NEC Announces Second-Generation USB 2.0 Bridge Controller LSI Chip New USB 2.0 IDE Bridge Controller is Fully USB 2.0 Compliant and Bus-Powered Device Certified

TOKYO and SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 16, 2002 - NEC Corp. (NASDAQ: NIPNY) and its wholly owned subsidiary in the United States, NEC Electronics Inc., today announced the availability of samples for the companies' second-generation Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 bridge controller (µPD720130). The bridge controller is fully compliant with the USB 2.0 standard, which supports data rates of up to 480 megabits per second (Mbps), and is designed to deliver very low power consumption for portable devices. Additionally, the bridge controller has also received Bus-Powered Device Certification from the Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum (USB-IF), a key organization promoting the widespread acceptance of USB throughout the industry. With this certification, customers can easily develop portable storage devices that operate without an external power adapter. NEC will be demonstrating the µPD720130 bridge controller at WinHEC 2002 (April 16-17), booth #615 in Seattle.

"The USB market is growing by leaps and bounds, and NEC is committed to supporting customers with products that meet their needs in terms of high performance and low power consumption," said Hiroshi Yakabe, senior marketing manager, broadband LSI technology business unit, NEC Electronics Inc. "With our second-generation USB 2.0 bridge controller and support for bus-powered devices, we can provide a new level of functionality to OEMs who require a power supply via the USB bus for applications such as portable storage devices."

NEC's USB 2.0 bridge controller is fully USB 2.0-compliant and supports data throughputs of either 12 Mbps or 480 Mbps, depending on system requirements. The µPD720130 chip supports ATA/ATAPI-6. NEC's USB 2.0 bridge controller is firmware upgradeable, allowing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) the flexibility to expand system functions in the field.

Furthermore, in the United States, NEC Electronics is also offering a developer design kit (DDK) to assist customers in designing products featuring the certified NEC USB 2.0 bridge controller. The kit includes an evaluation board, reference design schematics and documentation. The NEC evaluation kit offers customers easy integrated drive electronics (IDE) application design at a reduced system cost.

Pricing and Availability
Samples of the NEC USB 2.0 bridge controller LSI chip (µPD720130) are available from NEC Electronics in the United Sates from NEC Electron Devices in Japan. Volume production is scheduled to begin in June 2002. The µPD720130 design kit is available now from NEC Electronics.

About NEC USB 2.0 Products
NEC introduced the industry's first USB 2.0 host controller, hub controller and physical layer (PHY) devices. As a result of NEC's position as a leading innovator of semiconductor solutions for the USB 2.0 standard, many third-party vendors have produced USB 2.0 drivers and reference designs based on NEC's devices. NEC plans to deliver additional products based on USB 2.0, a standard that promotes an operating speed of 480 Mbps, a forty-fold increase in bandwidth compared to the USB 1.1 standard. NEC is a core member of the USB Implementers Forum.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of approximately $43 billion in fiscal year 2000-2001. For further information, visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com.

About NEC Electronics Inc.
NEC Electronics Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is one of the leading developers, manufacturers and suppliers of semiconductor products in the United States. Committed to meeting customers' cost, performance and time-to-market requirements, the company offers solutions ranging from standard products to system-on-a-chip (SOC) solutions, as well as customized products for next-generation designs. NEC Electronics also offers customers the benefits of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Roseville, CA, and the global manufacturing capabilities of its parent company, NEC Corporation (NASDAQ:NIPNY). For more information about products offered by NEC Electronics Inc., visit the NEC Electronics website at http://www.necel.com.

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PRESS CONTACTS:

United States Bob Nelson Porter Novelli (408) 369-1500 x24 bob.nelson@porternovelli.com

Denise Viereck Garibaldi NEC Electronics Inc. (408) 588-6620 denise_garibaldi@el.nec.com

Japan Daniel Mathieson NEC Corporation +81-3-3798-6511 d-mathieson@bu.jp.nec.com