Toshiba Licenses Rambus PCI Express PHY Cell; Agreement Allows for Development of PCI Express ASICs and ASSPs.

Business Editors

LOS ALTOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2004

Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), a leading provider of chip-to-chip interface products and services, today announced that Toshiba has licensed Rambus's PCI Express physical layer (PHY) cell, part of Rambus's RaSer(TM) family of serial link technologies. The PCI Express interconnect standard is expected to serve as the general purpose input/output (I/O) interconnect for a wide variety of future computing, consumer and communication platforms.

"Applications such as mainstream computer and consumer products continue to demand higher speeds and these applications are beginning to see the inherent benefit of moving to high-speed serial link technologies," said Yutaka Murao, general manager, Microprocessor Department at Semiconductor Company, Toshiba Corporation. "Rambus's RaSer technology provides us with an application-proven and high-speed serial link solution which will greatly enhance our forthcoming high-volume PCI Express ASIC and ASSP products with our leading-edge technology."

The Rambus RaSer family of serial link cells is silicon proven in 0.18-micron, 0.13-micron and 90nanometer semiconductor process technologies, which allows for design flexibility. This RaSer PHY cell for PCI Express applications has been proven in systems and is in development now in leading PC chipset, graphics, communication switch and bridge chip applications.

"Toshiba's customers include some of the world's leaders in computer, consumer and communications system applications," said Kevin Donnelly, vice president of the Logic Interface Division at Rambus. "This partnership will accelerate implementation of high-speed serial link solutions in emerging applications with enhanced performance."

In addition to the RaSer family of cells, Rambus provides engineering services to its customers for chip integration, package, test, and board and system characterization in order to ensure success in the development and bring up of PCI Express chips and boards. Rambus RaSer cells are now available on TSMC and UMC processes. Additional information on the RaSer family of serial link cells can be found at www.rambus.com/raser.

About Rambus Inc.

Rambus is one of the world's leading providers of chip-to-chip interface products and services. The company's breakthrough technology and engineering expertise have helped leading chip and system companies to solve their challenging I/O problems and bring industry-leading products to market. Rambus's interface solutions can be found in numerous computing, consumer electronic and networking products. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Rambus is a registered trademark and RaSer is a trademark of Rambus Inc. PCI Express is a trademark of PCI-SIG. Other trademarks that may be mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.

This release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements about the adoption rate of the PCI Express interconnect into and suitability for the computing, consumer and communications markets, as well as the dates of when PCI Express-based systems are expected to ship into their respective markets. Additional forward-looking statements include the ability of Rambus RaSer cells to provide design flexibility in silicon proven process technologies as well as the adoption of these cells in leading PC chipset, graphics, and communication switch and bridge chip applications. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Those risks include the possibility of reduced market adoption of the PCI Express interconnect protocol, the market response to these products, any delay in the development of Rambus-based products by licensees, any delay in the development and shipment of new Rambus products, any delay in the development and shipment of products compatible with Rambus products, a strong response of the market to competing technology, a failure to sign new contracts or maintain existing contracts for RaSer cell technologies, adverse litigation decisions and other factors that are described in our SEC filings including our 10-K and 10-Qs.