SSTI adds National Semiconductor to client list...
biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday April 11, 8:25 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SST and National Semiconductor Announce Technology Licensing and Foundry Agreement for Flash Memory
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2000--SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.) (Nasdaq:SSTI - news), and National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM - news), today announced that the two companies have entered into a technology licensing agreement for flash memory.
The companies described the agreement as supporting SST's strategy to become the leading embedded flash memory supplier as well as enhancing National Semiconductor's focus on highly integrated solutions for analog applications and Information Appliances.
Under terms of the agreement, National will license the 0.25-micron generation of SST's patented SuperFlash© memory technology for use in its embedded applications. In addition to receiving fee and royalty revenue for the technology license, SST will also gain access to National's state-of-the-art 200 mm wafer fab manufacturing facility in South Portland, Maine. With this agreement, SST becomes the exclusive flash memory partner to National for its 0.25-micron embedded flash products.
``As the demand for our SuperFlash technology continues to escalate, SST remains committed to partnering with world class manufacturers such as National Semiconductor in order to ensure fab access and ample wafer capacity for our products,' said Bing Yeh, president and CEO of SST. ``National's South Portland facility offers the benefits of a U.S.-based operation as well as cutting-edge 200 mm wafer manufacturing. This is a key addition to our strategy and further strengthens our position as the leading embedded flash technology company.'
National has been using SST's SuperFlash technology in its products manufactured at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), as part of a long-standing licensing agreement between SST and TSMC. In order to further increase embedded flash memory capacity and expand its product offering capability, National entered into this licensing agreement with SST, adding the SuperFlash technology to its South Portland, Maine factory. In the first year of production at the South Portland, Maine fab, SST will have access to more than 60,000 200 mm wafers. The fab is also capable of manufacturing at 0.18-micron and 0.15-micron process technology, thereby fitting in well with the inherent scalability of SST's SuperFlash technology to finer process geometries. This could possibly lead to expanded future cooperation between the two companies.
``This agreement with SST provides our customers with the most advanced flash technology for embedded applications,' said Brian L. Halla, president and CEO of National Semiconductor. ``With the current capacity crunch in the flash market, this agreement assures our embedded flash product customers that our supply source is secured. We also gain a volume fab customer in SST, who can take advantage of our leading-edge wafer manufacturing facility.'
Commenting on SST's licensing strategy, Sohrab Kianian, director, technology licensing and business development at SST said, ``The agreement with National is another strategic step in our licensing business to make SuperFlash the technology-of-choice for embedded applications.'
About SuperFlash Technology
SST's SuperFlash technology is a NOR type, split-gate cell architecture which uses a reliable thick-oxide process with fewer manufacturing steps resulting in a low-cost, nonvolatile memory solution with excellent data retention and higher reliability. The split-gate NOR SuperFlash architecture facilitates a simple and flexible design suitable for high performance, high reliability, small or medium sector size, in- or off-system programming and a variety of densities, all in a single CMOS-compatible technology.
About Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, SST designs, manufactures and markets a diversified range of nonvolatile memory solutions, based on proprietary, patented SuperFlash technology, for high volume applications in the digital consumer, networking, wireless communication and Internet computing markets. SST's product families include high-functionality flash memory components, CompactFlash card mass storage products and 8-bit microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory. SST also offers its SuperFlash technology for embedded applications through its world-class manufacturing partners and technology licensees IBM, Motorola, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corp., TSMC-Acer Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TASMC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). Further information on SST can be found on the company's website at ssti.com.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at national.com.
For more information about SST and the company's comprehensive list of product offerings, please call 1-888/SST-CHIP or 1-888/221-1178 (North America) or 1-732/544-2873 (International) for SST's literature fax-on-demand service. Information can also be requested via email to sfoster@ssti.com or through SST's website at ssti.com. SST is located at 1171 Sonora Court, Sunnyvale, Calif.; telephone: 408/735-9110; fax: 408/735-9036.
More information about National Semiconductor products is available on the company's website at national.com. Financial information is available from Investor Relations, Tel: 408/721-5800 or Fax: 408/721-7254 or email: invest.group@nsc.com. |
