Samsung First to Deliver 1-Gbit SDRAM to Major OEM Customers.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 1998--

Samsung has delivered fully functional 1-Gbit SDRAM components and

modules to leading PC and workstation manufacturers Compaq, Dell,

Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun.

1-Gbit SDRAM will be used for a broad spectrum of

applications, ranging from high-end servers for data warehousing, to

workstations, portables (PDA, notebook) and networking devices.

Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. today announced that it had delivered 1-Gbit SDRAM samples to its major OEM customers Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun Microsystems. Samsung is the first memory manufacturer to achieve production silicon, and 1-Gbit components will enable module capacities of 2 Gigabytes and beyond.

"These new high-density, high-performance product introductions verify Samsung's commitment to the memory business," stated Avo Kanadjian, Vice President of Marketing for Memory Products. "Our next challenge is to work with the system enablers to stretch the limits of next-generation memory architectures."

The range of applications for 1-Gbit SDRAM memory spans from servers, workstations and networking devices, to PDAs, notebook PCs, HDTV and other future digital multimedia products. It is ideally suited for portable applications, such as for personal data assistants and notebook PCs, where form factor and power consumption are paramount concerns. At the 1-Gbit level, power, reliability, cost and performance gains are significant for workstations and high-end servers. The 1-Gbit SDRAM memory successfully addresses all these applications and challenges for the future.

"The recent delivery of 1-Gbit SDRAM samples to major OEMs validates Samsung as a technology leader committed to the DRAM market," stated Sherry Garber, Senior Vice President at Semico Research in Phoenix, Arizona.

Samsung expects to outpace its competitors by at least 12 months in the introduction of the 1-Gbit SDRAM. The new device will be commercially available around the turn of the century, with full-scale production forecast for around 2005.

Technical Features

Samsung is using 0.18 micron leading-edge process technology to achieve a die size measuring 18.8 x 30.2 mm, or 569 square mm. The 1-Gbit design also uses triple-level metal wiring, with one tungsten and two aluminum wiring layers. This allows the back-end design rules to be 50 percent larger than if two layers of metal were used.

Samsung Semiconductor

Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Korea-based Samsung Electronics. Samsung's Semiconductor Division is the seventh largest semiconductor manufacturer and the leading producer of memory products in the world. Samsung's System LSI products include ASICs, microcontrollers, power devices and media products. Samsung was the first company to introduce the 64-Megabit DRAM and the first fully functional 256-Megabit DRAM in 1994. In November 1996, Samsung had the world's first working silicon for the 1-Gigabit DRAM. Samsung was also the first to announce working merged DRAM and logic technology, and currently claims the largest applications portfolio of MDL-based products. Samsung Semiconductor's North American headquarters are located in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.samsungsemi.com.