Atmel Signs License Agreement with Exegin

SAN JOSE, CA, -- Atmel Corp. (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch technology solutions, today announced the company has signed an agreement with Exegin Technologies Ltd., a leading supplier of ZigBee network stacks, to jointly offer integrated wireless communications solutions for smart grid applications.

In this agreement, Exegin will license its ZigBee networking stacks to Atmel for use in a variety of solutions for smart grid applications in wireless mesh networks. The joint collaboration will enable smart metering customers to enjoy a full range of integrated smart metering solutions in the 2.4 GHz and sub-GHz bands.

"With millions of Exegin stacks and Atmel transceivers already deployed in the smart grid network, and with an increasing demand towards integrated ARM processor-based solutions, we believe our customers will greatly benefit from our joint efforts," said Kourosh Boutorabi, Sr. Director of Smart Energy Products, Atmel Corporation. "The combined solutions will result in a comprehensive feature set along with industry-leading performance and superior reliability."

"We are excited to be a strategic collaborator with Atmel," said Leslie Mulder, President, Exegin Technologies Limited. "One of our joint reference designs, featuring an Atmel SAM9 microprocessor, AT86RF212 and AT86RF233 transceivers, with a ZigBee SE1.x-compliant solution and SE2.0 development solution, is extremely successful among our customers. We plan to add additional joint reference designs including an Atmel SAM4-based ZigBee SE 2.0 solution, which will be available in Q1 2013. We look forward to continuing a strong collaboration with Atmel, as we feel we're just getting started."

About Atmel Solutions
Atmel offers ZigBee PRO and ZigBee IP solutions with Smart Energy Profiles based on an extensive selection of IEEE 802.15.4 compliant RF transceivers, 8-bit Atmel AVR and 32-bit ARM processor-based microcontrollers. To ease development and time to market, Atmel offers a variety of reference designs, wireless modules, and development kits. Together, Atmel solutions and tools provide everything customers need to meet the unique needs of low-cost, low-power, wireless control and sensor network applications.

About Exegin Technologies
Exegin Technologies Ltd. is a leading supplier of ZigBee PRO and IP network stacks, SE 1 and 2 application profile components, development tools, and ZigBee-to-TCP/IP interworking equipment. Exegin's field proven protocol components allow the rapid development of innovative mesh networking solutions.

About Atmel
Atmel Corp. (Nasdaq: ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on industrial, consumer, communications, computing and automotive markets.