Corrent Corp. Selects UMC to Manufacture High-Performance Network Security Processors.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2001

New Processors to Meet Industry's Demand for Internet Security at

Optical Speeds

Corrent Corp., a semiconductor start-up company developing high-performance standards-based Internet security chips Tuesday announced that United Microelectronics Corp. (NYSE: UMC), a world-leading semiconductor foundry, will be the manufacturing foundry partner for Corrent's high-performance network security processors.

Corrent is leveraging UMC's 0.15um process technology today and plans to migrate to the foundry's 0.13-micron WorldLogic(SM) process.

Corrent will use UMC's state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and stringent qualification and monitoring processes, ensuring the highest quality silicon chips available with the best power/performance ratio possible.

The high-performance network security processors to be fabricated by UMC represent the design work developed by Corrent's seasoned professionals at the company's headquarters in Tempe.

Based on its patent-pending architecture, Corrent is designing processors that operate at gigabit data speeds and above to secure the exchange of electronic information within both public and private Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

Corrent expects that this new architecture, combined with UMC's manufacturing strength, will break the performance bottlenecks associated with today's software solutions and re-purposed silicon.

"Having UMC as our fabrication partner gives us a real competitive advantage in the exploding market opportunity of high-performance IP data security," said Richard Takahashi, president and chief executive officer of Corrent Corp. "We are impressed with UMC's reputation of working closely with its customers to provide the most leading-edge technology solutions with the fastest time to market."

"UMC is committed to developing cutting-edge, high-performance process technologies," said Jim Ballingall, vice president of worldwide marketing at UMC.

"As both businesses and consumers continue to depend on the Internet as an every day tool of survival, the need for security is becoming an increasingly critical requirement. We are pleased to dedicate our premier services and resources to develop this exciting opportunity with Corrent."

Corrent's first generation of product families include a unique line of Packet Armor(TM) processors for Internet Protocol Secure (IPSec) transmissions and a family of Socket Armor(TM) processors that will accelerate e-commerce transactions using secure socket layer (SSL) standards. Both families of processors encrypt data and send it securely across networks. Samples will be available in Q4 of 2001.

Semiconductor industry analyst Jeremy Donovan of market research firm Dataquest forecasts that the security processor market will grow at over a 75 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), reaching a market opportunity size of more that $750 million by 2004.

"The growing optical Internet infrastructure and speed will drive the need for security and encryption technologies at the hardware level," said Donovan.

About Corrent Corp.

Corrent Corp. is a semiconductor company focused on providing network system designers with the highest quality security chips at fiber-optic speeds.

Corrent's Internet data security and acceleration processors are based on an advanced architecture optimized for maximum network transparency that eliminates traditional processing bottlenecks associated with the secure exchange of IP data through virtual private networks (VPNs) and business-to-business transactions.

Unlike traditionally architected software and hardware solutions, Corrent's security chips provide greater speed, scalability and compatibility with the industry's evolving fiber-optic security standards. For more information visit: http://www.corrent.com.