Phoenix ships Virtual Chips AGP Master Design Package; Phoenix first to ship "drop-in" core and test environment for new accelerated graphics port standard.

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 1997--Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PTEC) -- the leading supplier of system level software to manufacturers of PCs and a leading supplier of synthesizable cores to chip and peripheral manufacturers, announced today at the Design Automation Conference in Anaheim that it is shipping its Virtual Chips AGP core to chip designers and manufacturers.

AGP is the new Accelerated Graphics Port standard -- a graphics processing method that provides graphics controllers with direct, high-speed access to system memory. AGP enables manufacturers of volume-priced mainstream PCs to integrate high performance 3D graphics into their systems at a reasonable cost. Synthesizable Cores from Phoenix provide "drop-in" modules for graphics engines that speed development of new AGP devices.

"AGP devices will be faster than existing PCI designs, but the design process is much more complex," said John Barnes, vice president of 3D Multimedia at Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. -- one of the first major chip manufacturers to use the Virtual Chips AGP core. "The AGP Master Design Package from Phoenix provides us with the shortest path to bringing our new, high-performance graphics processor to market."

Phoenix is the first company to offer a synthesizable core for AGP designs. The Virtual Chips AGP Master Design Package includes the "drop-in" core, and a complete AGP test environment that tests the design for full functionality and compatibility with the new graphics standard. The Virtual Chips core supports all of the required and optional features of the AGP 1.0 specification from Intel. This includes both 66MHz (1X) and133MHz (2X) performance levels.

The Virtual Chips line of synthesizable cores from Phoenix Technologies provides ASIC developers with "drop-in" modules to incorporate industry standard interfaces into new silicon designs. The Virtual Chips application interface separates the peripheral design from the complexities of the specific protocol -- speeding ASIC production and providing greater flexibility for design changes and future upgrades.

Synthesizable cores from Phoenix are provided in Verilog and VHDL hardware description languages, and include all the design features, documentation, support and implementation guidance necessary to ensure smooth integration into customer designs with optimal results in silicon.

Phoenix Technologies is the world's largest supplier of standards-based compatibility software to the personal computer industry. The company's system-level software products, such as PhoenixBIOS for desktops, NoteBIOS for portables, and ServerBIOS for servers, allow PC manufacturers to increase product differentiation, reduce product cycle time to market as well as cut internal engineering costs.

Phoenix's PICO product line provides products and services for information appliances, and the Virtual Chips product line provides products for interconnect standards including PC Cards/CardBus, PCI, AGP, Universal Serial Bus and other emerging interfaces. Phoenix develops and markets ActiveHelp products to enable self-healing PCs that reduce support costs for PC manufacturers. Information on all Phoenix Technologies products is available on the World Wide Web at www.phoenix.com . -0-

Note To Editors: Phoenix is a registered trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

Jim Adamson, 408/570-1013

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The Weber Group

Michele Landry, 415/463-8620

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