FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN JOSE, Calif., September 26 2003 – At the Indianapolis 2003 Grand Prix today, Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ:XLNX) programmable chips will play a mission-critical role in the performance of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team is the leading contender in the 2003 Formula One Series, currently heading the FIA Formula One Constructors’ Championship. After a closely fought race in Monza, Italy, between Ferrari, BMW Williams and McLaren, the outcome of today’s U.S. Grand Prix race could hold the key to the entire 2003 FIA Formula One Championship.  The season concludes with a final race in Suzuka, Japan on October 12. 

The teams and drivers who remain in contention are acutely conscious that wins and losses will come at the margins of performance, and no one can afford anything less than a faultless race. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team selected high performance programmable chips from Xilinx as the leading technology in the Vehicle Control Module (VCM) of the team’s 2003 Challenger – the WilliamsF1 BMW FW25. 

The Xilinx-enabled VCM is used to control essential vehicle components such as the gearbox, differential, traction control, launch control and telemetry. With leading edge technology ¾ greater on-chip functionality and lower power consumption, Xilinx FPGAs have ensured that the VCM unit is reduced in size and weight, ultimately enhancing the performance of the car.

 “The high-performance feature set of Xilinx FPGAs provided advanced technology we needed to enhance the car’s performance,” said Steven Wise, Head of Electronics at WilliamsF1. “We are so impressed with the results that Xilinx’ next-generation Virtex-II Pro FPGAs are also being designed our the next-generation Formula One VCM.”

 “Xilinx is proud to be associated with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team as a technology partner. As we work more and more closely with the team’s engineers, we are convinced that our technology will enable the team to achieve even better results,” said Paul McCambridge, vice president of Xilinx Europe. 

At the announcement of the collaboration earlier this year, BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal Frank Williams said, “We are delighted that the team’s relationship with an organisation of Xilinx’ stature has moved a stage further than a long-standing and valued technical alliance.  By partnering with a leading NASDAQ company such as Xilinx, we are confident of the benefits to the team and are certain we can offer significant benefits in return.”

About Xilinx Virtex-II Platform FPGAs
The Xilinx Virtex-II Platform FPGA series delivers the highest performance and highest density of any programmable logic solution available.  The innovative Virtex-II IP Immersion architecture enables integration of both hard and soft intellectual property (IP), enhanced system memory, and lightning-fast DSP performance, providing the best platform for advanced digital designs in the industry.  With densities ranging from 40,000 to eight million-system gates, Virtex-II solutions are empowered by advanced design tools that reduce development time through fast design entry, powerful synthesis, smart implementation algorithms, and efficient verification capabilities.

About WilliamsF1
WilliamsF1 is one of the world’s leading Formula One teams. Formed in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors’ Championship in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. The remaining seven titles are Driver’s Championships, won with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

Today, WilliamsF1 employs around 475 personnel at a 40ha technology campus based in the heart of the UK’s ‘Motorsport Valley’ in rural Oxfordshire. The company’s core competencies are the design and manufacture of Formula One race cars, and the deployment of this expertise in running the team’s entries into the 16 Grands Prix each season. For more information, please visit: www.williamsf1.com.

About Xilinx
Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) is the worldwide leader of programmable logic solutions. Additional information about Xilinx is available at www.xilinx.com.