[June 17, 2002, Taipei] - United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) today announced that its e-Procurement Portal has officially begun operation. The announcement was co-hosted by UMC vice chairman and CEO John Hsuan and Rosemary Ho, Country Manager of HP Taiwan. High-level representatives from the majority of UMC's suppliers, who are already online and have demonstrated the effectiveness of the new system, attended the event.

John Hsuan said, "UMC is constantly upgrading and evolving our online services to better streamline the interactive process for between UMC and our procurement partners. Today's announcement further demonstrates our commitment to provide the most efficient and effective online services, and sets a new industry standard for online supply chain management."

Rosemary Ho added, "HP has over ten-year experiences establishing electronic procurement systems, most notably with its HP KeyChain e-procurement architecture which has already improved HP's own procurement efficiency by over 30%. HP's participation in the establishment of UMC's e-procurement portal has been not only an opportunity to share the experience with our partner, but for HP it is the highest affirmation from the semiconductor supply chain. In the future, HP will not only continue to grow with UMC and its suppliers but will also continue advancing towards its goal of maximizing e-commerce penetration across the full range of Taiwan's industries."

Features of UMC's E-Procurement Portal:

1. First to implement purchase order electronic approval (Verification system provided by Taiwan-Ca (TaiCa); Registration Authority and digital signature secure module software provided by Formosoft International). Functions that give online trading a legal standing.
2. Faultless Internet security system and multi-platform management system to enable all types of procurement, including international.
3. Full featured search engine, enquiries system and efficient transaction control system.
4. Cross-department, multi-function, automated management system.
5. Complete implementation of electronic unified pricing and materials management.
6. Comprehensive, interactive e-learning system to help suppliers get online quickly.

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. The merged company had combined revenue of approximately $81.7 billion in fiscal 2001 and operations in more than 160 countries. Information about HP and its products can be found at www.hp.com