Renesas Technology to Acquire ISO/TS16949 Certification to Expand Its Automotive Semiconductor Business

TOKYO--Feb. 1, 20056, 2005--Renesas Technology Corp. today announced that it has acquired certification, for all its business sites, under the ISO/TS16949 (2002)(1) international standard for quality management systems specialized for the automotive industry from the Det Norske Veritas (DNV)(2) certification body. This certification covers all semiconductor products for automotive applications, including microcomputers.

In recent years the switch to the use of electronics in automobiles has progressed rapidly and semiconductor devices are now used in a wide range of automotive applications including engine control, air bags, car navigation systems, and door control.

In automobiles, where strict safety requirements must be met, the high reliability of semiconductor devices has become more important than in other industries. For this reason, the ISO/TS 16949 standard was enacted as a unified quality management system for the automotive industry.

ISO/TS 16949 is a growing standard that combines the standards of US and European automobile manufacturers, and is based on QS-9000(3), the quality system used by the big three US automobile manufacturers)(4). It was originally established by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF)(5), which is composed mostly of US and European automobile manufacturers. Since the revision of the standard in 2002, the IATF has expanded its reach to Japanese automobile manufacturers, as represented by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA)(6). The ISO/TS 16949 certification is expected to continue its growth in the future.

Renesas Technology Corp. has focused on mobile, automotive, and PC/AV as three critical business areas, and starting in 2004 has been shifting its business systems to concentrate on these three areas. Renesas sees the automotive industry as an area of continuing growth for its semiconductors and supplies this market with devices centered around microcomputers for a wide range of application areas, including the power train, the drive system, the body, safety systems, and information systems. While Renesas products are already receiving high marks from the major automobile manufacturers and their suppliers, acquisition of this certification means that Renesas' customers can use these products with even greater confidence. Renesas Technology will continue to aggressively market ever higher quality semiconductor products to the Japanese, US, and European automotive markets, and plans to raise its market share to first place over the next five years from its current fourth(7) position.

Notes:  1.  ISO/TS 16949 (2002 edition): This is an ISO technology
            specification that unifies US and European automotive part
            quality system standards, and is a sector standard
            specialized for the automotive industry. This standard
            lists the items required for a quality control system for
            design, development, manufacturing, installation, and
            service of automotive parts. The 2002 version is a strict
            standard that is based on the ISO 9001 international
            standard that stipulates a quality guarantee system and
            adds items required for the automotive industry.
        
        2.  Det Norske Veritas (DNV): A certification examination body
            for the International Standards Organization (ISO). DNV's
            home office is in Denmark.

        3.  QS-9000: An international standard by the big three that
            stipulates a "common supplier quality control system."
            This standard will be abolished in 2006 and replaced by
            ISO/TS 16949.

        4.  Big three US automobile manufacturers: General Motors,
            Ford, and DaimlerChrysler.

        5.  IATF: International Automotive Task Force. A group that
            consists of eight automobile manufacturers in the US and
            Europe, including General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and
            BMW.

        6.  Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA):
            An industry group that has the goals of working for sound
            development of the Japanese automobile industry and
            contributing to economic development and improving the
            standard of living. JAMA currently consists of fifteen
            companies that manufacture cars, trucks, busses, and
            motorcycles.

        7.  Fourth place in worldwide semiconductor sales: According
            to a study in 2003 by Strategy Analytics.

About Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Technology Corp. designs and manufactures highly integrated semiconductor system solutions for mobile, automotive and PC/AV markets. Established on April 1, 2003 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Renesas Technology is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world and world leading microcontroller supplier globally. Besides microcontrollers, Renesas Technology offers system-on-chip devices, Smart Card ICs, mixed-signal products, flash memories, SRAMs and more. http://www.renesas.com

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