MIPS AND NEC ANNOUNCE ADVANCED 64-BIT RISC PROCESSOR
TO POWER NEW CLASS OF INTERACTIVE CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Optimized 100 MHz Microprocessor Brings High Performance
to Consumer and Embedded Applications

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and TOKYO, Japan (April 17, 1995) - MIPS
Technologies, Inc. and NEC Corporation today announced the MIPS R4300i
microprocessor, a powerful, low-cost 64-bit RISC processor specially
optimized for powering a new class of interactive consumer and embedded
applications. The R4300i brings the powerful workstation-class
performance of R4000 family microprocessors for price-sensitive
applications. In addition, MIPS specifically optimized this processor for
the demands of digital media manipulation and interactive computing
markets. The MIPS R4300i microprocessor will play an important role in
MIPS' comprehensive solution for interactive media computing as well as
applications such as set-top boxes, video entertainment systems, arcade
games, x-terminals, networks and laser printers. Featuring NEC's
0.35-micron (drawn) process technology, the 100 MHz MIPS R4300i processor
will mark NEC's aggressive launch into the high-end embedded market,
bringing Intel Pentium-class performance to embedded applications for a
fraction of the price.

"The MIPS R4300i microprocessor will be the critical building block for
interactive digital media devices in the home," said Tom Whiteside,
president of MIPS Technologies. "The MIPS R4300i puts high performance in
a small, low-cost package, and its advanced design will enable cutting edge
digital consumer products destined for the second half of this decade and
into the twenty-first century."

"The MIPS R4300i processor offers exceptional performance and advanced
features at a very low cost due to our advanced 0.35-micron process
technology," said Ichiro Fujitaka, vice president, NEC Electronics. "Now
we can offer 64-bit performance at a price less than most 32-bit processors."

Advanced Features and Optimizations for Interactive Media Applications
The MIPS R4300i is a 64-bit processor with 64-bit registers, data paths
and buffers to ensure high-speed data movement within the chip. The 64-bit
paths are particularly important for operations such as bit-stream decoding
and matrix manipulation, core features in video and graphics processing.
Furthering its real-time interactive capabilities, the MIPS R4300i
processor features an improved arithmetic logic unit (ALU) with faster
multiply functions which are central to media manipulation and data
compression/decompression.

The MIPS R4300i has a high-performance memory management unit (MMU) with a
32 double-entry translation lookaside buffer (TLB) to enable full
functionality of future complex media library software for advanced
interactive environments. The five-stage pipelined processor also includes
a 4-deep write buffer to speed media processing. Large on-chip caches (16
kilobytes instruction and 8 kilobytes data) provide higher performance for
interactive applications by reducing the need for frequent memory access.
The R4300i boasts performance of 60 SPECint92 and 45 SPECfp92 and 125
Dhrystone MIPS, but its true measure of performance is its superior ability
to run media applications with true interactivity.

Cost Reduced, High Performance
To keep the cost low, the MIPS R4300i uses state-of-the-art architectural
techniques combined with 0.35 micron process technology to keep to a small
45 mm2 die size. A unique unified architecture, which overlaps integer and
floating point blocks into a single unit, further reduces cost and size. A
high-throughput 32-bit external bus greatly reduces the number of necessary
pins, and low power consumption enables the use of inexpensive plastic
packaging. The MIPS R4300i is packaged in a 120-pin PQFP. The lower pin
count also reduces the cost and complexity of systems in which it will be
used.

Built-in Power Management
The MIPS R4300i features two power-saving modes. In the first, the
processor enters into a standby mode where its clock speed and power
consumption fall to one-quarter the full power mode (0.45 watts). During
longer periods of inactivity, the processor provides a sleep mode where it
can "power down" to zero clock speed and power consumption. When
reactivated, the processor's "instant on" capability brings it to its
previous executing state quickly. The R4300i dissipates just 1.8 watts
typically at 100 MHz and operates on 3.3 volts.

Pricing and Availability
NEC Electronics Inc., a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, will offer the
VR4300 as part of its VR Series product line to North American customers.
The product will also be offered by NEC in Europe, Japan and the Far East
Samples are expected to be available in May 1995 and priced at
approximately $50 each. Quantities of 100,000 are expected to be priced at
approximately $35 each. Mass production is slated for calendar Q3 1995.

NEC's VR Series
NEC licenses MIPS RISC technology from MIPS Technologies. Using this
technology, NEC manufacturers the VR Series line of high-performance
microprocessors.

The VR4000, VR4100, VR4200, VR4300, VR4400 today comprise NEC's 64-bit
RISC offering. The company will also offer the VR10000, the world's
fastest microprocessor announced to date, for use in high-end personal
computers, workstations and multiprocessor systems.

About NEC
NEC Corporation (NIPNY) and its affiliates worldwide are a $35 billion
global leader whose 148,000 employees are dedicated to the development,
manufacture and marketing of leading-edge computer, communications and
semiconductor products and services.

NEC Electronics, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is an
affiliate of NEC Corporation. The company manufactures and markets an
extensive line of electronic products including ASICs, microprocessors and
microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), memories and
components. The company operates a 676,000 square-foot manufacturing
facility in Roseville, Calif.

About MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. designs and supplies the world's most advanced RISC
microprocessor technology. The company tests, certifies and licenses its
processor technology to its semiconductor partners, which provide
processors for the computer system, consumer and embedded control markets
MIPS microprocessors power systems from a number of computer industry
leaders. MIPS RISC architecture components are
available from Integrated Device Technology, Inc., LSI Logic Corporation,
NEC Corporation, NKK Corporation, Siemens AG, Toshiba Corporation and
Philips. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon
Graphics, Inc. and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.