AMD Researchers First to Achieve Key Transistor Developments

Milestones Serve as Building Blocks for Chip Designs at the Forefront of Performance, Functionality and Low Power

SUNNYVALE, CA -- 4/2/2003 -- AMD (NYSE: AMD) researchers have become the first in the semiconductor industry to achieve critical research milestones for next-generation transistor development.

In lab work to be fully unveiled in June, AMD researchers have created and demonstrated a high-performance transistor that is up to 30% faster than the best published PMOS (P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor) transistor today. The transistor employs proprietary AMD technologies involving what is commonly referred to as Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator.

In related research, AMD researchers have also become the first in the industry to demonstrate a strained silicon transistor achieving 20-25% higher performance than conventional strained silicon devices through the successful use of metal gates.

These achievements are key milestones in AMD’s aggressive process technology roadmap, enabling the design of future microprocessors that can meet customers’ top requirements.

“By staying at the forefront of research on transistors that operate with higher performance, less current leakage and lower voltage requirements, we are providing AMD design teams with the building blocks they need to create the solutions customers want,” said Craig Sander, vice president of process technology development at AMD.

“Good design starts with having the right tools and materials,” added Fred Weber, vice president and chief technical officer for AMD’s Computation Products Group. “Advanced research such as this is what ultimately enables AMD to deliver the leading-edge functionality and architectural elegance that customers have come to expect from us.”

These latest research achievements are expected to play a critical role in semiconductor manufacturing in the second half of this decade. Both will be presented in detail at this year’s VLSI Symposium June 11 and 12 in Kyoto, Japan, where AMD will publish the research for the first time. For further information, see the VLSI web site at http://www.vlsisymposium.org.

About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor’s 500 company, produces microprocessors, Flash memory devices, and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. ]

Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of approximately $2.7 billion in 2002. (NYSE: AMD).