Microchip Technology and Labcenter Electronics Ltd Announce New MPLAB® IDE Plug-in

Schematic-based PIC® Microcontroller system simulation for MPLAB IDE

January 8th 2007 — Microchip Technology Inc. [NASDAQ: MCHP], a leading provider of
microcontroller and analog semiconductors, and Labcenter Electronics Ltd, a world leader in
embedded simulation tools, have collaborated to integrate a version of Labcenter’s Proteus
VSM package into the free MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The VSM
plug-in enables users of the MPLAB IDE to debug their firmware on a system-level simulation
of their product, in the same way that they would work with a physical prototype using a
traditional in-circuit debugging tool. The VSM simulation models not only the PIC®
microcontroller itself, but also any analogue or digital electronics that are connected to it.
Jim Pepping, manager of third party support in Microchip’s Development Systems group
commented, “This is a great addition to our MPLAB IDE. Allowing engineers to simulate
complete systems while developing their PIC microcontroller code saves both time and
money, and reduces the time to market. It’s like having a demo board right on your PC.”
Labcenter is providing a free demonstration version of the VSM plug-in, which is included on
the MPLAB v 7.50 CD as well as being available for download at www.microchip.com/mplab.
The demonstration version allows users to simulate both Microchip application notes and/or
their own code on a fixed set of schematics. This type of board includes virtual versions of
Microchip’s evaluation boards, such as the PICDEM™ 2 Plus and the Explorer 16
Development Board. Users wishing to simulate their own hardware designs will need to
purchase a full version of the Proteus VSM package.

“The ability to drive Proteus VSM from within the MPLAB IDE makes it much easier for PIC
microcontroller developers to benefit from the many advantages of virtual prototyping. It’s so
much easier to find the bugs in your code when you can freeze the system entirely and peer
inside every component,” stated John Jameson, the chairman and chief software architect of
Labcenter Electronics Ltd.

About Labcenter Electronics Ltd.
Labcenter Electronics Ltd. are the authors of the world’s first schematic-based microcontroller
simulation technology, Proteus VSM. Together with a high-performance, integrated PCB
design package, the Proteus Design Suite provides a complete solution for the embedded
engineer.

http://www.labcenter.com

About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller and
analog semiconductors, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and
faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide.
Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along
with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at
www.microchip.com.