ROUSSET, France, June 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Extends Atmel's Market-leading AT91SAM Microcontrollers to 
Next-generation ARM Technology

Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today that it has licensed
the ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M3 32-bit RISC processor for the next generation of its
market-leading AT91SAM ARM technology-based microcontrollers. This reinforces
Atmel's commitment to the ARM architecture, complementing its existing
licenses for the ARM7TDMI(R), ARM926EJ-S(TM) and ARM1176JZ-S(TM) processors.

Atmel's planned AT91SAM3 Flash MCU family will combine the ARM Cortex-M3
processor with the outstanding system implementation features that have
placed the AT91SAM series at the forefront of its market. These include
the multi-layer internal buses, an enhancement to the DMA for system
peripherals and distributed peripheral data controllers (PDCs) that give the
AT91SAM family its high internal data bandwidth, and enable intensive data
processing and high-speed data transfers to take place concurrently, when
compared to other implementations of the Cortex architecture. Atmel's
high-density on-chip Flash memory reduces the application chip count,
shortens boot and program load times and improves system security. The
multiple operating modes of the AT91SAM3 enable it to achieve excellent power
consumption under all conditions of use.

The AT91SAM3 family has Atmel's distinctive uniform peripheral register
structure that simplifies application programming, and enables software
modules to be easily transferred from one family member to another. This
uniformity of peripheral programming extends to development tools from
Atmel's established ecosystem of industry-leading third-party suppliers. It
is a major aid to application development.

Alfredo Vadillo, Atmel's Managing Director for ARM Microcontrollers,
commented, "The ARM Cortex-M3 processor gives our customers the option of
taking advantage of the latest developments in ARM's 32-bit RISC technology
in terms of performance and power consumption, together with all the benefits
of the AT91SAM family architecture and IP, as well as the ARM ecosystem. The
addition of the ARM Cortex-M3 processor strengthens Atmel's leadership in the
fast growing embedded 32-bit microcontroller market. It complements our
current market-leading product offering of AT91SAM and AVR32
microcontrollers."

"Atmel's decision to add the Cortex-M3 processor to its existing licenses
for the ARM7TDMI, the ARM926EJ-S and the ARM1176JZ-S processors indicates its
on-going commitment to the ARM architecture," said Eric Schorn, VP Marketing,
Processor Division, ARM. "Atmel joins the growing ranks of ARM Cortex-M3
processor implementers, and reinforces our architecture as the reference for
32-bit microcontrollers."

Atmel is today one of the industry's leading suppliers of
microcontrollers with a wide range of products. The ARM Cortex-M3 processor
will be used to expand today's product range of 8051, AVR(R), AVR32, and
ARM7(TM) and ARM9(TM) family-based microcontrollers into new markets.

Availability

Atmel's AT91SAM3 Flash microcontroller family based on the ARM Cortex-M3
processor will be available in 4Q 2008.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, 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 consumer,
industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2008 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo and
combinations thereof, AVR(R) and others, are registered trademarks or
trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. ARM and ARM7TDMI are
registered trademarks of ARM Limited. Cortex, ARM926EJ-S, ARM1176JZF-S, ARM7
and ARM9 are trademarks of ARM Limited. "ARM" is used to represent ARM
Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional
subsidiaries: ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM
France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design
Automation Inc.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and
ARM Norway, AS. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information:

Atmel's AT91SAM product information may be retrieved at:
http://www.atmel.com/products/AT91/

Atmel Press Contacts:
    Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset
    Tel: +33-0-4-42-53-61-50, Email: peter.bishop@atmel.com
    Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
    Tel: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com



Web site: http://www.atmel.com