SOURCE: Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
SST Inks Major Technology Licensing Deal With NEC
Leading Semiconductor Manufacturer to Use SST's SuperFlash Technology in Embedded Microcontroller Products
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2002--SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.) (Nasdaq:SSTI - news), a leader in flash memory technology, today announced it has licensed its SuperFlash technology to NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY - news), one of the world's largest semiconductor companies and the second largest supplier of microcontrollers worldwide/1. Under terms of the agreement, NEC will license SST's SuperFlash technology at 0.35-micron for use in its embedded microcontrollers and other embedded products requiring high-performance and reliable flash memory. In return for the use of its technology, SST will receive from NEC licensing fees and royalties on sales of products that incorporate SuperFlash. NEC will have immediate access to SST's SuperFlash technology, with products incorporating the technology expected to reach the market in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2002. The addition of NEC to its portfolio of world-class technology licensees underscores SST's SuperFlash technology as the best embedded flash technology available today.
``We chose SST's SuperFlash technology as our embedded flash memory of choice because of its high functionality, scalability, low power and easy integration into our embedded designs,'' said Uichi Kawakami, general manager, microcomputer division, NEC Corporation. ``As a leading supplier of microcontrollers, it is very important to us to ensure we are providing the best possible products to our customers. SST's proven track record of offering its partners the best embedded nonvolatile solution for a wide range of products and applications, including microcontrollers, assured us that they are the best company to fulfill our embedded nonvolatile memory needs.''
``NEC's selection of our SuperFlash technology once again validates SST's position as the leading provider of embedded flash memory to the electronics industry,'' said Bing Yeh, president and CEO of SST. ``Our business objective is to establish SuperFlash technology as the technology-of-choice for embedded applications and to enable the entire industry to take advantage of what SuperFlash has to offer. Our embedded flash memory IP licensing model has been very successful for two key reasons: foremost, our technology has been in demand for use in embedded applications because of its reliability, low power and low cost structure; second, by establishing and maintaining strong relationships with our global foundry partners, we have made SuperFlash widely available to the industry. We will continue to expand our technology licensing business through agreements with world-class companies such as NEC and through agreements with state-of-the-art foundries.''
SST's embedded flash memory licensing business includes agreements with major integrated device manufacturers such as IBM, Motorola, National Semiconductor, NEC, Oki Semiconductor, Samsung, Sanyo, Seiko Epson and Winbond Electronics; fabless companies such as Emosyn, the semiconductor division of ATMI; and foundry partners including TSMC, Nanya Technology, and Vanguard International Semiconductor.
A conference call to discuss this announcement will be held today, January 28, 2002 at 8:00 a.m. EST. Those wishing to participate in the conference call should dial 888/428-4473 (international callers dial 651/291-0344) using the password ``SST'' at approximately 7:55 a.m. EST. A replay of the call will be available for two weeks by dialing 800/475-6701 (international callers dial 320/365-3844) using the access code ``625396''. A webcast of the conference call will be available on www.sst.com and www.streetevents.com. Both webcasts will be available for two weeks.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (Nasdaq:NIPNY - news) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of approximately $43 billion in fiscal year 2000-2001. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at: nec.com.
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 communications and Internet computing markets. SST's product families include high functionality flash memory components, flash 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, National Semiconductor, Oki Electric Industry Co. Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corp., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) and Winbond Electronics Co.. TSMC offers SuperFlash under its trademark Emb-FLASH. Further information on SST can be found on the company's Web site at sst.com.
For more information about SST and the company's comprehensive list of product offerings, please call 1-888/SST-CHIP. Information can also be requested via email to sfoster@ssti.com or through SST's Web site at sst.com. SST is located at 1171 Sonora Court, Sunnyvale, Calif.; telephone: 408/735-9110; fax: 408/735-9036. |
