TOKYO, JAPAN - Fixstars Corporation ("Fixstars") announced today that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor Michael A. Cusumano has been appointed as the Management Strategy Advisor at Fixstars. Professor Cusumano specializes in management strategy in the software industry, and he will advise and support Fixstars in the area of technology management as it embraces the new Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.) technology, a microprocessor architecture jointly developed by SONY, Toshiba, and IBM.

Regarding the appointment of Professor Cusumano as Management Strategy Advisor, Fixstars CEO (Mr.) Satoshi Miki said: "We are always referencing Professor Cusumano¡Çs books when setting Fixstars management strategies, so having him come on board as our Management Strategy Advisor is fantastic for us and we like to think he will have a direct hand in the furthering the growth of the company. Since Fixstars was founded, we have been deeply committed to software technology and have become one of the world leaders in Cell/B.E. software engineering. Professor Cusumano's vast experience, and knowledge of corporate management in the software industry, will significantly help us in building on our current position to become the leading Japanese company in the global market for software innovation."

Professor Cusumano, following his appointment as Management Strategy Advisor, responded: "I have been studying the Japanese software industry for more than 20 years and have great respect for the talent in Japan, particularly the abilities that Japanese software engineers and computer scientists have shown in areas like video game programming, embedded software, and industrial applications. Japanese companies can succeed in global markets if they find the right opportunities and take advantage of their strengths. I am very happy to help Fixstars find those opportunities and become a world-class software company."

Fixstars aims to actively pursue business opportunities in both domestic and global markets, and grow as a company so that both its technology and management mirror that of a world-class software company.

About Professor Michael A. Cusumano

Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), as well as being a professor of engineering systems in the MIT School of Engineering. He specializes in strategy, product development, and entrepreneurship in the computer software industry. Professor Cusumano received a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1984. He has consulted for more than 50 major companies around the world in the areas of software development, management strategy, and technology strategy. He has also been an advisor to numerous startup companies. He is currently a director of Patni Computer Systems and Coral Networks, while being a professor at the university. He was appointed as the Management Strategy Advisor for Fixstars in 2008.

Prominent Books:
The Business of Software: What Every Manager, Programmer, and Entrepreneur Must Know to Thrive and Survive in Good Times and Bad (2004, Free Press), Microsoft Secrets (1995, with Richard Selby, Free Press), Platform Leadership: How Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco Drive Industry Innovation (2002, with Annabelle Gawer, Harvard Business School Press), Competing on Internet Time: Lessons from Netscape and its Battle with Microsoft (1998, with David Yoffie, Free Press), Japan's Software Factories: A Challenge to U.S. Management (1991, Oxford University Press, USA)

About Fixstars

Fixstars Corporation provides software technology solutions that target the Cell Broadband Engine™ with a vision of the future where multi-core microprocessors are the standard. Fixstars provides complete Cell/B.E. solutions including hardware procurement, development environment setup, and software development, especially for financial, medical, and digital media industries.

About the Cell Broadband Engine™

The Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E) is a multi-core chip containing the 64-bit Power processor core and multiple, independent SIMD processor cores. The architecture makes real-time multimedia processing possible and enables microprocessors based on the architecture to be used not only in next generation electronics and computer entertainment systems, but also in many other fields such as science and technology simulation systems. Currently, the PLAYSTATION®3 and card-based IBM Blade Servers use Cell/B.E. technology.

© 2008 Fixstars Corporation. All rights reserved.
Fixstars name and logo are registered trademarks of Fixstars Corporation (including pending applications). "PLAYSTATION" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. "Cell Broadband Engine¡É and ¡ÈCell/B.E." are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks belong to their respective rights holders. Contents may change without prior notice.

Media Contact

Ikuko Hasumi, Manager Public Relation, Fixstars
Email: press@fixstars.com