SUNNYVALE, Calif. - May 22, 2000 – UMC, a world leading semiconductor foundry with USA headquarters here, today announced an agreement to become the first Foundry Anchor Tenant of the SiliconX.com portal. To be launched in June 2000, the SiliconX Integrated Circuit (IC) design portal focuses on information and services for IC design chain management. Through SiliconX, UMC plans to offer information, tools and services aimed at further enhancing its customers' ability to generate system-level IC designs targeted to its various semiconductor processes.

Under terms of the strategic agreement, SiliconX is creating a multi-faceted design infrastructure on its portal for UMC to enable the foundry to reach the IC design community further up the design chain, providing that community with productivity enhancing design capabilities. UMC's portal, within SiliconX, will focus on re-integrating the design chain with an emphasis on accelerating time-to-market for start-up and emerging semiconductor suppliers. This will include first of its kind tools that enable IC designers to configure and build system-on-chip (SOC) designs that will achieve first time silicon success in the foundry and minimize time-to-market.

Jim Ballingall, vice president of worldwide marketing at UMC, notes: "We chose SiliconX as our strategic partner because its team of experts understands the needs and drivers of the semiconductor industry. SiliconX is receiving industry-wide support and will provide the first, central gathering point for IC design and manufacturing resource identification, evaluation and selection. We are pleased to be an anchor tenant on its site."

The SiliconX.com portal is designed to improve efficiencies, lower barriers to entry and accelerate time-to-market for semiconductor products. The business-to-business (B2B) site will address the needs of IC design, product, test and manufacturing teams, further enabling first-time silicon success and early production ramp.

"UMC immediately recognized the value in a portal directed toward the IC design community," affirms Judy Owen chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of SiliconX. "With the help and support of forward-thinking companies like UMC, we believe we will quickly lower the barriers to entry, increase efficiencies, and accelerate time-to-market for complex IC design."

SiliconX.com and the UMC portal will be demonstrated at the Design Automation Conference (DAC) Monday, June 5, through Wednesday, June 7, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, at the SiliconX Silicon Village Booth Number 9.

Founded in August 1999, SiliconX will launch the industry's first online IC designer's portal in June 2000 at the Design Automation Conference in Los Angeles. The SiliconX team is comprised of professionals with business, technical and marketing expertise as well as deep domain experience in the area of semiconductor design and manufacturing. SiliconX is funded by corporate and private investors from throughout the semiconductor industry.

Its office is located at 2674 North First Street, Suite 215, San Jose, Calif. 95134.
Telephone: 408.383.0100.
Facsimile: 408.383.2163.
Email info: .
Web Site: http://www.siliconx.com.

UMC and SiliconX acknowledge trademarks or registered trademarks of other organizations for their respective products and services.