SANTA CLARA, Calif.–Affymetrix Inc., (Nasdaq:AFFX – News) announced today that Gary S. Guthart, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer of Intuitive Surgical, has been elected to the company’s board of directors.

“We are pleased to add Gary Guthart to the company’s board,” said Steve P.A. Fodor, Ph.D., founder and executive chairman of Affymetrix. “His track record of operational strength, strategic vision and innovative leadership at Intuitive Surgical will be highly valuable as we re-engineer the company’s technology platform and enter new high-growth markets.”

“For the past 17 years, Affymetrix has worked to enable breakthroughs in genetic analysis,” said Gary Guthart. “I am excited to be a part of this pioneering company, which continues to accelerate scientific research and the advancement of medical care.”

Dr. Guthart joined Intuitive Surgical in April 1996, was named Chief Operating Officer in 2006, and was promoted to President in 2007. Prior to joining Intuitive Surgical, Dr. Guthart was part of the core team developing foundation technology for computer enhanced-surgery at SRI International (formally Stanford Research Institute). While at SRI, he also developed technologies for vibration and acoustic control of large-scale systems.

About Affymetrix

Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology is the industry-standard tool for analyzing complex genetic information. After inventing microarray technology in the late 1980s, Affymetrix scientists have been dedicated to developing innovative products that provide researchers with a more complete view of the genome. These products continue to accelerate genetic research. They enable scientists to develop diagnostics which may support the tailoring of treatments for patients by identifying and measuring the genetic information associated with complex diseases.

Today, Affymetrix technology is used by the world’s top pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies, as well as leading academic, government and not-for-profit research institutes. More than 1,800 systems have been shipped around the world and more than 17,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology.

Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and has manufacturing facilities in Cleveland, Ohio, and Singapore. The company has about 1,100 employees worldwide and maintains sales and distribution operations across Europe and Asia. For more information about Affymetrix, please visit the company’s website at www.affymetrix.com.

Forward-looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act as amended, including statements regarding Affymetrix’ “expectations,” “beliefs,” “hopes,” “intentions,” “strategies” or the like. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially for Affymetrix from those projected, including, but not limited to: risks and uncertainties relating to commercial success of the agreement discussed in this press release; risks of the company’s ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross margins and reduced operating expenses; uncertainties related to technological approaches, manufacturing and product development; personnel retention; uncertainties related to cost and pricing of Affymetrix products; dependence on collaborative partners; uncertainties related to sole-source suppliers; risks associated with past and future acquisitions; uncertainties relating to FDA and other regulatory approvals; competition; risks relating to intellectual property of others and the uncertainties of patent protection and litigation. These and other risk factors are discussed in Affymetrix’ Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and other SEC reports, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for subsequent quarterly periods. Affymetrix expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Affymetrix’ expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

NOTE: Affymetrix, the Affymetrix logo and GeneChip® are registered trademarks owned or used by Affymetrix Inc.