SAN JOSE, Calif. - Embedded Systems Conference - Sept. 25, 2000 – Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS), a leader in protecting digital content and e-commerce, today announced the newest member of its Maverick™ processor family, the EP7312 processor, completing the range of security options for manufacturers of consumer Internet products. As a part of Cirrus Logic’s Market Specific Processor strategy, the Maverick™ EP7312 continues to target the new eAppliance markets, where protecting digital content and decoding audio are essential features.

“Security is the most important issue facing the Internet appliance industry” said Jay Srivatsa, semiconductor analyst at Gartner Group Inc.’s Dataquest. “Companies providing solutions with on-chip security features at an affordable price are best positioned to benefit from the explosive growth forecasted over the next five years.”

Cirrus Logic’s patent-pending MaverickKey™ technology provides consumer Internet product manufacturers with on-chip security capability utilizing specific hardware IDs, such as those assigned for Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) or any other authentication mechanism. Its innovative technology allows programming both a permanent SDMI specific 32-bit ID and a 128-bit permanent random IDs through the use of laser probe technology. Having these unique IDs on-chip provides more robust security than typical systems where these IDs would be outside the chip. In addition, our patent-pending MaverickKey technology allows the most sensitive part of security firmware to be executed on-chip. This increases the robustness of any security technologies a customer chooses to employ. Thus MaverickKey technology allows secrets to remain secret.

“The EP7312's MaverickKey technology gives our Internet appliance customers another Maverick choice in the wide array of security and flexibility options,” said Matthew Perry, vice president and general manager of Cirrus Logic’s Embedded Processor Division. “It reinforces our security leadership position by addressing the concerns of content providers, consumers and users of e-commerce.”

The Security Balance

Maintaining the right balance of hardware security with software flexibility is the essence of the Maverick product line. While the EP7212 is successfully deployed in numerous secure applications protecting digital content, the EP7312 adds a new dimension of hard security. The on-chip IDs and ability to decrypt secure algorithms without crossing an external data bus make the product more secure. At the other end of the spectrum, the MaverickLock technology provides complete hardware and software protection against unauthorized invasion by “locking” the chip from the inside out with the “keys” inside. Thus the EP7339 is the right choice for maximum protection with Intertrust’s Specific Rights PD™ firmware and patent pending MaverickLock technology.

Beyond security, other EP7312 enhanced features include:

• Upgraded SDRAM memory controller
  
  
• 10 KB more on-chip SRAM
  
  
• Improved Digital Audio Interface (DAI).

The extra 10KB of SRAM allows the designers to further optimize the processor’s internal code, increasing performance. The enhanced DAI provides a glueless interface to today’s most popular DACs and ADCs by supporting both 128 fs and 64 fs bit rates. The ability to directly support different sample rates for audio source material was also enhanced, allowing OEMs to save precious MIPs for other features. While remaining the highest performance ARM720T™ product on the market with a Maximum Clock Frequency of 74 MHz, the performance can be significantly improved by utilizing the internal clock to generate additional bit rate.

Customers are also drawn to the EP7312’s audio feature, which adds audio to consumer Internet products for very little additional cost.

“The combination of audio decoding and hardware security with the world’s leading 16/32-bit embedded RISC architecture is a powerful force in the industry,” said Reynette Au, vice president of Worldwide Marketing for ARM. “The two companies have combined their greatest strengths to meet the demand for high-performance, low-power devices in Internet-enabled appliances."

The target markets for the EP7312 include smart handheld eAppliances and consumer Internet products such as:

• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
  
  
• SmartPhones
  
  
• Email Terminals
  
  
• Pagers
  
  
• eBooks

Development kits and samples of the Maverick EP7312 are available from Cirrus Logic, call 512-445-7222 or visit http://www.cirrus.com/corporate/contacts/sales.cfm With production scheduled for Q1 2001, the EP7312CV is priced at $19.35 in 10KU quantities and is packaged in a 208 pin Quad Flat Pack (QFP). Development Kits start at $1295.

###

Maverick

Maverick processors, a leader in portable Internet audio, strengthens its market position as product designers of second-generation Internet audio players increasingly leverage key Maverick processor features, including a choice of:

• MP3, WMA and AAC compression/decompression standards
  
  
• Operating systems including: Linux, WinCE, eCOS, EPOC, Palm OS and VxWorks
  
  
• Alternative data storage methods including FLASH, hard drives or CD ROMs, such as
  
  

  i-Omega’s PocketZip™ media

Maverick chips also provide security and digital rights management with Microsoft’s WMT and InterTrust’s Rights PD™ firmware and are designed into a variety of Internet entertainment devices including the leading portable Internet audio players, network-based home players, digital car audio players, eBooks, Web-based entertainment and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). After only six months of production, Cirrus Logic shipped its millionth Maverick processor in August 2000. More information about Cirrus Logic’s Maverick processor is available at www.cirrus.com.

Cirrus Logic

Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high-performance analog and DSP chip solutions for Internet entertainment electronics. Building on its global market share leadership in audio integrated circuits and its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, the company targets high-volume audio, storage and communications applications. Cirrus Logic sells its products under the Crystal®, Maverick™ and 3Ci™ brands as well as its own name. Founded in 1984 in Silicon Valley, Cirrus Logic operates from headquarters in Austin, Texas and major sites located in Fremont, California and Broomfield, Colorado as well as offices in Europe, Japan and Asia. More information about Cirrus Logic is available at www.cirrus.com.

# # #

Safe Harbor Provision

Any forward-looking statement and all other statements that may be made in this news release that are not historical facts are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. Please refer to Cirrus Logic’s current Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for more information on the risk factors that could cause actual results to differ.

Note to editors: Cirrus Logic, Maverick, MaverickLock, MaverickKey and Crystal are registered trademarks of Cirrus Logic Inc. ARM720T is a trademark of ARM Ltd. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.