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Spansion LLC to Join International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative

Spansion LLC, the largest NOR Flash memory company in the world, will join the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) effective Jan. 1, 2005, becoming the eleventh member of a global alliance of semiconductor companies focused exclusively on manufacturing effectiveness, SEMATECH announced today.

Spansion, the Flash memory subsidiary of AMD and Fujitsu Limited , will augment an ISMI roster that also includes AMD, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Infineon, Intel, Freescale, Panasonic, Philips, Texas Instruments, and TSMC.

ISMI, a subsidiary of SEMATECH, was formed earlier this year as a new consortium dedicated to helping semiconductor manufacturers improve factory productivity and reduce cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die.

"The addition of Spansion, with its advanced Flash memory technology, adds an important industry perspective to ISMI's membership," said Michael R. Polcari, SEMATECH president and CEO. "Through this relationship, we also gain another important connection to Japanese semiconductor manufacturing." Polcari added that Spansion's award-winning MirrorBit(TM) technology, which can store two or more bits of data in a single Flash memory cell, is an example of Spansion's technical strength.

John Schmitz, vice president and COO of Manufacturing Technology at SEMATECH, said Spansion plans to send assignees to ISMI as part of its participation. "We view this as an enrichment of our collective knowledge base, and an opportunity for significant learning for both Spansion and ISMI," Schmitz said.

The Semiconductor Company of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (also known as Panasonic) joined ISMI on Oct. 1. ISMI also anticipates the addition of other new members during the first quarter of 2005.

ISMI's core programs include fab productivity, equipment productivity, metrology, and environment/safety/health. The consortium conducts projects within those program areas, guided in the short term by installed base industry needs, and in the longer term by critical strategic manufacturing requirements defined by consortium members. Focused ISMI efforts in e-manufacturing, standards development, statistical methods and fab industry modeling have helped accelerate the realization of future factory needs of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).

ISMI membership is open to all semiconductor manufacturers with fabs. Participating companies continuously evaluate and refresh the consortium's program content, which ultimately could include projects aimed at plug-and-play (i.e., the minimum time for equipment installation and qualification) and people productivity in advanced manufacturing.

Spansion(TM) Flash memory products encompass a broad spectrum of densities and features to support a wide range of markets. Spansion Flash memory customers represent leaders in the wireless, cellular, automotive, networking, telecommunications and consumer electronics markets. There are a variety of Spansion Flash memory products, such as devices based on the innovative MirrorBit(TM) technology; the award-winning simultaneous read-write (SRW) product family; super low-voltage 1.8-volt Flash memory devices; and burst- and page-mode devices. Spansion was formed by the integration of AMD's and Fujitsu's Flash memory operations in 2003. It is the largest NOR Flash memory company in the world. Spansion Flash memory solutions are available worldwide from AMD and Fujitsu .

ISMI is a global alliance of the world's major semiconductor manufacturers, dedicated to reducing cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die, through cooperative programs focused on manufacturing effectiveness. The consortium conducts programs in manufacturing infrastructure, methods, standards, and productivity, with the aim of reducing the costs of producing finished wafers and chips and driving solutions to major productivity challenges. ISMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of International SEMATECH of Austin, TX.