CONTINUED STRONG PERFORMANCE MOVES AST UP ON THE FORTUNE 500

AST ranks No. 367 in a year when most companies showed lower profits

IRVINE, Calif, April 2, 1993 -- AST Research was ranked the 367th largest
U.S. industrial corporation by FORTUNE magazine this week in its 1993
FORTUNE 500 listing of the nation's top 500 industrial companies, moving
up 64 places in its second year on the list. AST also ranked 167th in
profits among the FORTUNE 500 industrial corporations, in a period when
many companies showed lower profits.

Continued growth, outpacing the industry in general, propelled AST up on
the FORTUNE 500 list at a time when many technology companies saw a drop
in revenues. AST also ranked in the top 20 of the fastest growing
companies, ranking the 18th largest increase in sales of the Fortune 500.
AST is now the second largest Orange County, Calif. corporation on the
Fortune 500 and is the only Orange County corporation to make a positive
move on the 1993 list.

AST continued to record increased demand for its systems, despite the
sluggish U. S. economy and fierce competition in the personal computer
industry. The company enjoyed a 36.5 percent increase in fiscal 1992 sales
and a 5.8 percent increase in profits over its fiscal 1991 figures.

"Outperforming our 1992 ranking is particularly gratifying in light of the
economic and market conditions," commented Safi Qureshey, AST president
and chief executive officer. "Our strong presence in the U.S. and foreign
markets, combined with our dedication to offering leading-edge products
and excellent customer satisfaction through our resellers, has paid off in
terms of growth for 1992."

The FORTUNE 500 is based on reported fiscal 1992 sales. FORTUNE based AST's
ranking on sales of $951.1 million for the fiscal year ended June 27,
1992. Net earnings increased to $68.5 million in fiscal 1992.

AST's products have received recent awards for outstanding performance,
upgradeability and useability from industry trade publications including
BYTE, Infoworld, PC LapTop, PC Magazine, PC World, Portable Computing and
Windows.

AST Research Inc. had the third largest market share of Intel-based
personal computers sold through the U.S. dealer channel during the
calendar year 1992. Revenues for calendar year 1992 totaled more than $1.1
billion.

AST's product lines include the Premmia, Bravo, Advantage!, PowerExec,
Premium SE and Manhattan SMP, allowing users to choose from a full range
of price and performance options. The company is represented in 100
countries and operates 35 international subsidiaries and sales offices.

AST Research corporate headquarters is located at 16215 Alton Parkway, P.O.
Box 57005, Irvine, Calif 92619-7005. Telephone: (714) 727-4141, (800)
876-4278. Fax: (714) 727-9355.

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