SAN JOSE, Calif., April 9, 2001 - ILOG (NASDAQ: ILOG; Nouveau March� France) today unveiled ILOG OPL Studio 3.5, a rapid prototyping tool and interactive development environment that is the first aimed at developing, debugging and deploying optimization applications for web environments. ILOG OPL Studio 3.5 will make optimization applications easier to deploy over the web, and is also the first optimization product to directly interface with the Java 2 platform, meaning that Java developers can more easily build optimization capabilities into their applications. ILOG made the announcement at the Software Development 2001 Expo being held at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose from April 8-12, 2001.

ILOG OPL Studio 3.5 gives developers the tools to create web-enabled optimization software using Java Servlets. Once created, optimization models can be connected and manipulated using tags on a web page.

Optimization refers to mathematical algorithms in software used to solve a wide range of business problems in many industries. Optimization software components, such as those provided by ILOG, allow these powerful algorithms to be embedded into software. A critical capability in many supply chain management applications, optimization is also used extensively in the travel and transportation industries for airline crew and flight scheduling, and yield management. Optimization software components are also being used to support web self-service and personalization.

Application developers in companies like Calpine, Sabre and American Airlines are using ILOG OPL Studio to create and test optimization models, which can then be integrated into software applications and deployed quickly. It interfaces with ILOG's optimization software engines, such as ILOG CPLEX� and ILOG Solver�, which perform the actual optimization problem solving "under the hood."

Prior to ILOG OPL Studio 3.5, optimization was basically off limits to Java developers, who did not have an efficient way to integrate optimization models into their applications without extensive coding. This prevented companies and independent software vendors alike from leveraging optimization software techniques for solving the types of complex configuration, resource allocation and planning problems for which it is ideally suited. Product configurations in B2C applications, or criteria matching in a B2B marketplace setting, are examples of these problems. ILOG OPL Studio 3.5 reduces the amount of coding required to add optimization to a Java application from thousands of lines of code to dozens or less, slashing development time by as much as 80 percent.

Enabling Optimization For New Developers
Another feature in ILOG OPL Studio 3.5 is a new look and feel that uses 2D graphic representations, in addition to textual representations, of the optimization models. This feature will give model developers a clear view of the model's complex data and solution sets for debugging and/or editing and better management of business processes without requiring a detailed knowledge of computer programming.

The new 2D representations further enhance what is already the industry's most graphical, intuitive development environment for building sophisticated optimization applications. The product lets users edit their models and data sets, manage projects, debug their solution strategies and visualize solutions. Online help features have been enhanced in this release, as have project management capabilities.

At the heart of ILOG OPL Studio is a unique modeling language, Optimization Programming Language (OPL), that lets users employ the leading optimization methods in order to find the best solution to the particular problem. In addition, the developer need not be a specialized Java programmer or C++ programmer to use OPL. In fact, the product separates the modeling process from the development process, enabling specific tasks to be distributed to the experts best equipped to perform them, regardless of their physical location. The result is much faster, easier development and deployment of optimization software for web environments.

"As a leader of information technology solutions for the travel and transportation industries, we have realized the value ILOG OPL Studio offers," said Barry Smith, chief scientist, Sabre. "It provides an environment that reduces the complexity of optimization formulation, enabling more rapid development and decreased time to market."

Prior versions of ILOG OPL Studio supported Microsoft's COM technologies to allow optimization applications to be developed for the Microsoft platform. ILOG OPL Studio 3.5 extends this integration to the growing community of Java programmers.

Pricing and Availability
LOG OPL Studio 3.5 is available for Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000/NT as well as for Sun Solaris, HP/UX and Linux platforms, and starts at $10,000 for a development license. Customers who wish to embed OPL models with applications will require additional licenses for ILOG Solver, ILOG Scheduler, and/or ILOG CPLEX. In addition to the OPL Component Libraries, ILOG OPL Studio now supports ILOG Parallel CPLEX, bringing the power of OPL to ILOG's powerful parallel algorithms.

About ILOG
Dually headquartered in Paris and Mountain View, Calif., ILOG is the world's leading supplier of C++ and Java software components. ILOG's embeddable optimization, visualization and business rules software components dramatically shorten development times for enterprise software applications in the supply chain, telecommunications, transportation and financial services industries. In addition to optimization applications where ILOG enjoys significant market share, the company is taking an active role in the e-business software-components market. Visit www.ilog.com for additional information.

ILOG and ILOG CPLEX are registered trademarks and ILOG OPL Studio, ILOG Solver and ILOG Scheduler are trademarks of ILOG. All other products and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.