UMC’s Singapore fab expansion is set to begin operations in 2026, and is expected to create significant job opportunities for engineering talents

SINGAPORE — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 1, 2024 — United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC; TWSE: 2303) (“UMC”), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ngee Ann Polytechnic (“NP”) to enhance training for engineering talents and expand the workforce for the growing semiconductor industry.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241001825980/en/

(From left to right) Tan Wei Lian, Director of School of Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Lim Kok Kiang, Principal & CEO at Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Stan Hung, Chairman of UMC; and Michael Hsu, Vice President of Singapore Operations at UMC (Photo: Business Wire)

In a ceremony held today, the MOU was signed by Michael Hsu, Vice President of Singapore Operations at UMC, and Tan Wei Lian, Director of School of Engineering at NP. The signing was witnessed by Stan Hung, Chairman of UMC, and Lim Kok Kiang, Principal & CEO at NP.

Under the agreement, UMC will contribute to course design for the microelectronics specialisation of the Diploma in Electronic & Computer Engineering (ECE) offered by NP, bringing industry perspective to help students better prepare for future careers in the semiconductor field. In addition to full-time diploma courses, UMC and NP are exploring the development of semiconductor work-study programs for recent graduates to gain practical training and continuing education training (CET) courses offering working professionals upskilling and reskilling opportunities.

“UMC and NP have a solid history of collaboration, and we are pleased to formalize and expand the scope of this relationship in today’s MOU signing. Since establishing the first 12-inch fab in the Lion City more than 20 years ago, UMC is proud to have grown alongside Singapore’s semiconductor industry, in no small part due to the skilled talent pool. It is very exciting to witness the heightened level of interest in the semiconductor field over the last few years, and we hope by teaming up with academic institutions like NP we can strengthen the talent pipeline to support the industry’s future growth,” said Michael Hsu, Vice President of UMC.

“With the positive outlook of the semiconductor industry in Singapore and constant evolution of technological innovation, there is a need to strengthen and upskill the talent pool to support the sector’s growth. NP’s timely partnership with UMC enables us to equip students with industry-relevant knowledge and practical experience, positioning them to meet industry challenges and drive the future of semiconductor technology. We look forward to UMC’s role in co-designing, co-delivering and co-assessing the curriculum for our ECE microelectronics specialisation, and providing exciting opportunities for working professionals to upskill or reskill,” said Tan Wei Lian, Director of NP’s School of Engineering.

UMC is currently expanding its existing site (Fab 12i) in Pasir Ris Wafer Fab Park. The expansion is a new greenfield fab, set to be one of the most advanced semiconductor foundries in Singapore when it begins production in 2026. It is also expected to create a significant number of skilled engineering jobs as the new facility scales up production. Fab 12i plays a critical role in satisfying demand from UMC’s global customer base, accounting for approximately 14% of total capacity. The company’s largest R&D team outside of Taiwan, where it is headquartered, is also located in Fab 12i.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry company. The company provides high-quality IC fabrication services, focusing on logic and various specialty technologies to serve all major sectors of the electronics industry. UMC’s comprehensive IC processing technologies and manufacturing solutions include Logic/Mixed-Signal, embedded High-Voltage, embedded Non-Volatile-Memory, RFSOI, BCD etc. Most of UMC's 12-in and 8-in fabs with its core R&D are located in Taiwan, with additional ones throughout Asia. UMC has a total of 12 fabs in production with combined capacity of more than 400,000 wafers per month (12-in equivalent), and all of them are certified with IATF 16949 automotive quality standard. UMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, plus local offices in United States, Europe, China, Japan, Korea & Singapore, with a worldwide total of 20,000 employees. For more information, please visit: http://www.umc.com.

About Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Ngee Ann Polytechnic started in 1963 and is today one of Singapore’s leading institutions of higher learning with over 13,000 enrolled students in about 40 courses across diverse disciplines. It seeks to develop students with a passion for learning, values for life, and competencies to thrive in a global workplace. The polytechnic also supports Continuing Education and Training (CET) through its CET Academy, which offers a wide range of part-time programmes and short courses. It works closely with industry partners to curate programmes for emerging skills, develop talent pipeline for the industries and help adult learners stay agile in today’s rapidly changing global economy.

For more information, please visit www.np.edu.sg.

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241001825980/en/

Media Contact
UMC Corporate Communications
Michelle Yun
886-2-2658-9168 x16951
michelle_yun@umc.com