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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplex Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLX) today announced that leading semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (NYSE: UMC) has purchased Simplex's system-on-chip (SoC) verification products. UMC's Design Support Division will deploy Simplex's Fire & Ice® QX 3D parasitic extraction and VoltageStorm(TM) SoC power grid verification to analyze the impact of deep-submicron effects -- such as power grid IR (voltage) drop and electromigration risk -- on customers' advanced 0.18 micron and below semiconductor designs.

``Power grid verification is an essential step for designs targeted at and below 0.18 micron,'' said Wen Huang, division director, UMC Design Support Division. ``We selected Simplex's VoltageStorm SoC due to its outstanding power grid verification properties. Our customers will benefit from VoltageStorm SoC by having a useful tool to measure the impact of voltage drop on their designs before tapeout.''

Until the advent of deep-submicron process technologies, IR drop was considered a second- or third-order effect. Today's high-performance SoC designs, with their increasing chip size and number of integrated IP blocks, as well as decreasing power supply voltages, are at increased risk for IR drop-related failures due to the unpredictable flow of power in and around embedded blocks. Accordingly, SoC designers require full-chip verification tools that rapidly identify and help resolve critical power grid issues.

``UMC and Simplex have worked together for several years through the Simplex Foundry Partners Program to validate that our SoC verification solutions accurately model actual silicon,'' said Jim Bailey, general manager of Simplex's SoC verification business. ``We are very pleased that UMC is now using Simplex SoC verification to help ensure its customers' first-silicon success.''

About UMC

UMC, a world leading semiconductor foundry, operates seven wafer fabs in Taiwan's Hsinchu Science Park. UMC's Japanese subsidiary, Nippon Foundry Inc., has one fab in Japan, and UMC's joint venture with Hitachi, Trecenti Technologies, began pilot production in its 300mm fab in Japan in 2000. UMC's 300mm facility in Taiwan's Tainan Science Park began pilot production in June 2001, and the company has broken ground on UMCi, a third 300mm fab based in Singapore. UMC is a leader in foundry technology, with facilities that reached an annual output of more than 2.4 million eight-inch equivalent wafers in 2000 and shipped more silicon wafers in 0.18 micron and smaller technologies than any other foundry that year. UMC's joint development program with IBM and Infineon Technologies introduced the WorldLogic® standard 0.13 micron technology in 2000. UMC serves customers around the world through sales and marketing offices located in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com .

About Simplex

Simplex Solutions, Inc. provides software and services for the design and verification of integrated circuits to enable its communications, computer and consumer-products customers to achieve first-time production success and rapid delivery of complex systems-on-chip. Simplex's customers use its products and services prior to manufacture to design and verify the integrated circuits to help ensure that the integrated circuits will perform as intended, taking into account the complex effects of deep-submicron semiconductor physics. Simplex can be reached at 408-617-6100 or on the web at www.simplex.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements (including, without limitation, information regarding UMC and UMC's customers benefiting from the use of VoltageStorm SoC and its use ensuring first-silicon success) that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the results of Simplex to differ materially from management's current expectations.

Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors including, among others: future strategic decisions made by Simplex and/or UMC; competitive developments; demand for advanced semiconductor chips and the verification software that supports their production; and the rapid pace of technological change in the semiconductor industry. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties described in Simplex's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Simplex assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this release.

NOTE: Fire & Ice is a registered trademark and Simplex Solutions, the Simplex logo, and VoltageStorm are trademarks of Simplex Solutions. All other trademarks mentioned in this press release are the properties of their respective owners.