TOKYO and HSINCHU, Taiwan, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (New JRC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC; TSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that they have begun supplying automotive ICs to major Tier-1 Japanese auto suppliers. Those analog ICs are incorporated into electronic control units (ECUs) adopted by major Japanese auto manufacturers. The power management IC (PMIC), designed by NJR and manufactured at UMC, has also been adopted by another international Tier-1 auto manufacturer. The milestone is significant as it demonstrates that UMC and NJR have met the high production quality and reliability standards for ICs used in automobiles, which are much more stringent than for traditional semiconductor manufacturing.

Mr. Takaaki Murata, NJR Director & Manager of its corporate office said, "NJR has been working hard with UMC to ensure that their production meets the rigorous requirements of Japanese car OEMs. We are pleased that UMC-made products are proven to meet those tough qualifications. I believe the combination of NJR's design know-how in automotive, leveraged with UMC's manufacturing expertise, will further open new markets in Japan and elsewhere."

"With NJR's guidance to successfully enter the tough Japanese automotive market, UMC has broadened its horizons in the automotive IC sector," said J H Shyu, senior vice president of Production and Operation Integration at UMC. "We have been able to produce high reliability wafers that conform to automotive safety requirements, with the low noise attribute of UMC's process technology resulting in highly accurate voltage control. We believe the benefits of UMC's robust manufacturing will help contribute to other auto OEMs as well."

NJR power management ICs (PMICs) are used to control battery voltage in cars, especially the idling stop control system. With the increasing silicon content in today's cars, vehicles are increasingly being considered an IT device, with almost $300 worth of semiconductor devices used in each auto. Every year, 80 million cars are manufactured worldwide, making automotive semiconductors a $24 billion market. Given automotive IC's high-profit and stable market, semiconductor manufacturers are seeing automotive as next opportunity following smartphones.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced technology and manufacturing for applications spanning every major sector of the IC industry. UMC's robust foundry solutions allow chip designers to leverage the company's leading-edge processes, which include 28nm poly-SiON and gate-last High-K/Metal Gate technology, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i. Fab 12A consists of Phases 1-4 which are in production for customer products down to 28nm. Construction has been completed for Phases 5&6, with future plans for Phases 7&8. The company employs over 15,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, mainland China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.

Note from UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about future outsourcing, wafer capacity, technologies, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its registration statements and reports on Forms F-1, F-3, F-6 and 20-F and 6-K, in each case as amended. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.



    Editorial Contacts:
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    UMC                                                  NJR

    Richard Yu                                           Takashi Nishida

    (886) 2-2658-9168 ext. 16951                         +81-49-278-1497

    richard_yu@umc.com                                   tnishida@njr.co.jp

SOURCE United Microelectronics Corporation