USPTO Awards ARC International Key Patent On

ARC International Plc
                  

    Patent Rights Granted Based on the Company's Pioneering Work in The Field of
                 SoC Configurability and Extendibility

ARC International (LSE:ARK), the world leader in low-power, high performance
32-bit configurable CPU/DSP processor cores and application subsystems, today
announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded
the company a fundamental patent relating to configurable processor technology.
U.S. Patent Number 6,862,563, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Managing the
Configuration and Functionality of a Semiconductor Design," details processes
and systems used to generate a description language model of a processor core
using libraries containing prototype and extension logic descriptions, as well
as user inputs relating to the desired core configuration and extension
features.

One practical implementation of this technology is ARC International's
proprietary ARChitect(TM) processor configurator. Used by all of ARC's processor
licensees, ARChitect is a Java-based design tool that greatly simplifies the
core design process, and enables SoC designers to create chips that precisely
meet application requirements of high-volume markets. Using the ARChitect
configurator, SoC designers can easily lower the gate count and power
consumption of processors by automatically configuring, customizing, extending
and testing them in a software environment that resides on the user's desktop.

"This USPTO action underscores ARC's position as the industry leader in
configurable technology," said Carl Schlachte, ARC's president and CEO.
"Configurability is bringing about a revolution in SoC design. The patent award
strengthens ARC's efforts to broadly market the benefits of configurable
technology to the semiconductor industry. Already millions of ARC-Based chips
are shipping to market in high-volume applications. As the acknowledged pioneer
of configurable SoC technology, ARC can now bring the benefits of
configurability to more markets and applications."

About the ARChitect(TM) Processor Configurator

The ARChitect configurator provides a comprehensive set of tools and resources
to easily customize an ARC core and integrate peripherals and other IP using a
drag-and-drop GUI. The ARChitect configurator also provides guidelines for final
silicon area and memory requirements. Included is the ability to configure
features around the core such as type and size of caches, interrupts, DSP
subsystem, timers and debug components, as well as features within the core such
as type and size of core registers, address widths and instruction set options.
Performance and die size tradeoffs are quickly accomplished, resulting in an
optimized solution. Invariably the ARC core will be smaller and lower power than
non-ARC cores with fixed configurations.

About ARC International plc

ARC International is the world leader in low-power, high-performance 32-bit
configurable CPU/DSP processor cores, subsystems, real-time operating systems
and development tools for embedded system design. ARC's configurable and
extendible cores assist customers in the development of next generation digital
media, consumer and communications devices, resulting in lower cost, higher
performance SoC products.

ARC International maintains a worldwide presence with corporate offices in San
Jose, California, USA and Elstree, UK. The company has research and development
offices located in England and the United States. For more information please
visit the ARC website at: www.ARC.com. ARC International is listed on the London
Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE:ARK).

ARC, the ARC logo and ARC-Based are trademarks or registered trademarks of ARC
International. All other brands or product names contained herein are the
property of their respective owners. This press release may contain certain
"forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For factors
that could cause actual results to differ, visit the company's website as well
as the listing particulars filed with the United Kingdom Listing Authority and
the Registrar of Companies in England and Wales.

    CONTACT: ARC International
             Lee Garvin Flanagin, 408-437-3433            
             [e-mail]