs). PDF's software, methodologies, and services enable semiconductor companies to create more manufacturable IC designs and more capable manufacturing processes. By simulating deep sub-micron product and process interactions, the PDF solution offers clients reduced time to market, increased IC yield and performance, and enhanced product reliability and profitability. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., PDF operates worldwide with additional offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.pdf.com.

Note to Editors: PDF Solutions(R) and Circuit Surfer(R) are registered trademarks of PDF Solutions, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.