FREMONT, Calif. – July 12, 2004 – Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASYT) today introduced NexEDA™, the first integrated software equipment connectivity product that fully complies with the latest 300mm and Electronic Data Acquisition (EDA) requirements. Additionally, because NexEDA leverages Asyst’s separately announced EIB (Equipment Information Bridge) technology, it sets a benchmark for quality and performance in distributed equipment environments, in which the data streams from various active tools and equipment are interconnected and interactive, both at the operational event level and the end-user controller level.

Paula LuPriore, vice president and general manager, Connectivity Solutions, for Asyst said, "The new EDA automation standards recently published by SEMI, along with advanced fab-specific automation requirements, are driving OEMs to produce more complex and flexible equipment control systems. NexEDA is built to meet these requirements."

NexEDA is designed to meet the robustness and flexibility demands of mission-critical equipment software. It has been developed in Microsoft's .NET environment, which allows NexEDA to incorporate new functionality in .NET as it becomes available. OEMs can take full advantage of .NET’s programming features, which benchmarking indicates can reduce integration time for NexEDA by as much as 50%. OEMs can utilize the .NET functionality even if the equipment controller itself is not .NET. For example, NexEDA's use of inheritance allows OEMs to build better component-based control systems, improving reliability and reducing maintenance in a managed code environment. The .NET implementation also enables a number of other new features, including improved thread management, full object exposure, and multiple programming interfaces (C#, J#, VB#, C++, COM).

In addition to Asyst EIB, NexEDA incorporates the full range of connectivity standards, including SECS/GEM (E4, E5, E30, E37), the full suite composing 300mm SEMI (E39, E40, E87, E90, E94, E116), and the latest releases on SEMI EDA such as E120, 121, 125, 128, 132, and E134. Asyst EIB acts as a data server featuring multiple simultaneous connections utilizing multiple protocols such as SECS/GEM, XML/SOAP, DCOM, and .NET Remoting.

NexEDA is completely configurable in XML, supports both To-Tool and To-Host connections, provides run-time software libraries compatible for incorporation with any type of 300mm equipment, and has been certified and tested on Windows 2000, XP and NT.

About Asyst:

Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation solutions that enable semiconductor and flat panel display (FPD) manufacturers to increase their manufacturing productivity and protect their investments in materials during the manufacturing process. Encompassing isolation systems, work-in-process materials management, substrate-handling robotics, automated transport and loading systems, and connectivity automation software, Asyst’s modular, interoperable solutions allow chip and FPD manufacturers, as well as original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs. Asyst’s homepage is http://www.asyst.com

“Safe Harbor”

Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to: failure to achieve expected product performance or productivity, and other factors more fully detailed in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 27, 2004, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Asyst is a registered trademark and Asyst NexEDA and Asyst EIB are trademarks of Asyst Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.