UMC Group Partners With Synopsys to Ensure Highest IC Performance and Reliability.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 1999--

Mutual Customers Benefit from Silicon-Calibrated Technology

Files for 180 and 250 Nanometer Technology

Synopsys Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), and the UMC Group, today announced the signing of an agreement to enter a technology partnership to develop silicon-calibrated technology files.

UMC Group will provide manufacturing process parameters for its 180 and 250 nanometer processes (Gold Logic(TM) L180 and L250). Synopsys will adopt these parameters early in the process technology development phase to ensure the highest accuracy of its application result, and these results will be verified through the UMC Group Silicon Shuttle(SM) test-chip program.

The partnership includes Synopsys' full suite of transistor-based simulation, optimization and extraction tools, enabling mutual customers to design reliable integrated circuits (ICs) with greater predictability in performance.

Through Synopsys Direct Silicon Access(TM), an advanced wafer measurement lab and its simulation-tool-calibration methodologies to silicon, Synopsys and UMC Group are jointly developing silicon-calibrated technology files used by Synopsys transistor-level tools. Using the silicon-calibrated technology files, COT fabless IC designers can realize unprecedented accuracy with Synopsys tools when they target UMC Group fabs.

Available immediately as a result of this agreement are SPICE-calibrated EPIC technology files for both 180 and 250 nanometer processes. Synopsys extracts the necessary data from the process information provided by UMC Group to construct technology files. The files serve the same purpose as the silicon-calibrated technology files but they are correlated and calibrated against UMC Group's SPICE models.

"UMC Group is focused on delivering the most advanced process technology to foundry customers looking for a competitive advantage. We are teaming with the best companies in their fields to ensure that our L250 and L180 process technology and foundry services are optimized to ensure rapid turn-around times, high yields, and satisfied customers," said Jim Kupec, president of UMC Group (USA).

"Our relationship with Synopsys leads to high accuracy early in the design process. This shortens development time, allowing our customers to quickly and successfully ramp up their production of complex chips."

"Giving customers a superior level of predictability for IC performance and reliability is the foundation of this agreement," said Larry Yamada, vice president of marketing for the EPIC Technology Group of Synopsys.

"In nanometer process technologies, second- and third-order effects related to power, timing and signal integrity become much more significant to the IC designer. Synopsys is the leader in handling these effects. Partnering with a leader like UMC Group further ensures the success of our mutual customers."

About UMC Group

UMC Group is a world leading semiconductor foundry group consisting of United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), United Semiconductor Corp. (USC), United Integrated Circuits Corp. (UICC), United Silicon, Inc. (USIC), UTEK Semiconductor Corp. (UTEK), and the first dedicated foundry in Japan, Nippon Foundry Inc. (NFI).

The group leads the dedicated foundry industry in value-added design support with its Gold IP(TM) program. In 1998, UMC Group's L250 (0.25-micron) and L220 (0.22-micron) process technologies set the foundry industry benchmark for production volumes, capacity and yields in very deep sub-micron technology.

In 1999, UMC Group will have production-ready 0.18-micron (L180) and copper-interconnect technology. The UMC Group Silicon Shuttle(SM) test-chip program enables library vendors, IP vendors and foundry customers to verify their designs in silicon at low or no cost.

UMC Group companies are headquartered in Taiwan, with marketing and customer support offices located in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. UMC Group (U.S.A.) offices are located at 788 Palomar Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, telephone [phone], facsimile 408/733-8090.

About Synopsys

Synopsys Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), is a leading supplier of electronic design automation (EDA) solutions to the global electronics market. The company provides comprehensive design technologies to creators of advanced integrated circuits, electronic systems, and systems on a chip.

Synopsys also provides consulting services and support to its customers to streamline the overall design process and accelerate time-to-market. Additional information about Synopsys is available at http://www.synopsys.com.

Note to Editors: Synopsys and EPIC are registered trademarks and Direct Silicon Access is a trademark of Synopsys Inc. Gold Logic and Gold IP are trademarks of the UMC Group. All other trademarks mentioned in this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.