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Strategies & Market Trends : VOLTAIRE'S PORCH-MODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Voltaire who wrote (737)	9/12/2000 9:20:09 PM
From: Voltaire	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

FULL PRESS RELEASE Press Release NEC Signs New Licensing Agreements with Rambus Includes Next-Generation Direct RDRAM Technology MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2000--NEC Corporation (NEC) (Nasdaq:NIPNY - news) and Rambus Inc. (Rambus) (Nasdaq:RMBS - news) signed new licensing agreements, including SDRAM, DDR and next-generation RDRAM(r). The agreements include the development of the next-generation Direct RDRAM as part of a larger strategic alliance and a broader licensing agreement between the two companies. The next-generation 1066MHz Direct RDRAM will deliver a 33% frequency improvement, over the current 800MHz Direct RDRAM, in main memory applications and will continue to maintain Rambus' memory technology at the forefront of performance in personal computers, workstations, servers and network equipment. According to Dataquest's 1999 worldwide rankings, NEC is the second largest Semiconductor manufacturer in the world as well as the fourth largest DRAM and third largest ASIC manufacturer. NEC has been developing, manufacturing and marketing RDRAMs and RACs since 1991. ``NEC was quick to recognize the potential of Rambus as a technology partner, and we've achieved significant successes as a result of our close partnership,'' said Kanji Sugihara, company resident for NEC Electron Devices, the semiconductor arm of NEC Corporation. ``We expect to see this success continue into other areas such as the PC, workstation and server markets, and the agreement signed with Rambus is another step towards that goal.'' As part of this larger strategic agreement, NEC and Rambus also signed a patent agreement covering patents for fundamental aspects of high-speed memory interfaces invented by Rambus, which are currently being implemented in SDRAM, Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM memory and controllers that directly interface with these types of memory. Under the licensing agreement, the royalty rates for DDR SDRAM and the controllers, which directly interface with DDR SDRAM, are greater than the RDRAM compatible rates. The agreement also includes royalties for SDRAM and for controllers that directly interface with SDRAM, as well as a license fee for the entire agreement. ``We have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with NEC,'' said Geoff Tate, Rambus' chief executive officer. ``We are pleased to extend the cooperation between our two companies by agreeing to develop and market the next-generation Direct RDRAM. NEC has clearly established a leadership position in enabling the strategic programs of key consumer, communications and computer equipment manufacturers.'' About NEC Corporation NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY - news; FTSE:6701q.l) (TYSE:6701) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer, network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of 4,991 billion Yen (approx. US$48 billion) in fiscal year 1999-2000. For further information, please visit the NEC