TSMC Launches Foundry Industry's First Internet Engineering Collaboration Service.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

HSIN-CHU, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2000

"Internet Layout Viewer" is First Step into a New Era of

Internet-Based Design and Implementation Services

for Foundry Industry

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)(NYSE:TSM), the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, today led the foundry industry into Internet-based engineering collaboration services with the launch of a new business-to-business collaboration solution called Internet Layout Viewer.

The new capability is expected to be complemented by additional offerings from TSMC and third-party vendors that will enable full front-to-back design collaboration over the Internet, targeted to TSMC's industry-leading processes.

Developed in concert with CreOsys, Inc. expressly for TSMC, Internet Layout Viewer provides designers in geographically dispersed locations with the ability to collaborate with TSMC Design Service engineers in real time, over the World Wide Web. This interactive collaboration capability enables teams of designers to review all or part of the chip layout, providing accurate placement and routing as well as correct physical topology of the device, before first silicon.

"As the foundry industry leader, TSMC is committed to providing world-class services to our customers to ensure a quality engineering experience and faster time to market," said Dr. Quincy Lin, senior vice president of corporate development. "By leveraging the Internet as the platform for value-added, collaborative engineering services, we hope to increase the accuracy and speed of engineering communications that results in right-the-first-time silicon."

About Layout Viewer

TSMC's Internet Layout Viewer is a dynamic, flexible engineering collaboration environment that can be used by teams of engineers anywhere in the world to view and interactively comment on a design after it has been passed to TSMC's Design Services division for place-and-route or layout reviewing.

The Internet Layout Viewer is platform independent, requiring only a web browser rated at 4.0 or above. The platform can be a PC, Mac or Workstation running Windows, Mac OS, UNIX or Linux. The Internet Layout Viewer is based on three new developments from CreOsys. The first, CreOx(TM), is an application within the CreOweb(TM) system that enables real-time desktop application sharing through the Internet. Next, GdsCruiser(TM) and SiliconCruiser(TM), are both Web-based layout applications that allow designers to easily view their physical designs at any stage of development. All three applications include a conference feature that allows instantaneous multi-party viewing and discussion of the layout design.

The Layout Viewer is a secure system that does not allow users to download or otherwise capture the design. The actual database on which the design resides never leaves the corporate firewall.

Instead, engineers can simultaneously view part or all of a given design, isolate and mark individual circuits or lines, trace circuits, and provide comments for all to see. This highly interactive, real-time layout viewing capability should significantly shorten layout review time while ensuring that the design's functionality was laid out accurately and efficiently.

"The ability for a designer to simply go to the Web, traverse the layout and manipulate the design in real time -- with the guidance of a TSMC engineer -- is fundamentally revolutionary," said Dr. Ping Yang, vice president of design services at TSMC. "Because the original designers of the product may have a sensitivity to timing, noise or power related design issues, they generally will want to see the layout before going to silicon. The Internet Layout Viewer allows these designers to provide quick, accurate approval for the design in real time, instead of paying an expensive personal visit to have face-to-face meetings."

Pricing and Availability

TSMC's Internet Layout Viewer is available now for free to TSMC customers with service contracts through TSMC's Design Service Division.

About TSMC

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 seven eight-inch wafer fabs (Fab 3, 4, 5, 6, TASMC, WSMC and WaferTech), and two six-inch wafer fabs (Fabs 1 and 2). In addition, the company has begun construction of a $1.2 billion joint venture fab with Philips Semiconductor, which is scheduled to open in Singapore in 2000. TSMC recently broke ground for Fabs 7 and 12, the company's first 12-inch wafer fabrication facilities. In 2000, TSMC expects to have the capacity for nearly 3.4 million 8-inch equivalent wafers. Fabrication processes offered by TSMC include CMOS logic, mixed-mode, volatile and non-volatile memory, and BiCMOS. TSMC's corporate headquarters are in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. More information about TSMC is available through the World Wide Web at http://www.tsmc.com.