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To: DJBEINO who wrote (9018)	12/14/2000 7:13:29 AM
From: Paul Lee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9582

AMD and Alliance Semiconductor Settle Patent Lawsuit SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2000--AMD (NYSE:AMD) and Alliance Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:ALSC) today announced the settlement of AMD's patent infringement lawsuit against Alliance. AMD filed the case in 1996, asserting that Alliance's Flash memory devices infringed two AMD Flash memory patents. Under terms of the settlement, both Alliance and AMD will drop their claims and counterclaims against each other and Alliance will pay AMD an undisclosed sum for past damages. AMD and Alliance will enter into a royalty bearing license agreement for future sales of two existing Flash memory products. Also as part of the settlement, the two companies have submitted to the San Jose District Court a consent judgment that finds the two AMD patents are both valid and enforceable and that certain Alliance Flash memory devices infringed AMD's patents. In the wake of the settlement, AMD and Alliance will discuss future joint projects that could take advantage of AMD's strength in the Flash memory market, and Alliance's strength in the SRAM market. The two disputed patents are United States Patents Nos. 5,077,691 (relating to AMD's negative gate erase technology, issued Dec. 1991) and 5,126,808 (relating to AMD's sector architecture, issued June 1992). Both are fundamental patents that were the result of AMD's early innovations in Flash memory technology and represent critical technologies required to produce competitive products in the Flash memory market today. "This judgment clearly recognizes the importance and validity of AMD's intellectual property," said Walid Maghribi, group vice president of AMD's Memory Group. "We will continue to enforce and vigorously protect our valuable patent portfolio and we are extremely pleased that our patents have withstood an extensive legal challenge." "I am pleased that AMD and Alliance have been able to reverse the tide from a legal battle to a potential partnership where we can both benefit from each other's strengths," said Dr. Ritu Shrivastava, vice president of technology development and general manager of Flash Products for Alliance Semiconductor. "Alliance is a leading supplier of memory products, and is one of the few companies in the world with expertise in all three major CMOS memory segments: SRAMs, DRAMs and Flash. Our resources and energies are much better spent creating new products and markets which leverage our expertise. We do not believe that the settlement will have substantial impact on our Flash product development strategy or the financial performance of our company."

To: DJBEINO who wrote (9018)	12/15/2000 12:12:46 AM
From: DJBEINO	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9582

UMC (2303) closed @ 51.00 un vol 35,968,621 3rd most active +++++++++ TAIWAN WEIGHTED closed @ 5224.74 -95.42 (-1.79%) Day's Range :5202.04 - 5264.18 ++++++++ Taiwan's TWSE Index fell 105.23 to 5214.93, paced by United Microelectronics Corp., after Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. lowered the chipmaker's 2001 earnings forecast, citing an expected slowdown in demand for semiconductors. ``We believe that slower-than expected semiconductor growth, especially in the first-half of 2001, will have an adverse effect on Asian'' chipmakers such as UMC, Morgan Stanley analyst Dickson Ho wrote in a note to clients. Ho cut his 2001 earnings per share estimate for UMC to NT$3.95 from NT$4.87, a 19 percent drop.

To: DJBEINO who wrote (9018)	12/15/2000 12:13:11 AM
From: DJBEINO	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9582

UMC Announces Plan to Establish the World's Most Advanced 300-mm Semiconductor Foundry in Singapore U.S. $3.6 Billion Dollar Investment is the Largest in the History of Singapore Semiconductor Industry SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2000-- Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC - news) today announced plans to establish the world's most advanced 300-mm wafer foundry company in Singapore's Pasir Ris Wafer Fab Park. Infineon Technologies AG signed a memorandum of understanding, planning to take a minority stake in this company. The company will operate as a subsidiary of UMC with a planned investment for the project of U.S. $3.6 billion. In a press conference hosted by Bob Tsao, Chairman of UMC Group, and Loh Kin Wah, President of Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific, the company announced the details of the plan to establish the independent wafer foundry. Philip Yeo, Chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board, the country's lead government agency for economic development, was also present. The 300-mm fab will be built in two phases, with a total planned capacity of 40,000 wafers per month. The company will focus on System-on-Chip (SOC) products utilizing advanced Worldlogic(TM) 0.13-micron and 0.10-micron copper/low k process technologies jointly developed by UMC, Infineon and IBM. Groundbreaking for the fab is scheduled for Q1 2001 with equipment move-in for the first phase (Module A) scheduled for Q3 2002. ``UMC is very excited about expanding our operations into Singapore. The local government has shown tremendous vision in its commitment to attracting world leading high technology companies, and we believe that Singapore provides a viable location for wafer foundry services. Following the success of NFI, our joint venture foundry in Japan, the establishment of this company will further diversify our manufacturing operations, enhancing our ability to serve our rapidly growing customer base,'' said Chairman John Hsuan of UMC. UMC and Infineon are both pioneers in the implementation of 300-mm wafer production. Infineon was the first company to ship products from a 300-mm facility, and UMC's joint venture with Hitachi, Trecenti Technologies, was the first pure-play foundry to achieve working silicon for 300-mm wafers, and operates the world's first 300-mm production fab to manufacture functional ICs. ``Our successful development partnership with UMC is being expanded into a manufacturing alliance to produce advanced wireline and wireless communications ICs using 300-mm technology. This means that this strategic Infineon business will benefit from the significant cost advantages of 300-mm manufacturing. Teaming up with a world-class foundry like UMC will also allow for more flexible capacity utilization,'' commented Dr. Andreas von Zitzewitz, Chief Operating Officer of Infineon Technologies. ``This is an important milestone in Infineon's 30-year history in Singapore. This facility will complement our full-fledged sales, marketing, production, logistics, design and research activities in the Asia Pacific region. We're committed to Singapore, and are delighted to be playing a role in the development of Singapore's flourishing semiconductor industry,'' said Loh Kin Wah, President, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. The decision to locate the joint venture in Singapore demonstrates the growing importance of the country as a center for high value-added manufacturing. Singapore is home to numerous advanced wafer fabs and test and assembly facilities. This is the first announcement for a state-of-the-art 300-mm fab on the island and represents the largest investment in the history of its semiconductor industry. ``This joint venture is a very strategic project which will enhance Singapore's semiconductor industry. In line with EDB's cluster development program, we have several manpower programs in place to meet the industry's demand for skilled manpower. These programs, which tap on the potential talent pool from the universities, will be augmented by the use of foreign talent to help seize the new opportunities for growth in the industry,'' said Philip Yeo, Chairman of Singapore's EDB. biz.yahoo.com