TASKING Brings Internet Connectivity to Hitachi's H8/3664 Derivative

TASKING's Embedded Applications Service Group Creating Product Opportunities

Tokyo, November 15, 2000 — TASKING today announced that Hitachi, Ltd., one of the world's leading electronics companies and chip manufacturers, has selected TASKING, The Embedded Communications Company, to port embedded Internet capability to a derivative of Hitachi's H8 family, the H8/3664. As members of the Extend The Internet Alliance, both Hitachi and TASKING are committed to creating and delivering complete device networking services and products. This port represents a significant milestone for TASKING, earmarking the H8/3664 as the first Hitachi chip to receive Internet connectivity through TASKING's assistance.

Hitachi offers the H8/3664 as a 16-bit upward migration path for the H8 microcontroller. With increased demand for Internet connectivity, more and more companies are requiring greater functionality for their more complex applications. By porting the EMIT technology into the H8/3664, Hitachi reinforces EMIT's position as the de facto Internet device networking standard, and confirms TASKING's growing role as a provider of embedded Internet services development. In its role as worldwide Master Distributor for emWare, TASKING has already pioneered the implementation of the EMIT software into several 8- and 16-bit embedded applications in Europe and Asia.

"We are pleased that Hitachi has chosen TASKING to provide Internet connectivity for the H8/3664 derivative," states Ren Mooijman, Managing Director of TASKING's Embedded Applications Services Group. "As more and more companies seek Internet connectivity, TASKING's Embedded Applications Services Group is tailoring its products and services to meet those needs. With emWare's EMIT technology, we have been able to penetrate the large microcontroller sector of the market that-because of its limited memory and footprint-has been unable to connect until now."

"We trust that this will be the beginning of a long-term relationship with Hitachi, a key innovator in the Asian market," concurs Toshihiro Tada, TASKING's Director of Sales and Marketing for Japan and Pacific Rim regions. "The superior capabilities of our Embedded Applications Services Group has yet again opened doors for TASKING and expanded our embedded communications portfolio into another processor line."

With the EMIT technology onboard, the Hitachi H8/3664 will bring Internet connectivity to its target applications, which include home electronics, communications, and mechanical, small motor and automotive control. Through an on-chip debug interface, developers gain flexible, low-cost debugging capabilities as well as the ability to program on-chip flash memory-natural strengths for a chip bringing Internet connectivity to embedded applications. TASKING will tailor its EMIT port to the H8/3664 to take advantage of the on-chip flash memory and debugger, extending the developer's functionality and improving time to market.

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.

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