Saifun Acquires 90nm Process Know-How from SMIC
02 July 2007 - 7:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Saifun Expands its IP Offering with NROM Process Technology
SHANGHAI, China and NETANYA, Israel, July 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC";
NYSE: SMI; HKSE: 981), one of the leading semiconductor foundries
in the world, and Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (NASDAQ:SFUN), a
provider of intellectual property solutions for the non-volatile
memory (NVM) market, today announced that the two companies have
signed an agreement whereby Saifun will acquire the IP and know-how
of 90nm process technology. This IP purchase is the first part of a
development cooperation which will continue to the next generation
of advanced technologies. Samples of the first SMIC Data (NAND)
flash product based on the 90 nm process technology have already
been shipped and the product is expected to reach the market later
this year. The 2Gb product, based on Saifun NROM(R) technology, is
the highest density of Data flash in the same technology node. The
next product to follow will be of 8Gb density, based on Saifun Quad
NROM four-bit-per-cell technology, and is scheduled to reach the
market early in 2008. Both companies are committed to continuing
the investment in the productization of high-density Data flash and
in developing broader applications utilizing the advantages of Quad
NROM 4-bit-per-cell technology. "We see great potential with NROM
technology. The development of the first NAND product is just the
beginning of the successful cooperation with Saifun. This agreement
further cements our partnership to penetrate the NAND Flash
market," commented Dr. Richard Chang, CEO of SMIC. "This agreement
marks an important milestone in our relationship with SMIC as they
launch their first product to the very challenging Data, or NAND,
market, based on our NROM technology," commented Dr. Boaz Eitan,
Chairman and CEO of Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. "It is particularly
important for Saifun as it will enable us to expand our IP
portfolio of process technology for the benefit of our licensees.
"As we move forward, we look forward to working with SMIC on more
advanced processes and applications," continued Eitan, "and are
confident that the combination of Saifun NROM technology and SMIC
technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities place both
companies in an excellent position to offer the best cost
performance products to the market." About SMIC Semiconductor
Manufacturing International Corporation, ("SMIC", NYSE: SMI; HKSE:
981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and
the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China, providing
integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing service at 0.35nm to 90nm and
finer line technologies. Headquartered in Shanghai, SMIC operates
three 8-inch wafer fabrication facilities in its Shanghai mega-fab,
an 8-inch wafer fab in Tianjin, and a 12-inch wafer fab in its
Beijing mega-fab, the first of its kind in Mainland China. SMIC has
customer service and marketing offices in the U.S., Italy, and
Japan as well as a representative office in Hong Kong. For
additional information, please visit http://www.smics.com/ . About
Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Saifun is a provider of intellectual
property (IP) solutions for the non- volatile memory (NVM) market.
The company's innovative Saifun NROM(R) technology allows
semiconductor manufacturers to deliver high performance, reliable
products at a lower cost per megabit, with greater storage
capacity, using a single process for all NVM applications. Saifun
licenses its IP to semiconductor manufacturers who use this
technology to develop and manufacture a variety of stand-alone and
embedded NVM products. These include Flash memory for the
telecommunications, consumer electronic, networking and automotive
markets. Among the companies currently licensing Saifun NROM
technology are Macronix International, NEC Electronics,
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Sony
Corporation, Spansion, and Tower Semiconductor. Safe Harbor
Statement Information provided in this press release may contain
statements relating to current expectations, estimates, forecasts
and projections about future events that are "forward-looking
statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to
the company's plans, objectives and expectations for future
operations and are based upon management's current estimates and
projections of future results or trends. Actual future results may
differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks
and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and
uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on
Form 20-F filed on April 2, 2007 with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only
as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or
revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. For more information,
please contact: Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Company Contact: Marsha
Shalvi Tel: +972-989-28450 Fax: +972-544-942180 Email: Investor
Relations Contact: Lee Roth KCSA Worldwide Tel:
+1-212-896-1215/212-896-1209 Email: Semiconductor Manufacturing
International Corporation SMIC Corporate Relations: Reiko Chang
Tel: +86-21-5080-2000 Email: Investor Relations Contact: Theresa
Teng Tel: +86-21-5080-2000 Fax: +86-21-5080-3070 Email: DATASOURCE:
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation CONTACT:
Marsha Shalvi of Saifun Semiconductors Ltd., +972-989-28450, or
fax, +972-544-942180, or ; or Investor Relations Contact - Lee Roth
of KCSA Worldwide, +1-212-896-1215/212-896-1209, or ; or Reiko
Chang of SMIC, +86-21-5080-2000, or ; or Theresa Teng, Investor
Relations of SIMC, +86-21-5080-2000, or fax, +86-21-5080-3070, or
Web site: http://www.smics.com/
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