New Reference Designs Combine Core Strengths of Data Security and Capacity

     Optimization with High-Performance, Low-Power and Easy Integration



    LOS GATOS, Calif. and SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 28 /EMWNews/

-- Hifn(TM) (Nasdaq: HIFN), the catalyst behind storage and networking

innovation, and Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (Nasdaq: AMCC), a global

leader in embedded Power Architecture(R) processing, optical transport, and

storage solutions, today announced a working alliance to provide a series

of reference designs for networking and storage solutions. The new

reference designs combine the core strengths of the AMCC Power

Architecture(R) processors, which deliver a performance optimized PowerPC

core with a high- bandwidth memory and I/O subsystem and Hifn's

heavy-lifting capabilities for capacity optimization and data security

through the company's Applied Services Processors (ASPs) and card-level

products. Customers will be able to take the joint AMCC and Hifn reference

designs and deliver wireless base stations, access points, network attached

storage (NAS), virtual tape libraries, disk- to-disk backup, and other

networking and storage solutions.



    



    The partnership brings together two industry leaders with complementary

technologies that offer potential customers competitive advantages in

performance, integration, time-to-market, energy efficiency and

scalability. AMCC's highly integrated Power Architecture(R) processors,

which are used in a range of consumer, enterprise, networking and storage

products, complement Hifn's ASPs and card-level products, which are

employed by the leading network and storage vendors to differentiate their

products and speed time to market.



    "Working with Hifn presents an excellent opportunity for us to deliver

designs that provide our customers with superior power-saving, performance,

and integration benefits," said Russell Johnson, Senior Vice President and

General Manager of the Storage Business Unit for AMCC. "This also provides

AMCC an opportunity to further expand our footprint in the embedded

networking and data storage markets. As the volume of rich digital content

continues to grow, businesses and consumers need new technologies for

storing, sharing and protecting their data. With this joint effort, we are

enabling entirely new categories of storage systems designed to help

consumers and businesses manage and secure their valuable content."



    "The combination of Hifn and AMCC technology provides networking and

storage system vendors with platforms that incorporate proven,

market-leading products that can radically improve their system cost,

functionality and time to market," said Albert E. Sisto, Chairman and Chief

Executive Officer at Hifn. "There are tremendous growth opportunities in

developing open system storage solutions with other technology leaders that

have a complementary fit with our company. The combination of Hifn and AMCC

is one such complementary fit in terms of technology, markets and

customers."



    Hifn and AMCC plan to create the reference designs as part of a

comprehensive development platform that will enable storage OEMs and ODMs

to rapidly bring their products to market. One of the first designs

expected to result from the new partnership is a storage platform that

combines the power efficiency and high-performance of AMCC's PowerPC 460SX

storage processor with Hifn's Express DR cards for capacity optimization,

creating a powerful design for a broad range of open storage applications,

including disk-to-disk backup, virtual tape libraries, data de-duplication

and continuous data protection.

    About AMCC



    AMCC provides leadership semiconductor solutions to process, transport,

and store digital information for the world's wired and wireless networks.

As a leading supplier of Power Architecture(R)-based processors, and with

world-class expertise in SONET and Ethernet protocol processing and PHY

technology and Storage processors and RAID controllers, our products are

the foundation of the IP Communications Revolution. AMCC's 3ware(R) SAS and

SATA RAID controllers deliver cost-effective, high-performance,

high-capacity storage for enterprises and consumers worldwide in

applications like disk-to-disk backup, near-line storage, network-attached

storage (NAS), video, and high-performance computing. For further

information regarding AMCC, please visit our website at

http://www.amcc.com.



    About Hifn



    Hifn (NASDAQ: HIFN) delivers the key channel and OEM ingredients for

21st century storage and networking environments. Leveraging over a decade

of leadership and expertise in the development of purpose-built Applied

Service Processors (ASPs), we are a trusted partner to industry leaders for

whom infrastructure innovation in storage and networking is critical to

success. With the majority of secure networked communications flowing

through Hifn technology, the 21st century convergence of storage and

networking drives our product roadmap forward. For more information, please

visit: http://www.hifn.com.



    "Safe Harbor" Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation

Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements

within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Specifically, statements regarding the Company's future financial

performance including, without limitation, statements related to The

combination of Hifn and AMCC technology provides storage system vendors

with platforms that incorporate proven, market-leading products that can

radically improve their system cost, functionality and time to market,

there are tremendous growth opportunities in developing open system storage

solutions with other technology leaders that have a complementary fit with

our company, and providing a comprehensive development platform that will

enable storage OEMs and ODMs to rapidly bring their products to market are

all forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor that

may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking

statements contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to

differ materially from those described herein include, but are not limited

to: dependency on a small number of customers; customer demand and customer

ordering patterns; and orders from Hifn's customers may be below the

company's current expectations. These and other risks are detailed from

time to time in Hifn's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Hifn expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise its

forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future

events or otherwise.



    AMCC and 3ware are registered trademarks of APPLIED MICRO CIRCUITS

CORPORATION. PowerPC is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation and used

under license there from. All other trademarks are property of their

respective owners.