TSMC Executive Calls Upon Semiconductor Industry to "Standardize" Around 0.10-micron Process / Process Alignment Could Result in Faster Time-to-Market for New A

London (PROTEXT) - Dr. Genda Hu, vice president of corporatemarketing for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)today called upon the semiconductor industry to standardize on asingle, open 0.10-micron semiconductor manufacturing process. Pointing to industry reports that the semiconductor industrylikely will rally around only a few processes at this node, Dr.Hu indicated that TSMC is currently working with the industry'sleading companies on this direction. Some agreements havealready been reached, and TSMC will report on these and otherdevelopments in the near future. "System-on-chip design methodologies are the future ofsemiconductor manufacturing," said Dr. Hu, speaking at a newsconference during TSMC's European Technology Symposium here. "Asingle, open technology standard could be a key element toefficient and rapid creation of single-chip systems. As the ICindustry in general moves toward the 0.10-micron node, TSMCbelieves this is the ideal point for development of such astandard." Dr. Hu suggests the alignment could result in nearly identicalmanufacturing steps carrying the minimum requirement of a commonset of design rules, common electrical parameters, and identicaltransistor characteristics. This alignment is already receivingthe support of a number of major integrated device manufacturers(IDMs) globally, and is predicated on TSMC's track record ofdelivering quality processes on time and with a range ofsupporting technologies. Dr. Hu said the primary drivers to a standard SoC platform areMoore's Law, which suggests IC density will double every 18months; the widening gap between design productivity andtransistor density; and the accelerated product lifecycles thatare the hallmark of today's technology industry. Combined, theseforces compel both fabless and IDMs to "shortcut" productdevelopment cycles by using standardized intellectual property,libraries, and now, process technology. The move to a standardized process technology has a number ofadditional benefits for the industry. By standardizing,developers of intellectual property can focus their attention onrapid delivery of an increasing variety of drop-in, reusable IPproducts. Similarly, designers of libraries - the primarybuilding blocks of today's ICs - can target this single process,eliminating the expense of supporting multiple processesglobally, often with moderate return on their investments. "Over the course of the last decade or so, the semiconductorindustry generally has shifted toward a foundry-centric businessmodel," said Dr. Hu. "Today, IP and library developers, EDAcompanies and others tend to verify their products on TSMCsilicon before going anywhere else. Similarly, the majority offabless companies and IDM companies worldwide have bothprototyping and volume manufacturing relationships with TSMC.Our focus to this point has been on developing the manufacturingand service organizations necessary to provide the highest-possible quality of experience with TSMC. With thatinfrastructure largely in place, we now believe we can providethe industry with the SOC platform for the future." While semiconductor technology has traditionally been a majordifferentiator in the high-tech industry, the resources necessaryto quickly and repeatedly develop leading-edge processes andstate-of-the-art production facilities has become prohibitive.For this reason, only a few semiconductor manufacturers are nowexpected to develop competitive 0.10-micron technologies. IDMsand fabless companies may still differentiate at the technologylevel through collaboration within the 0.10-micron platform, butthe vast majority of differentiation will take place at the SoClevel, where innovative designers can concentrate on system-levelapplications and features that differentiate them in theirrespective markets. About TSMC TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry,providing the industry's leading process technology and thefoundry industry's largest portfolio of process-proven library,IP, design tools and reference flows. The company operates twoadvanced 300mm wafer fabs, six eight-inch fabs and two six-inchwafer fabs. TSMC also has substantial capacity commitments attwo joint ventures fabs (Vanguard and SSMC) and at its whollyowned subsidiary, WaferTech. In early 2001, TSMC became the firstIC manufacturer to announce a 0.10-micron technology alignmentprogram with its customers. TSMC's corporate headquarters are inHsin-Chu, Taiwan. For more information about TSMC seehttp://www.tsmc.com. ots Original Text Service: TSMC North America Internet: http://www.presseportal.de Company Contact: Dan Holden TSMC North America Tel. (408) 382-8000 Mobil: (408) 910-1141 E-mail: Dholden@tsmc.com Agency Contact: Heinz Arnold Positio Europe GmbH Tel. +49 (0)89 340834-17 Fax +49 (0)89 340834-10 E-mail: heinz@positiopr.com

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