Tokyo, Japan, November 30, 1999 - Amidst signs of the growing Japanese recovery, Asyst Technologies, Inc. today made several announcements at the opening of SEMICON Japan 1999, demonstrating its growing presence in the Japanese market. These announcements include two multi-million dollar orders for SMIF-based fab automation technology and the appointment of a new president of Asyst Japan.

According to Asyst's Chairman and CEO Mihir Parikh, "We are experiencing significant growth in the Japanese semiconductor market, with 20 percent of our revenues in our last quarter coming from business in Japan. The growing demand from equipment manufacturers, along with orders from two leading semiconductor manufacturers for SMIF-based fab automation technology, are indicative of Asyst's strong momentum in the Japanese market. While one of these orders is for a newly constructed fab, the other involves both an upgrade from 150 mm to 200 mm wafers and a transition from open cassettes to SMIF technology. This second order underscores a growing trend toward using SMIF technology to upgrade fabs with new production capability, while minimizing disruption to existing manufacturing lines."

Asyst's SMIF technology will be used in these fabs to produce leading-edge digital and analog devices with geometries as low as 0.15 micron. As device design rules have shrunk to these extremely small dimensions, SMIF technology has become increasingly recognized for its ability to reduce yield loss due to contamination as well as for its productivity benefits. "These two orders demonstrate the growing adoption among Japanese semiconductor manufacturers of Asyst's SMIF technology as a methodology for improving flexibility and productivity, while protecting valuable wafers during production," noted Parikh.

New President Appointed for Asyst Japan
The company also said it has named Josui "Joe" Nashimoto, 65, president of Asyst Japan. Reporting to Parikh, Nashimoto will be responsible for overseeing the company's growing Japanese operations.

A 20-year industry veteran, Nashimoto most recently served as president of Watkins Johnson-Japan. Prior to that, he spent five years as president and divisional director of MC Electronics, Ramco Asher Division. Previous management experience includes senior level positions at MRC Japan, Philips Japan and Hitachi Corporation. Nashimoto is a graduate of Chuo University School of Law.

Commenting on the appointment, Parikh noted, "We believe Japan offers an exceptional opportunity for Asyst to increase its market penetration in new 200 mm fabs and upgrades of existing fabs. Our newly established relationship with MECS, a leading Japanese robotics manufacturer, provides the company with the enhanced capability to serve both integrated circuit manufacturers as well as Japanese equipment manufacturers with our PLUST Portal for turnkey front-end automation. Joe will be instrumental in driving our Japan-based operations to capitalize on new opportunities in this market. His proven leadership and strong relationships with integrated circuit makers and equipment manufacturers will be an asset to this effort. We're very pleased to have Joe join our management team."

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, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's most recent S-3 Registration Statement.

About Asyst:
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of Standard Mechanical Interface-based minienvironment and manufacturing automation systems that enable semiconductor manufacturers to protect customers' valued assets throughout the manufacturing process while increasing manufacturing productivity. Asyst offers a broad range of 200 mm and 300 mm products that enable the Company to provide semiconductor manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers automated manufacturing solutions for the transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line.