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Establishment of ASPLA to Develop Next-Generation Semiconductor Design and Manufacturing Technologies

Posted on: Friday, 11 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

Tokyo, Japan , July. 11, 2002 - (JCN Newswire) - Advanced SoC Platform Corporation (ASPLA) was established with the objective of performing development toward the unification of design and manufacturing technologies for the nest-generation semiconductors in Japan. ASPLA was registered on July 5, 2002 through the joint capitalization of 11 member companies on the Semiconductor Executive Committee of the Japan Electric and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), and the company commences operations on July 18.

Satoru Ito, senior corporate officer / president & chief executive officer of the Semiconductor & Integrated Circuits of Hitachi, Ltd., assumed chairman of ASPLA, and Keiichi Kawate, from Toshiba Corporation, will serve as president and CEO. The new companies head office is located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

ASPLA has been established with a capitalization of 950 million yen. Of this total, Fujitsu Limited, Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, NEC Corporation and Toshiba Corporation each invested 150 million yen. Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., ROHM Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation and Sony Corporation each invested 10 million yen. Following a planned equity increase by the major 6 investors in March 2003, ASPLA will have a capitalization of 1,850 million yen.

The specific mission of ASPLA is to develop and verify core technologies for the design and manufacture of next-generation 90-nanometer-node semiconductor devices. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, the Japanese government assigned 31.5 billion yen of its secondary supplementary budget to "Design and Construction Work for Facility for Standardization of Semiconductor Device and Munufacturing Technologies." On the basis of this outlay, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), an independant public research organization, is preparing a pilot manufacturing line in Kanagawa Prefecture. ASPLA will work with AIST for the joint research and development with the objective of progressing toward the unification of teshnologies for 90-nanometer-node devices.

Semiconductors form the nucleus of the digital network society of the 21st century. Research collaboration among industries, acedemia and government is being seen around the world, due to steady progress in semiconductor technologies. In Japan, the Asuka Project, Semiconductor MIRAI Project and the HALCA Project were started in 2001 under a collabpration among the semiconductor industry, acedemia and government.

Huge funds are required for capital and R&D investments to develop next-generation semiconductors. Currently, Japan`s semiconductor manufactures are persuing individual paths in design and manufacturing technology development, and as such have been restricted to applying only their own design IPs. For the Japanese industry to succeed in the global market of the future, it is important to achieve unification in every area possible, thereby sharing immense research expenses and improving development efficiency, as well as focusing the resources of individual companies in thier area of expertise. From this standpoint, ASPLA is working in cooperation with other semiconductor projects to promote the unifications of next-generation semiconductor design and manufacturing technologies.

To successfully achieve the goal of its establishment, ASPLA is cooperating with the Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center (STARC), a collaborative research organization established by 11 of Japan`s semiconductor manufacturers. In addition to promoting STARC`s design rules, design library and basic IPs, ASPLA will proceed with trials and tests of integrated ciruit (IC) design based on these resources.

ASPLA will also verify designs developed by third parties, such as companies, acedemia and research insitutions, in order to estabish an open technological platform for System-on Chip (SoC), and to promote its usage as a forum for the prototyping and testing of new IPs and SoCs. Through its development and testing of SoCs, a core device in the network society of the 21st century, ASPLA will strive to contribute to the advancement of the industries.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

With 80 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over the world, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TSE: 6503)(FTSE: 6503q.l) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and construction. The company has operations in 34 countries and recorded consolidated group sales of over US$33BN in the year ended March 31, 2001.

About Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic, National, Technics, and Quasar brands, is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronics products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated sales of US$51.70 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002. In addition to stock exchanges in Tokyo (TSE: 6752) and elsewhere in Japan, Matsushita`s shares are listed on the Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, New York (NYSE: MC), Pacific, and Paris stock exchanges.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501 / NYSE: HIT) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2001 (ended March 31, 2002) consolidated sales totaled 7,994 billion yen ($60.1 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services.

About Fujitsu Limited

Fujitsu (TSE: 6702) (US:FJTSY) is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace- setting technologies, high-reliability/performance computing and telecommunications platforms, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts make Fujitsu uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the broadband Internet to help its customers succeed. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited reported consolidated revenues of 5 trillion yen (about US$38 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.1) is one of the world`s leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global base of customers. Ranked as one of the world`s top patent-producing companies, NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, through its three market-focused, in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation employs more than 140,000 people worldwide and had net sales of approximately $39 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2002.

About Oki Electric Industry

Founded more than a century ago in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6703) is Japan`s first telecommunications manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With more than 25,000 employees worldwide, Oki Electric provides customers with top-notch products and technologies for telecommunication systems, information systems and electronic devices through its corporate slogan "Oki, Network Solutions for Global Society."

About Rohm Company Limited

Rohm`s principal activity is the design and manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic components, including monolithic ICs, hybrid ICs, transistors, diodes, light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, resistors, capacitors, liquid crystal displays, thermal print heads/image sensor heads and LED displays. Rohm is well known for its development prowess and strong cost-competitiveness, and has been increasing its R&D personnel.

About Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.(TSE:6764) was established in 1947 and incorporated in 1950. The company manufactures a broad range of electronic products including personal computers, wireless phones, copiers, electronic devices, and home appliances. The company, which has nearly 150 subsidiaries in more than 25 countries, develops environment-friendly products including solar cells, rechargeable batteries, and CFC-free refrigerators and air-conditioning units. Japan accounts for 70% of sales.

About Sharp Corporation

Sharp Corporation (TSE: 6753) was established in 1912 and is engaged in the manufacture and sale of electrical communications equipment, electric equipment and electronics-applied equipment, including televisions, video cameras, CD stereos, MD players, fridges, faxes, and mobile phones. Its other divisions cover electronics (TV, video, camcorder, CD stereo, MD player, fridges, fax, mobile phones) and electronics components (opto devices, CD-ROM devices, photo voltaic devices). Electronics accouted for 67% of fiscal 2000 revenues; Electronic components, 33%.

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corp. (TSE: 6758) is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be a leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of nearly $60 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba Corporation (TSE: 6502) (US: TOSBF) (FTSE: TOS) is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. The company`s integration of these wide-ranging capabilities assures its position as a leading company in semiconductors, LCDs and other electronic devices. Toshiba has 176,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US$40 billion.

Contact:

ASPLA Masao Yamawaki 81 (0)3 3593 7362 www.starc.or.jp

Distributed by JCN Newswire

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