Fremont, CA, August 21, 2001 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: ASYT), the leading provider of Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF)-based automation manufacturing systems, announced today that Geoffrey G. Ribar has joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Ribar joins Asyst after having held a number of executive positions of increasing responsibility in corporate finance for several Silicon Valley companies including Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), NVIDIA Corporation, Packard Bell NEC Inc. and most recently, iBeam Broadcasting Corporation, where he was Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Ribar joined AMD in 1982 as a Product Line Analyst and rapidly progressed through a number of positions of increasing managerial responsibility, culminating in his appointment as Vice President and Corporate Controller in 1995. In this position, he was directly responsible for developing and maintaining financial control systems that assured the operational and financial performance of AMD as it grew into a multi-billion dollar company. In subsequent assignments as Chief Financial Officer at NVIDIA Corporation and Packard Bell NEC Inc., Mr. Ribar added responsibility for tax, treasury and investor relations. Most recently, at iBeam Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Ribar was responsible for managing all the day to day and strategic financial activities for a publicly held company operating in a highly volatile market space. Mr. Ribar holds the degrees of BS in Chemistry and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Mihir Parikh, chairman and chief executive officer of Asyst, noted, "In his various executive management positions, Geoff has had responsibility for the total range of financial activities associated with dynamic, growing companies. Geoff's experiences throughout his career also give him a broad understanding of both technology and our customers' businesses. These experiences, coupled with his leadership skills, will complement the current management team at Asyst and will help position Asyst for continued success in the future."

Mr. Ribar joins Asyst immediately and will work closely with Mr. Doug McCutcheon, former CFO, during a transition period that will continue throughout the current quarter. It was previously announced that Mr. McCutcheon would be leaving Asyst to pursue other personal and career interests. "During the past six years, Doug has been instrumental in driving the profitable growth of the company," said Parikh. "We are indebted to him for his significant contributions as a leader, colleague and strong executive during this period of high growth. We are delighted to have someone of Geoff's caliber and experience join Asyst, and are fortunate that Doug will assist us to achieve a smooth transition."

About Asyst
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation systems for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which enable semiconductor manufacturers to increase their manufacturing productivity and protect their investment in silicon wafers during the manufacture of integrated circuits, or ICs. Through its "Value-Assured Fab" strategy, Asyst offers a broad range of 200mm and 300mm solutions that enable the safe transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line throughout the IC fabrication process, while reducing IC damage caused by human, environmental, mechanical and chemical factors. 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 chipmakers and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs.