SUNNYVALE, Calif. - January 6, 2003 - UMC (NYSE: UMC), a world leading semiconductor foundry, and Synchronicity® today introduced the foundry industry's most comprehensive online design support and customer service resource, named IP Master™. IP Master boosts UMC's customers productivity by enabling them to quickly find, evaluate, acquire and use design elements, such as design libraries and semiconductor intellectual property (IP) via UMC's customer web portal at http://my.umc.com.

In order to rapidly deploy a comprehensive service with broad industry compatibility, UMC selected the Synchronicity Publisher Suite™, as the basis for IP Master. IP Master has two key elements that improve customer design productivity:

1. SOC Platform - is UMC's online shopping mall for SOC development. SOC Platform is built from the IP Gear™ Catalog component of the Synchronicity Publisher Suite where customers can find, evaluate and gain information on the silicon production status of every IP core that targets UMC's process technology. Users can use automated search tools or browse a component hierarchy of broadly applicable IP from UMC's Gold IP Program (e.g. libraries, memories, mixed-signal functions and embedded processors). Users can also browse by vertical market application, for example for a DSP suitable for a set-top box SOC to be manufactured on UMC's 0.13 micron CMOS process. The data in SOC Platform is continuously updated and includes the additional information that truly makes IP usable, such as whether the IP has been proven in silicon.
2. UMC HelpDesk - is a comprehensive online support system for UMC customers. It is an implementation of the IP Gear HelpDesk component of the Synchronicity Publisher Suite tuned to UMC's customer requirements. The HelpDesk manages customer queries from initiation to closure and includes useful functions such as automatic assignment to the appropriate expert, query escalation, reminders, private internal notation, and management reporting on response status and speed. Additionally, users can often quickly find answers by searching the Knowledge Base of non-confidential, past support responses.
   
   

Synchronicity and its Taiwanese distributor Maojet Technology Corporation, worked with UMC to set up the IP Master system. UMC is the first foundry, using the de facto standard for design reuse and IP distribution, to provide a comprehensive IP management system that includes Backend fabrication information.

"UMC is committed to delivering the semiconductor industry's best services and support," said Dr. Fu-Tai Liou, president of the America Business Group at UMC. "Extensive efforts, such as gathering input from many customers and working with leading technology partners like Synchronicity and Maojet, resulted in IP Master. The design resource system provides a truly unique design productivity boost by helping our customers rapidly use the most appropriate process technology, IP, and libraries, via any web browser."

"We are pleased to be playing a central role in enabling UMC to offer the richest and most advanced online design resource," said Patrick Romich, president and CEO, Synchronicity. "The Publisher Suite connects UMC's design chain, closely tying the foundry to the market that it serves."

IP Master augments UMC's other online services including MyUMC, a full-service customer information portal that went online in October 2000. MyUMC gives customers easy access to UMC foundry services by providing a total online supply chain solution and 24-hour access to detailed account information.

Select UMC customers will have access to IP Master in early January; all customers can access the site in mid-February as long as they have obtained an IP Master login from their UMC representative. The complete offering will feature a rich set of IP catalogs from UMC IP suppliers. UMC foundry customers will access the system for free through the MyUMC web portal, available at my.umc.com.

Synchronicity enables IC, embedded software and system developers to get from concept to product to revenue more quickly. Their Developer and Publisher Suites provide value by tracking project status, capturing design intent, managing engineering data, and coordinating IP reuse, distribution and support. Over 120 development organizations, including 13 of the top 15 semiconductor companies, use Synchronicity software to connect and manage their design chain; boosting collaboration within project teams, across the enterprise and between businesses. Synchronicity is headquartered in Marlboro, MA and has offices worldwide. For more information visit www.synchronicity.com

Synchronicity and the Synchronicity Logo are registered trademarks and Synchronicity Publisher Suite and IP Gear are trademarks of Synchronicity Software Inc. of Marlboro, MA.

All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.