TASKING Focuses on Embedded Communications, Delivering Internet and Communications Solutions

Company Anticipates Customer Needs and Prepares for Double-Digit Growth

Dedham, Mass. - May 16, 2000 — TASKING, long known as a world-class tools developer, today detailed its new mission to address the needs of the embedded communications market. With the explosive growth of Internet and communications-related applications, more companies are faced with the challenge of providing data and voice transmission as well as network connectivity. TASKING recognizes this need and is leveraging its DSP expertise as well as its intimate knowledge of embedded microcontrollers and microprocessors to satisfy industry demand for embedded communications and Internet connectivity. In addition to investing significant research and development resources in developing both its core tools business and new embedded communications software, TASKING plans to integrate real-time operating system and embedded Internet capabilities with its tools portfolio. In return, TASKING is confident that it will enjoy the double-digit growth that the embedded communications sector is expected to achieve over the next few years.

"TASKING has identified embedded communications as a new space for embedded processors to achieve Internet connectivity for both voice and data transmission," states respected DSP industry analyst Will Strauss of Forward Concepts. "By defining and addressing this space, TASKING is well-positioned to provide enabling technology products and services to help companies harness the power of DSPs and embedded processors."

"Over our long history of providing superior tool products to 100,000 licensed users, customers such as Alcatel, Cisco, Ericsson, Motorola Cellular, Nokia, Nortel Networks and Tektronix have come to expect TASKING to deliver products that meet their needs," testifies TASKING's President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Taitel. "As the lines between communications, consumer electronics and embedded computing come together, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the embedded computing market, we are positioning TASKING at the convergence point. Only there will we continue to satisfy our customers' needs going forward. With all of our traditional telecom, datacom, automotive and industrial control customers, issues related to data transfer and network connectivity are becoming essential to their needs."

As TASKING moves forward in enabling the development of communications and Internet products with embedded software, technology and services, it brings a broad range of products to the table. TASKING DSP tools represent the high-end of TASKING's offerings and are in use at over 2000 customer sites worldwide. Critical to TASKING's embedded communications strategy is its commitment to extend its expertise in programmable DSP tools, particularly with Motorola's DSP56xxx and Infineon's CARMEL products, which are both firmly entrenched in many high-end embedded communications applications. By furthering the reach of its high-end products, TASKING aligns itself with the highest growth area in embedded communications. Based on the findings of Forward Concepts, the DSP industry holds the greatest potential: "DSP continues to outpace the overall semiconductor industry," says Analyst Strauss. "As a result, Forward Concepts has revised its Year 2000 growth forecast upward to 40%."

In the 16- and 32-bit arena, TASKING delivers the most price-competitive solutions on the market for the development of PowerPC applications. Also, TASKING's smart card development tools are already making significant inroads into the next generation of identification and communication technologies. In the 8- and 16-bit sectors, TASKING supports the high-growth embedded Internet appliance market by integrating its products with emWare's Embedded Micro Internetworking Technology (EMIT), which is fast becoming the industry connectivity standard for 8- and 16-bit devices. Recognizing the potential of such a resource, TASKING became a founding member of the Extend the Internet (ETI) Alliance and remains the only worldwide Master Distributor of emWare's EMIT.

Through its Embedded Applications Services group, TASKING delivers embedded development expertise in communications implementations of protocols (TCP/IP to WAP), languages (Assembly to Java), and operating systems (Linux to RTOS). TASKING's services group assists embedded communications developers with all aspects of embedded software design and implementation from specification through system testing.

To support the embedded communications market, TASKING is making significant R&D investments in both its core tools business and newer embedded communications software. By redesigning the architecture of the company's compiler technology, TASKING plans to include advanced optimizations, DSP and embedded controller extensions as well as IP-core, SOC and configurable-core support. With major debugger enhancements, TASKING will enable embedded communications developers to debug multiple cores simultaneously, as well as take advantage of improved program performance analysis and remote debug server capabilities.

"With this all-out effort to deliver premier embedded communications technology, TASKING raises the standard for what a software company can provide," says Taitel. "The intense competition to achieve dominant market share in embedded communications race drives companies to seek out software partners that deliver high-quality off-the-shelf software development tools tightly integrated with real-time operating systems, communications protocols, embedded Internet software, application services and worldwide support for deployment, integration and testing of software components. By defining the embedded communications space and identifying the software and services required by communications and network developers, TASKING plays a pivotal role in helping companies win this all important market share race."

Going Forward Plans
To strengthen its real-time operating system capabilities, TASKING plans to leverage its open-standards Kernel Debug Interface (KDI) and to work with other RTOS companies to develop tightly integrated development tools for DSP and communications applications. New operating systems and embedded Internet offerings will be added to TASKING's growing product portfolio as it advances further into the embedded communications space.

To learn more about embedded communications, visit the www.embeddedcommunications.com and www.tasking.com sites.

About TASKING
TASKING, the Embedded Communications Company, brings together the software technology needed to compete in the embedded communications era. TASKING's award-winning integrated development environment, compiler, debugger, embedded Internet and RTOS offerings support a wide range of DSPs and 8-, 16- and 32-bit microprocessors and microcontrollers for all areas of embedded communications. TASKING, founded in 1974, is a privately held company with headquarters in Dedham, Massachusetts, and engineering, sales and support offices in San Jose, California, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK. TASKING's 100,000 licensed users include the world's leading telecom, datacom, wireless and peripheral manufacturers. More information about TASKING can be found at www.tasking.com and www.embeddedcommunications.com.

TASKING, the TASKING logo and The Embedded Communications Company are trademarks of TASKING. All other trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.