Hsinchu, Taiwan, November 30, 2017 - United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC; TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that UMC’s Singapore-based Fab 12i has been awarded the Water Efficiency Award by the Singapore Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. Fab 12i became the only Singapore fab to win the award from the Wafer Fabrication sector.

Johnson Liu, head of UMC Fab 12i, said: "This valuable achievement highlights the results of UMC’s long-term commitment to water recycling and that the foundry has become an obvious role model in the field. Singapore is dedicated to water recycling due to the scarcity of natural resources there. Recycling by large industries is currently at 20%, and there is a need to increase this rate. Water supply sourcing of renewable water and desalination is expected to bring this ratio to 80% by 2030. As a part the islands high tech industry, UMC must fulfill its responsibility to protect the environment and develop renewable water resources in line with government policies. In 2015, Fab 12i built a new wastewater treatment plant and treated its wastewater to meet government standards and policies. UMC continues to assume the role of a responsible corporate citizen with a win-win goal of corporate growth coexisting with environmental protection.”

Introduced in 2017, the Water Efficiency Awards (WEA) is a biennial award which recognizes the top water efficiency performers in the respective sectors. The best performers in each sector refer to premises with the lowest Water Efficiency Index (WEI), or industrial plants with the highest recycling rates. Presented by PUB, this award has evolved from the Water Efficiency Building (Gold & Silver) Certification.

On 21 Nov 2017, 27 award recipients from seven sectors (Office, Retail, Hotel, Wafer Fabrication, Refinery, School and Estate) received the Water Efficiency Awards from Mr. Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. They are acknowledged for their outstanding efforts in using water efficiently in their operations.

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced IC production for applications spanning every major sector of the electronics industry. UMC’s comprehensive foundry solutions enable chip designers to leverage the company’s sophisticated technology and manufacturing, which include high volume 28nm High-K/Metal Gate technology, 14nm FinFET mass production, ultra-low power platform processes specifically developed for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the automotive industry’s highest-rated AEC-Q100 Grade-0 manufacturing capabilities for the production of ICs found in vehicles. UMC’s 11 wafer fabs are strategically located throughout Asia and are able to produce nearly 600,000 wafers per month. The company employs over 19,000 people worldwide, with offices in Taiwan, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.

Note from UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.