Hsinchu, Taiwan, November 2, 2018 - United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC; TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry based in Taiwan, today issued the following statement in response to an indictment (United States v. United Microelectronics Corporation, et al., CR 18 465 (LHK/SVK) and civil complaint (United States v. United Microelectronics Corporation, et al., 18 CV 06643) unsealed on November 1, 2018 by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

The indictment and civil complaint allege that starting in 2015 UMC and others conspired to steal trade secrets of another company, Micron Technology, Inc., and used that information to develop technology that was subsequently transferred to Fujian Jinhua, a Chinese company. The allegations in the indictment and complaint are virtually the same as allegations in a civil complaint previously filed against UMC by Micron. UMC regrets that the U.S. Attorney’s Office brought these charges without first notifying UMC and giving it an opportunity to discuss the matter.

UMC is an industry-leading Taiwanese semiconductor company that has been developing integrated circuits and other technologies for four decades. It devotes vast resources to researching and developing technologies and owns a portfolio of thousands of active technology patents worldwide. UMC takes seriously any allegation that it may have violated any laws and fully intends to respond to these allegations accordingly.

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 world-class 28nm High-K/Metal Gate technology, 14nm FinFET volume production, specialty process platforms specifically developed for AI, 5G and 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 over 600,000 wafers per month. The company employs more than 20,000 people worldwide, with offices in Taiwan, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at https://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.