ZyDAS Aligns with UMC for Production of 802.11a/b/g Compliant IC

ZD1211 chip features high integration hardware and easy-to-use software

HSINCHU, Taiwan, April 14, 2004 – ZyDAS, a fabless IC design house that focuses on emerging communications technologies, and UMC (NYSE: UMC), a world leading semiconductor foundry, today announced that UMC is manufacturing ZyDAS' newly-released ZD1211, a highly integrated 802.11a/b/g fully compliant single-chip Medium Access Controller (MAC), Baseband Processor (BBP), and USB2.0 interface, on its 0.18-micron mixed-signal process technology. This highly-integrated chip is designed to meet users’ requirements for an easy-to-use WLAN solution that delivers high throughput, low power, and high security.

Dr. Jackson Hu, CEO at UMC, said, "It is UMC's business objective to bring customers' leading IC products to market in the shortest time possible. UMC and ZyDAS have had great success manufacturing ZyDAS' new products since we first partnered for their original WLAN chip solution in 2003. The introduction of the ZyDAS ZD1211 on our 0.18um mixed-signal technology represents another milestone in bringing highly evolved 802.11 compliant ICs to the public."

UMC's 0.18um mixed-signal technology is currently in mainstream volume production for a variety of customer products. A broad range of design and technology resources are available to support the platform, including silicon verified IP, design reference flows, and multiple transistor options.

Norman Hung, president of ZyDAS Technology, stated, "Integrating multiple standards into a single WLAN chip while reducing power consumption in mobile applications has proven to be a difficult task. The first-pass silicon success of the ZD1211 underscores UMC's superior technical and design support, which has allowed us to deliver products with up-to-date technology while keeping backward compatibility to maximize user benefits. With this latest accomplishment, ZyDAS has successfully integrated IEEE 802.11 a/b/g, the three standard modes, in the form of a Baseband Processor/Medium Access Controller (BBP/MAC), that includes high precision analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters and a USB 2.0 interface into the ZD1211."

Improving usability has become a new challenge for WLAN vendors. ZyDAS has addressed this requirement by providing comprehensive software add-on functions to complement the ZD1211's extensive hardware features. The ZD1211 comes with the Software Access Point utility that turns a client system with an 802.11 card into its own access point, or "soft AP." Users can easily switch from client to access point and connect adjacent computers in an infrastructure mode with a single mouse click, without paying extra for a separate access point device.

The "Auto-Installation" function, which uses on board FLASH memory to store all drivers and utilities, automatically installs the ZD1211 WLAN device without requiring a CD-ROM or manual installation procedures. This function accommodates non-technical users, and also benefits the Public WiFi service provider as it provides an easy-to-use WLAN device to their customers.

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, embedded DRAM, and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC is also a leader in 300mm manufacturing; Fab 12A in Taiwan is currently in volume production for a variety of customer products, while Singapore-based UMCi has just entered volume production. UMC employs over 8,500 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.

About ZyDAS
ZyDAS Technology Corp. is a fabless IC design house that focuses on emerging communication technologies. ZyDAS develops and markets solutions for Internet access and wireless communications. The current solution portfolio includes V.90/V.92 analog modem chips and WLAN standards compliant baseband processor and controller SoCs. ZyDAS Technology Corp. is a privately held company with office in Hsin-Chu Science-Based-Industrial-Park, Taiwan. For products and business opportunities information please visit www.zydas.com.tw.