Tokyo, Japan — March 14, 2001 — Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) and Parthus Technologies plc (Nasdaq: PRTH, LSE: PRH), today announced that they will cooperate on the development of System-on-chip products using Parthus' BlueStream Bluetooth platform. The formal launch of the agreement between the two companies was witnessed in Tokyo by Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister, Mary Harney, in the presence of Hitachi's System LSI Business Division Deputy General Manager, Kazuo Minorikawa, and Parthus' Chief Executive Officer, Brian Long.

As part of the cooperation agreement, Hitachi has licensed the Parthus BlueStream baseband and protocol stack, which will be combined with its own BiCMOS radio design using a Parthus BlueStream radio interface. This solution ensures an accelerated time-to-market for Hitachi's Bluetooth product range, while ensuring maximum compatibility with its SuperH microprocessor technology.

Bluetooth is rapidly becoming the de facto standard for wireless communication between a range of electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and handheld devices. By eliminating the need for cables between inter-connecting devices, individuals can share voice and data using fast and secure local wireless connections. By 2005, Cahners In-Stat forecasts that Bluetooth technology will be used in almost 1.4 billion devices, ranging from mobile phones and desktop computers to digital cameras and automobiles.

“Bluetooth is driving the future of seamless wireless connectivity, and Parthus' BlueStream offers us an industry-leading technology platform on which to base our offerings,” said Kazuo Minorikawa, Deputy General Manager, System LSI Business Division, Semiconductor & Integrated Circuits of Hitachi. “The flexibility of the Parthus platform allows us to combine our BiCMOS radio design with the Parthus baseband and protocol stacks on the Hitachi SuperH architecture to deliver a truly world-class Bluetooth solution.

“Hitachi's microprocessor and radio technology is helping smooth the convergence of the Internet and wireless devices,” said Brian Long, Chief Executive Officer of Parthus Technologies. “While we can connect people across continents, connecting devices in the same office or house has proven extremely difficult without cumbersome wires. By combining our respective Bluetooth technologies we are in a position to provide wireless convenience in any location.”


Notes:
About BlueStream
The Parthus BlueStream Platform delivers the complete Bluetooth Platform comprising:

•	Radio ICs (SiGe, CMOS and mult-mode RF)
•	RF-to-DSP Interface IP
•	Lower Link Controller IP
•	Software Protocol Stack
•	Optional Audio Codec

* Hitachi licenses Lower Link Controller IP and Software Protocol Stack.

Baseband Controller IP
The BlueStream 1000 baseband controller IP solution provides the radio and lower link controller for the Bluetooth specification. The Parthus Platform leads the industry in form factor, MIPS requirements and software ROM size. The Parthus BB is targeted at 0.18 micron meter CMOS. The proposed Parthus partitioning is a digital 1Mbps interface with low-voltage signaling.

Protocol Software Architecture & Deliverables
The Parthus protocol stack software has been written in ANSI C using object oriented techniques, and has been architected to be modular and easily extended. The software can support both L2CAP variants, with L2CAP either residing on a host above the HCI or below the HCI in a deeply embedded ASIC implementation. The stack extends all the way to the RFCOMM and SDP layer and comes with a fully documented API for applications developers. Again, with a baseband protocol stack requiring less than 40kbyte, the solution is optimized for integration.

SuperH is a trademark of Hitachi, Ltd.
Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and licensed to Hitachi Ltd. and Parthus Technologies.

About Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1999 (ended March 31, 2000) consolidated sales of 8,001 billion yen ($75.5 billion*). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's web site at http://global.hitachi.com/ Hitachi's semiconductor business web site/home page address: http://global.hitachi.com/Sicd/index.htm
*At an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar.

About Parthus Technologies plc
Parthus Technologies plc is one of the world's leading providers of complete platform level
Intellectual property (IP) solutions targeting the mobile Internet market. Incorporating radio, baseband and software design solutions, Parthus' unrivalled range of mobile Internet platforms are used by the world's largest microprocessor companies and electronics manufacturers in MP3, GPS, GPRS, GSM, 3G and Bluetooth applications. Parthus broad range of platforms power a diverse range of mobile Internet devices, such as cellular handsets, Smartphones, automobiles, personal audio players and PDAs. The company has leveraged seven years' of IP development experience to deploy platforms that lead the industry in terms of ultra-high processing power and low power consumption, and deliver significant cost and time-to-market advantages to its customers. Parthus is headquartered in Dublin with offices in seven countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: PRH) and NASDAQ (Nasdaq: PRTH). More information on Parthus is available at http://www.parthus.com.


Safe Harbor Statement:
This document may contain “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any “forward looking statements” in this document are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including, without limitation, statements to the effect that the company or its management “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans” and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include uncertainties relating to the acceptance of semiconductor intellectual property offerings, expansion of our business, quarterly variations in results, and other uncertainties that are discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our prospectus dated November 8, 2000, which is on file with the SEC and the Registrar of Companies in the Republic of Ireland.