Paris, France – December 8, 2011 – Crocus Technology, a leading developer of magnetically enhanced semiconductors, and Starchip, a semiconductor product provider focused on designing and qualifying secure products for mass production , today announced they have formed an alliance to develop next generation System-on-Chip (SOC) solutions based on Crocus’ Magnetic-Logic-Unit (MLU) technology.

Under this collaboration, Crocus and Starchip will work together to embed MLU memory and logic functionality into next generation secure processor-based architectures. Crocus’ MLU, first announced in June 2011, is based on a revolutionary self-referencing magnetics architecture. MLU is a scalable evolution of Crocus' Thermally Assisted SwitchingTM (TAS) technology, and enables practical implementation of advanced magnetic logic and memory capabilities, a first for the industry.

”This partnership with Starchip is an ideal solution for serving our customers seeking to integrate MLU technology into their advanced chip designs,” said Dr. Bertrand F. Cambou, executive chairman of Crocus Technology. “We are confident that the Starchip team’s well-established track record of successful implementation will enhance our ability to help our customers get to high-volume production quickly.”

“We are delighted by Crocus’ decision to partner with us, because we believe that MLU will bring great value to our customers. Starchip’s strong know-how in embedded hardware security, combined with the new security features offered by Crocus’ MLU technology, will allow us to bring a very innovative, advanced and robust solution to the security market,” said Lucien Brau, Starchip president and CEO. “Starchip looks forward to extending Crocus’ embedded design reach to a large number of customers.”

About Crocus
Crocus is a leading developer of magnetic semiconductor technology for dense, non-volatile, high-speed, scalable chip solutions used in general and special purpose applications. The company's Magnetic Logic UnitTM (MLU) architecture, featuring a revolutionary self-reference technique, is a scalable evolution of Crocus' patented Thermally Assisted SwitchingTM (TAS) technology. MLU enables practical implementation of advanced magnetic logic and memory capabilities. Crocus' first generation magnetic technology was originally conceived at the Grenoble, France-based Spintec, a world leading magnetic research laboratory affiliated with two leading French labs, CEA and CNRS. It was further developed for production at SVTC in California and is in its final phase of implementation at Tower Jazz semiconductor. In October 2011, Crocus announced a joint development agreement with IBM to further advance the technology, focusing on advanced development of the MLU architecture. Crocus' technology is covered by a comprehensive patent portfolio. In May 2011, Crocus and RUSNANO formed a joint venture, Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE), to build and operate an advanced manufacturing facility for magnetic semiconductors. Find Crocus at: www.crocus-technology.com

About StarChip® (www.starchip-ic.com)
StarChip® is a dynamic semiconductor company that enables customers to directly benefit from its unique, optimized value chain system. We design and qualify products for mass production, then license our solutions for purchase directly by our customers through qualified foundries and test houses.

Crocus Contact:
Kerry Elliott
Tel: +1 (408) 893-8554
Email: crocuspr[at]crocus-technology[dot]com
www.crocus-technology.com

StarChip® Contact:
Hanène Maupas
Tel: +33 1 34 52 20 75
Mob: +33 6 78 11 47 80
Email: hanene.maupas[at]starchip-ic[dot]com

www.starchip-ic.com
Distributed on behalf of STARCHIP by NeonDrum news distribution service (http://www.neondrum.com)