SAN JOSE, Calif. and AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Feb. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intermolecular, Inc. (IMI) and Guardian Industries today announced the expansion and extension of their collaborative development program (CDP) and strategic technology licensing agreement. Guardian is the world's largest manufacturer of coated glass for automotive, architectural and other applications. Intermolecular accelerates research and development (R&D) for semiconductor and clean-energy industries.

The partnership between Intermolecular and Guardian addresses development of a diverse portfolio of advanced glass coatings, many related to energy conservation or generation. Intermolecular's High-Productivity Combinatorial (HPC™) R&D platform accelerates time-to-market for new and improved Guardian glass products. The newly signed agreement will extend and broaden the existing partnership to allow the two companies to collaborate on a greater number of technology development projects simultaneously.

"Over the past two years, Guardian has evaluated and validated Intermolecular's team and HPC technology platform," said Scott Thomsen, President of Guardian's Flat Glass Group. "Our programs with Intermolecular in both sputtered and liquid coatings are succeeding as expected, rapidly generating differentiated intellectual property that will result in superior products coming to market in the coming months and years. In fact, Intermolecular's approach to accelerated R&D led to a greater internal demand to work together. The team at Intermolecular is both responsive and capable, and HPC technology delivers as advertised. We look forward to an ongoing relationship with Intermolecular."

Craig Hunter, senior vice president and general manager of Intermolecular's clean energy group, commented, "Guardian is a fantastic partner. Their openness to our collaborative R&D model coupled with their commercial aggressiveness and world-class technical team creates a situation where everyone is focused with urgency on the same goal – getting better products to market as quickly as possible. Extending and broadening the collaboration with Guardian after working so closely together over the past two years represents tremendous validation of the value proposition we offer to our industrial partners. It is a privilege to be working so closely with a global technology leader as we jointly develop products that can have such a positive effect on daily life."

Intermolecular's mission is to improve R&D efficiency in the semiconductor and clean-energy industries through collaborations that utilize its HPC platform, which allows R&D experimentation to be performed at speeds up to 100 times faster than traditional methods.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current opinions and estimates of management. Although the forward-looking statements are based upon information available at the time and reflect management's good faith beliefs, forward-looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results.    Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations are disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly in the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the company's most recent reports.   You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.  Intermolecular disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Guardian Industries Corp.

Guardian is a diversified global manufacturing company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with leading positions in float glass, fabricated glass products, fiberglass insulation and other building materials for commercial, residential and automotive applications. Through its Science & Technology Center, Guardian is at the forefront of innovation, including development of high-performance glass coatings and other advanced products. Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 18,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.guardian.com.

About Intermolecular, Inc.

Intermolecular® has pioneered a proprietary approach to accelerate research and development, innovation, and time-to-market for the semiconductor and clean-energy industries. The approach consists of our proprietary High Productivity Combinatorial (HPCTM) platform, coupled with its multi-disciplinary team. Through paid collaborative development programs (CDPs) with its customers, Intermolecular develops proprietary technology and intellectual property for its customers focused on advanced materials, processes, integration and device architectures. Founded in 2004, Intermolecular is based in San Jose, California. "Intermolecular" and the Intermolecular logo are registered trademarks; and "HPC" and "Tempus" are trademarks of Intermolecular, Inc.; all rights reserved. Learn more at www.intermolecular.com.

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CONTACT: Intermolecular Press Contact
         Ed Korczynski, Intermolecular
         Marketing Communications Director
         edk@intermolecular.com
         +1.408.582.5629
         
         Intermolecular Investor Relations Contact
         Gary Hsueh, Intermolecular
         Sr. Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations
         gary.hsueh@intermolecular.com
         +1.408.582.5635
         
         Guardian Industries Contact
         Amy Hennes
         ahennes@guardian.com
         +1-248-340-2109