TSMC ACCELERATES ENHANCED PERFORMANCE FOR GRAPHICS ICS AND PLDS.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM), the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, has given a boost to graphic chip and programmable logic device (PLD) designers by offering final-version 0.15-micron libraries.

The libraries are available from TSMC's third-party library partners, including Artisan Components, Nurlogic Design, Synopsys and Virage Logic. TSMC previously taped out half a dozen customer designs using early versions of these advanced 0.15-micron libraries from several of these partners.

The 0.15-micron library offering from these partners include both high-speed and high-density cells, and I/O libraries in both pad-limited and core-limited sets. Also supported are specia -function I/Os for communications and computing requirements, including LVDS, SSTL and PECL. Supported memory compilers include single- and dual-port SRAM in high-speed and high-density versions, which can generate instances up to 512k. Also available are one- and two-port register files, and diffusion-programmable ROM.

Libraries are the building blocks of today's complex chips. In addition to its already robust library offering for larger geometries, TSMC now offers solutions for its 0.15 low-voltage process and is developing solutions for the 0.15 generic process. TSMC continues to develop libraries for different 0.15-micron process derivatives as demand requires. TSMC offers these process derivatives and supporting libraries to broaden support of designers' critical requirements for performance, power and leakage. These libraries enable designers to shorten the design cycle time. The libraries were developed by both TSMC and its third-party partners for applications in the communications, graphics, networking, computing and consumer products markets.

TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, providing the industry's leading process technology, library and IP options and other leading-edge foundry services. TSMC operates two 6-inch wafer fabs (Fab 1 and 2) and six 8-inch wafer fabs (Fab 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8). The company has substantial capacity commitments at three joint venture fabs -- Vanguard, WaferTech and SSMC. TSMC is currently ramping the industry's first 300mm pilot line at its Fab 6 and is constructing two dedicated 300mm fabs, Fab 12 in Hsin-Chu and Fab 14 in Tainan. In 2001, TSMC expects to produce nearly 4.8 million 8-inch equivalent wafers. Fabrication processes offered by TSMC include CMOS logic, mixed-mode/RF, volatile and non-volatile memory, and BiCMOS. TSMC's corporate headquarters are in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.