Ricoh Extends Partnership with UMC to 90nm

UMC selected over other foundries due to its 90nm readiness and mass production experience

HSINCHU, Taiwan, September 15, 2004 -- UMC (NYSE: UMC; TSE: 2303), a world leading semiconductor foundry, today announced the extension of its partnership with Ricoh Company for the manufacturing of Ricoh's ASIC and image processor products on 90nm technology. Ricoh will utilize the foundry's L90 Standard Performance (SP) process device option with low-k dielectrics to meet the speed and performance requirements of its next generation product lines.

Kenji Wakabayashi, general manager of Ricoh Imaging System LSI Development Center, said, "90nm readiness and maturity were key factors in our foundry partner selection process for our upcoming product line. After careful evaluation, we chose UMC to manufacture our 90nm ASIC and image processor ICs due to the foundry's industry leadership position and mass production experience in 90nm technology."

UMC delivered its first 90nm customer chips in March of 2003. The company is currently fully qualified and in volume production for a number of 90nm customer products. UMC's 90nm process incorporates up to nine copper metal layers, triple gate oxide and a multiple Vt option.

H.J. Wu, president of UMC Japan (UMCJ) and also head of UMC's Japan Business Group, commented, "UMC works closely with customers to help them realize the maximum benefits of our advanced technology and manufacturing. Ricoh, a global leader in its field, has been an excellent foundry partner and we are pleased to extend our existing relationship to include its new line of 90nm products. We look forward to delivering further-enabling technologies that will power Ricoh's next-generation devices."

This 90nm cooperation is considered part of UMCJ's business operations, and earnings will be counted as UMCJ revenue. UMCJ will leverage UMC's advanced technology and manufacturing through an outsourcing arrangement.

About RICOH

A pioneer in digital office equipment, Ricoh (www.ricoh.com) offers a broad range of office solutions with world class support and services, including MFPs, printers, fax machines, DVD+RW/+R drives and media. With 381 consolidated subsidiaries worldwide, employing approximately 73,200 people, the Ricoh Group posted consolidated total sales of 1,780.2 billion yen ($17.1 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications spanning every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge foundry technologies that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SOC) designs, including 90nm copper, 0.13um copper, and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC is also a leader in 300mm manufacturing; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based UMCi are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. UMC employs over 10,500 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.