HSINCHU, Taiwan, December 30, 2008 - UMC, a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that its 2007 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report was listed as an outstanding performer by Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TISE) in its Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Report Award. UMC's CSR report was recognized for its thoroughness and transparency. The accomplishment illustrates UMC's emphasis on communication with stakeholders and availability of information. UMC was the only manufacturer among all outstanding performers, with a ceremony recognizing award winners to be held on December 30th 2008.

"We are honored to be recognized for UMC's continuing efforts in environmental protection, corporate governance and social participation," said Dr. Shih Wei Sun, CEO of UMC. "As a member of this community, UMC will continue to work together with our customers, suppliers and employees to put social responsibility into practice and give back to the society."

In 2006, UMC began aligning its CSR report to GRI's (Global Reporting Initiative) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and was graded as Level A the same year, a first among all Taiwanese corporations. In addition, UMC has a CSR web page on the company's website and a section in the company's annual report. In 2009, UMC will introduce third-party assurance programs to allow impartial and objective third-party verification of UMC's CSR report. This move signifies UMC's commitment and emphasis on sustainable development and social responsibility.

Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Report Award is given by Taiwan Institute of Sustainable Energy, which is the first award in Taiwan that evaluates the transparency level of published corporate CSR reports. Judges of this award are experts and scholars from different fields including economy, management, environment and sociology. Sixteen companies competed for the award this year. Three companies were ranked as outstanding performers, while another three were chosen as fine performers.

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that manufactures advanced system-on-chip (SoC) designs for applications spanning every major sector of the IC industry. UMC's SoC Solution Foundry strategy is based on the strength of the company's advanced technologies, which include production proven 90nm, 65nm, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. The company employs approximately 13,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.