Brocade and Cadence Are Key Sponsors of The Tech Museum of Innovation's 20th Anniversary Tech Challenge

A Host of Leading Technology Bay Area Organizations Also Lend Support

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 15, 2007 � The Tech Museum of Innovation, one of the nation's premier science and technology museums, today announced that Brocade� (Nasdaq: BRCD), and Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CDNS) are the leading underwriters for the 20th anniversary student Tech Challenge. In TECH CHALLENGE 2007: Mars Crater Mission, teams will compete to design, build and operate a special unmanned Martian crater rover. Over the years, an estimated 11,000 Bay Area youth have participated in the Tech Challenge, a program that has proven to have a very positive and lasting impact on the future educational direction and careers of its participants.

"We view our participation in the Tech Challenge as an investment in the future of Bay Area youth," said Michael Klayko, CEO, Brocade. "The Tech Challenge augments classroom instruction with a real world experience that we believe helps inspire the innovators of tomorrow." "Cadence has always felt a strong obligation to contribute to the community," said Mike Fister, President and CEO, Cadence. "We are very proud of our years-long participation in Tech Challenge. No other program for students so mirrors the work of our own technical teams. As a t ech innovator, we at Cadence enjoy fueling the imagination and excitement of the next generation of technology leaders."

The Tech Challenge grew out of the Santa Clara County Science Fair to become a signature program of The Tech Museum of Innovation in its mission to "inspire the innovator in everyone." Tech Challenge is based on The Tech Museum's education model, which stresses that the process of design, rather than just ultimate success, is what sparks innovation.

The program engages 6th through 12th grade students in solving a current, real-life technological problem. Working with advisors that come from family, local businesses or schools, teams of young people design a solution using engineering design processes and the application of science and mathematics. The students employ innovative thinking, brainstorming, team building and problem-solving techniques throughout the months leading up to the final big day of the challenge at the end of April.

"We express our deep gratitude to Brocade, Cadence and all our sponsors for making this special milestone anniversary Tech Challenge possible," said Peter Friess, president of The Tech. "They share The Tech's belief that programs like this are an essential supplement to classroom learning and to preparing young people for future jobs in sciences and technology. Silicon Valley has long been a place of innovative thinking and invention, and through their support of Tech Challenge, Brocade and Cadence are helping to ensure that this special place continues to inspire and thrive."

Additional Sponsorships
Other leading corporate sponsors for this year's Tech Challenge include Intel, KPMG, Tyco Electronics, Yahoo, SAP, David H. Liu Foundation, Northrop Grumman, The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Seagate, AMD, SanDisk, ATW, Adaptec and IBM.

The Bay Area's NBC11 continues its support as a media sponsor of the event, and Make Magazine, a publication devoted to do-it-yourself technology projects, has also signed on as a media sponsor. Additional community support comes from the TechShop in Menlo Park, Calif., a fully-equipped open-access workshop and creative environment. TechShop is offering Tech Challenge participants the space and equipment that can be used to build their solutions or conduct practice runs.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation:
The Tech Museum of Innovation is an interactive technology and science experience. Located in San Jose, California - the Capital of Silicon Valley - its mission, as a public-benefit corporation, is to inspire the innovator in everyone. Through hands-on exhibits, educational programs, the annual Tech Challenge student team competition, and the internationally recognized Tech Museum Awards, presented by Applied Materials, Inc., The Tech Museum of Innovation honors the past, celebrates the present, and encourages the development of innovative ideas for a more promising future. For more information about The Tech Museum of Innovation, visit www.thetech.org.