austriamicrosystems AG, the leading designer and manufacturer of highly integrated analog intensive mixed signal ICs, congratulates Kate Allen and Polar Electro Oy, the world's leading producer of heart-rate monitors, on winning the gold medal in the Olympic triathlon race at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

austriamicrosystems develops and manufactures heart rate receiver ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) for Polar Electro Oy, which are at the heart of Polar's world-wide renowned line of heart rate monitor watches. Both companies have a long history of working together on innovative solutions in heart rate measurement and have recently concluded a further development agreement for a specialized microchip for heart rate monitoring applications.

"We are proud that austriamicrosystems - through the microchip we developed for Polar - played a role in the successful preparation for this outstanding success. We congratulate Kate Allen on her exceptional achievement and together with all Austrians we celebrate this historic victory," said John Heugle, CEO of austriamicrosystems.

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).