Tao, in conjunction with Fujitsu, is opening a support centre for corporate users of the intent platform in Japan. Could this help pave way for Ami in the Japanese market? Press release is below.

September 19, 2000 - Berkshire-based Tao Group Limited and Fujitsu Aichi Engineering Limited (Fujitsu AEL) have agreed to open an intent Official Support Centre in Japan, to provide technical support services for Japanese corporate users of Tao's intent, an extremely high performance multimedia Java(TM) execution environment.

The Java(TM) language is becoming increasingly popular in the Japanese consumer market, particularly in PDAs, set-top boxes and mobile Internet devices, and Tao's intent is making inroads due to its minimal memory footprint. intent is also proving successful because of its system-level binary portability across software and hardware platforms - a fundamental factor in the embedded market where there are so many different CPUs and operating systems.

Due to its own high-performance virtual machine, intent can provide a unified software base to its users. As the intent user base expands, Tao anticipates a need for a comprehensive support centre for Japanese corporate users intending to use Java(TM) in their embedded products. Fujitsu AEL has created the intent Official Support Centre, in conjunction with Tao, to meet this anticipated demand.

In addition to opening the support centre, Fujitsu AEL is planning to port intent on to the iTRON operating system - which has a large share in the Japanese embedded market - in order to further accelerate take-up of intent. Fujitsu AEL is currently working with Victor Company of Japan (JVC), which also has a long-standing relationship with Tao, and expects to complete porting towards the end of this year.

Mr.Junji Maeyama, Managing Director in charge of Software Business, Fujitsu Limited, comments: "As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the proliferation of embedded operating systems for information appliances is more and more important. Recognizing this, Fujitsu welcomes the partnering of Tao Group and Fujitsu AEL in the support centre activities for intent."

Francis Charig, Chairman of Tao Group, adds: "We are very pleased at Tao that our official intent support centre will shortly be opened by Fujitsu AEL. The Japanese market is central to Tao's entire business strategy, and we have seen partnership with the appropriate body as being crucial to achieving our goals. We are therefore particularly pleased that AEL has taken on this responsibility, given its experience and professionalism."

The intent Official Support Centre will be marketed through ASCII Corporation, Tao's distributor in Japan, alongside Fujitsu AEL. Fujitsu AEL expects to gain 100 corporate users within two years.

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About Tao Group

Tao Group is an intellectual property generator and software company specialising in technologies for the professional and consumer electronics markets. Incorporated in 1992, the Company is the provider of leading edge technologies in the fields of compact, fast and portable operating environments, graphical toolkits and engines for running Java(TM), as well as offering the fastest and securest public key encryption technologies available.

The company's philosophy is based on providing powerful frameworks for use right across the range of consumer and professional electronics products from smart cards to network computers into which Tao's clients can build in their own branding and incorporate their own added value. Tao's clients include blue chip companies such as Motorola (which is also a Shareholder in Tao), Victor Company of Japan and LSI Logic. Headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, Tao employs 60 people.

intent(RTM) and the Tao Logo are Registered Trademarks of Tao Group Limited.

Java(TM), and all Java(TM)-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. or other countries.