Atmel Rousset Receives QS9000 Certification; A More Stringent Quality Level Than ISO 9001, Mandatory for Most Automotive Products, Frequently Required by Leading Customers.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2000

Atmel Corporation (Nasdaq:ATML) today announced that its product development and wafer fabrication facility in Rousset, France, has been granted QS9000 certification. This is part of Atmel's on-going corporate certification program. QS9000 qualification, granted by the French accreditation body LCIE, covers all the activities at the Rousset site: product development, fabrication, assembly and test.

Originating in the automotive industry, QS9000 is becoming essential throughout the semiconductor industry. It is a superset of ISO 9001, requiring the use of formal tools to assure the quality of each step in the design and fabrication flow. It is becoming a pre-requisite for a number of leading IC customers.

Commented Eric Terrier, Atmel's Quality Manager in Rousset, "This new certification demonstrates to our customers and shareholders Atmel's commitment to quality, to sustain our mission of providing a level of products, support and service second to none in the industry."

Atmel's Rousset site is its largest installation in Europe, at present employing more than 1200 people. In addition to a state-of-the-art 8-inch wafer fabrication plant, it includes design and marketing teams for Atmel's industry-leading secure microcontrollers and customer- and application-specific products. Responding to the growing demand for Atmel's products, the Rousset site is expanding rapidly, with the aim of doubling its fabrication capacity during 2000. Further expansion is planned over the next few years.

Atmel Corporation

Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, California with manufacturing facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Nantes, Grenoble and Rousset, France and Heilbronn, Germany. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets on a worldwide basis advanced logic, mixed-signal, non-volatile memory, and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system level integration semiconductor solutions using advanced CMOS, BiCMOS, BiPolar and SiGe process technologies. Atmel product and financial information may be obtained from its Fax-on-Demand service. In North America call 1-800-292-8635 or Internationally, call 1-408-441-0732. Requests may be made via e-mail to [e-mail] or by visiting Atmel's web site at www.atmel.com.

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