Mountain View and Santa Clara, Calif., September
7, 2010 – Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. and National Semiconductor Corporation
announce a wide-ranging strategic alliance to advance ultrasound technology,
creating ultrasound imaging systems that produce enhanced image quality and
advanced 3D/4D imaging capabilities, while consuming less power.

The strategic alliance brings together
Siemens’ leadership in ultrasound technology with National’s energy-efficient
analog semiconductor capabilities. National will provide leading-edge power
management, signal path and transducer solutions while working closely with
Siemens. Based on the companies’ collaboration, Siemens’ ultrasound systems
will be able to provide next-generation imaging quality and ground-breaking new
applications, while, at the same time, be more energy efficient. Working
together, the end goal is to provide medical ultrasound systems that change the
game in workflow efficiency, diagnostic reliability and ease of scanning.

“For many years, we have been pushing the
envelope to advance ultrasound imaging to the next level. Large data volumes
and the increased demand for portability require systems with an effective
balance between power efficiency and performance. We view National
Semiconductor as a strategic analog alliance to help us make this happen,” said
Dr. Norbert Gaus, chief executive officer, Ultrasound, Siemens Healthcare.

“This is an ideal alliance, which effectively
leverages both companies’ strengths. Already well known for its world-class
healthcare solutions, Siemens’ next-generation ultrasound systems will be
enhanced by our high-performance technology, chipsets and subsystem-level
solutions,” said Mike Polacek, senior vice president of Key Market Segments and
Business Development for National Semiconductor. “We are going to do great
things together.”

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the
world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in
medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and
hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the
entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early
detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing
clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare
faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000
employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to
September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around
1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.

National Semiconductor is a leader in power
management technology. Known for its easy-to-use analog integrated circuits and
world-class supply chain, National’s high-performance analog products enable
its customers’ systems to be more energy efficient. Headquartered in Santa
Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $1.42 billion for fiscal 2010. Additional
information is available at www.national.com.