United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC; TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that its Hsinchu-based Fab 8A has gained Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) verification in accordance with ISO 14051 by DNV GL, becoming the first MFCA verified semiconductor fab in Taiwan. This achievement demonstrates UMC's success in green management, as the MFCA assessment method exposes the profits hidden in waste and stock and reveals opportunities for waste reduction compared to traditional cost accounting.

UMC Vice President M.L. Liao said, "As a multinational corporate leader, UMC has been following the heated topics regarding worldwide environmental changes. To contribute our part as a responsible global organization, UMC completed product carbon and water footprint assessments and implemented carbon-reduction efforts. We followed these measures by enhancing our upstream control of resources through the implementation of MFCA to minimize loss during manufacturing and completed verification ahead of all others in Taiwan. The new insights gained help us save on raw material and waste treatment costs. For example, using water as a replacement at the soft lithography source can potentially save UMC over NT$20 million per year. This represents a win-win outcome in economic and environmental terms and demonstrates our resolve to care for the environment through concrete action, as pledged in our CSR mission.”

Originating from Germany in the mid-1990s, MFCA focuses on the assessment of the input and output of environment resources, and emphasizes the importance of material losses in the accounting system with the objective of increasing resource production, as well as providing a solution to business profits and current ecological and environmental issues. The assessment system was adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as ISO 14051.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced IC production for applications spanning every major sector of the electronics industry. UMC’s robust foundry solutions enable chip designers to leverage the company’s sophisticated technology and manufacturing, which include volume production 28nm gate-last High-K/Metal Gate technology, ultra-low power platform processes specifically engineered for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the automotive industry’s highest-rated AEC-Q100 Grade-0 manufacturing capabilities for production of ICs found in cars. UMC’s 10 wafer fabs are strategically located throughout Asia and are able to produce over 500,000 wafers per month. The company employs more than 17,000 people worldwide, with 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 introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, 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. 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.