REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGHS¡G
PERFECTING TECHNOLOGY

Through constant innovation, Macronix has been able to achieve global leadership in non-volatile memory. Macronix is not only the world's number one manufacturer of Mask ROM, it is also one of the few ISPs able to manufacture EPROM and Flash products. Macronix's unrelenting innovation in research and development and technology is the reason why it is able to offer clients ever more value-added solutions.


N-Bit Technology to Blaze the Trail

N-Bit technology, the result of Macronix's breakthroughs in increased Flash capacity and decreased production costs, has already been applied to the advanced process production stage. This technology enables twice as much memory capacity (which allows a doubling of Macronix's Flash production capacity) and allows for easy pairing with System-on-Chip (SOC) configurations. Macronix thus provides an important solution to the problem of integrating highdensity memory with logic technology, providing a breakthrough in memory and production cost limitations that can be realized in mass production. Clients have already affirmed the high added value of N-Bit technology, and its benefits are expected to be wide-ranging.


Superior Innovation Through Frontline Research

This is an age of global competition, particularly in the area of intellectual property. As Macronix positions itself as an ISP leader and works towards strategy, allocation of resources, production, and quality, it has also focused on building up its Patent Portfolio. According to 2002 patent statistics compiled in Taiwan and in the U.S., Macronix was ranked fifth among juridical entities in terms of patents granted. What is remarkable is that Macronix's patent approval rate continued to grow even as the company reduced its operating costs by 23% compared to the previous year (see Figures 1 on "Historical Patent Approval Figures"). Such rates are all the more noteworthy considering that Macronix engineers currently number around 1,700. As of December 31, 2003, Macronix had accumulated 1,163 patents (513 abroad, 650 domestically), a sure sign of its competitive edge in the international arena.

Macronix emerged as Taiwan's earliest domestic manufacturer of non-volatile memory. It has capitalized on that lead in acquiring patents in the design, structure, circuitry, and operation of Flash products. Macronix has preserved its lead in design, research, and market competitiveness, as well as in patent infringement negotiations. Moreover, Macronix has developed a critical "Patent Map" strategy, assuring Macronix a sustainable competitive edge in the foreseeable future.

Macronix's long-term commitment to research and development has won widespread acclaim within academia and in the media. At the end of 2003, Macronix's Emerging Central Lab (a part of the Microelectronics and Memory Solution Group) was invited to the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), where it presented significant new research on chalcogenide memory devices. This research was recognized in the New York Times, Nikkei Electronics, and other internationally recognized media sources.

Figure 1¡GHistorical Patent Approval Figures