Unterpremstaetten, Austria - October 13, 2004 - austriamicrosystems AG congratulates Itron, Inc. (Spokane, WA) on the recent shipment of the 10 millionth CENTRON® solid state electricity meter, containing the 10 millionth analog mixed-signal integrated circuit by austriamicrosystems for this application. Itron, Inc. recently acquired the North American Electricity Metering activities of Schlumberger Limited including the CENTRON® product line.

As a supplier of the central sensing ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) in the CENTRON® since its introduction, austriamicrosystems is proud of its role in the deployment of this disruptive metering technology. Each CENTRON® meter shipped contains a dedicated austriamicrosystems chip. Applying its analog design expertise and high performance mixed-signal CMOS technology, austriamicrosystems continues to develop ASICs to Itron's demanding requirements.

"The improvements in accuracy, reliability and cost-effectiveness that we have been able to bring to the market with the CENTRON® meter are a direct result of the responses to our demands that suppliers such as austriamicrosystems were able to provide," said Jim Fisher, Vice President Marketing for Itron.

"The offset compensated front-end and bandgap circuits are two of the critical circuit blocks developed by austriamicrosystems for metering applications. They contribute directly to the accuracy and reliable performance of the CENTRON® meter. This success demonstrates our leadership position in the electronic metering market," added Gerhard Fritz, Development Manager for Metering ICs at austriamicrosystems.

"Working with austriamicrosystems has allowed us to optimize our solid state meter on three levels. One, the integration within our systems, two, incorporation of self test features that allow for unmatched quality and three, a simple design that allows for ease of use by our customers," commented Simon Pontin, Director of Research & Development at Itron.

About austriamicrosystems
austriamicrosystems AG is a leading designer and manufacturer of highly integrated analog and analog intensive mixed signal ICs. austriamicrosystems combines more than 20 years of design capabilities, product and marketing know-how with its own cutting edge analog manufacturing and test facilities. Operating worldwide with more than 800 employees, austriamicrosystems serves four strategic markets: Communications, Industry & Medical, Automotive and Full Service Foundry. austriamicrosystems AG is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS).

About Itron
Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. More than 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron technology to deliver the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron delivers value to its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for electricity metering, meter data collection, energy information management, demand side management, and response, load forecasting, analysis and consulting services, transmission and distribution system design and optimization, Web-based workforce automation, commercial and industrial customer care and residential energy management. To know more, start here: www.itron.com.