Renesas Technology to Expand the Resources and Capabilities of Online Evaluation Tool.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- An Increasing Number of System Engineers are Using the Comprehensive 'Renesas Interactive' Environment With Free Training Courses and Online Labs to Learn about Renesas Microcontrollers and Microprocessors for Embedded Systems 

Renesas Technology America, Inc. announced today that it is obtaining excellent results from the Renesas Interactive Web site, an integrated online learning environment that consists of free training courses, extensive reference library and online laboratories (VirtuaLabs) for design engineers. In close cooperation with TechOnLine, a leading host for online learning tools for electronic and computer-system engineers, Renesas will continue to build on the infrastructure which has been steadily expanded and enhanced since the site was launched in May 2002.

"The improvements we've made in courses, testing and infrastructure in the past several years are paying big dividends for our customers, " said Ali Sebt, vice president, system LSI business unit, Renesas Technology America, Inc. "The number of visitors from all around the world and from diverse companies -- Fortune 500 firms to small enterprises -- has risen steadily, increasing especially dramatically in the past six months. Our feedback indicates that visitors have a growing appreciation of the value the site's features provide and they are more willing to spend time using the many online capabilities now available."

Reference material, training courses and laboratories on six product lines

Data on recent activity at the Renesas Interactive site show that the number of new registered users -- the United States (34%), Europe (28%), and Asia (26%) -- now totals over 24,820. The majority of them are engineers involved in hardware or software or systems design. They are drawn to the site by extensive content that covers general information on microcontrollers and embedded system design, and the volumes of specific technical data and application material, as well as by the 60 hours of training course content and ten VirtuaLab laboratory setups. These resources cover six different Renesas product lines: R8C/Tiny, H8 Super Low Power, H8 Tiny, M16C, and H8S series microcontrollers; and SuperH family RISC processors.

Beyond providing engineers easy access to technical resources, Renesas also leverages Renesas Interactive to enhance the capability of its internal training resources. As many companies face continuous downsizing of budgets, hosting internal training sessions can be costly. For example, to introduce a new product, a semiconductor supplier must provide full-scale technical training sessions including hands-on tutorials to its sales force, reps and distributors. This requires assigning training resources and paying for their time and travel. Subsequently, the supplier's sales people will have to arrange a series of meetings with customers to promote the new product. By using Renesas Interactive as a training tool, Renesas can save thousands of dollars on training.

Renesas Interactive At a Glance:

--Total number of registered users: 24,820

--Geographical split: Americas 39%, Europe 28%, Asia Pacific 26%, Miscellaneous 7%

--Number of courses available from Renesas: 60

--Number of VirtuaLabs: 17

--Product lines covered: R8C/Tiny, H8SLP, H8 Tiny, H8S, M16C, SuperH, and Development Tools

--Hours of training to date: 12,500 hours of training

These features bolster the main attractions of the RenesasInteractive site:

--Free use, 24/7 availability, and accessibility from PCs with Web browsers 

--Open gateway to latest Renesas products and technology

--Hands-on, interactive work sessions for learning

--A safe environment, protected by encryption with strong authentication 

--Instant exposure to industry experts in a third-party support community

--Time-saving, problem-solving tools for device analysis, comparison and evaluation.

--Invite Feature within VirtuaLab allows easy World Wide collaboration/training

Reader contact

Readers are encouraged to visit the Web site: www.renesasinteractive.com.

About Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Technology Corp. is one of the world's leading semiconductor system solutions providers for mobile, automotive and PC/AV (Audio Visual) markets and the world's No.1 supplier of microcontrollers. It is also a leading provider of LCD Driver ICs, Smart Card microcontrollers, RF-ICs, High Power Amplifiers, Mixed Signal ICs, System-on-Chip (SoC), System-in-Package (SiP) and more. Established in 2003 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. (TOKYO:6501)(NYSE:HIT) and Mitsubishi Electric  Corporation (TOKYO:6503), Renesas Technology achieved consolidated revenue of 1002.4 billion JPY in FY2004 (end of March 2005). Renesas Technology is based in Tokyo, Japan and has a global network of manufacturing, design and sales operations in around 20 countries with about 26,000 employees worldwide. For further information, please visit http://www.renesas.com