Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM Senior VP, Named 2008 Semico Bellwether Award Recipient

Phoenix, Arizona March 17, 2008

Semico Research Corporation, a leading semiconductor market research and analysis firm, announced today that Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM Vice President and Director of Research, is the 2008 recipient of the distinguished Semico Bellwether Award for his work in implementing the Common Platform processing technology and successfully shepherding the cooperation and integration of the Common Platform across three mega-corporations – IBM (NYSE:IBM), Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (NASDAQ:CHRT), and Samsung Electronics.

As the keynote speaker at Semico Summit 2008, Dr. Kelly reiterated the need for collaboration among semiconductor industry players. Beginning in 2004 and extending through 2020 annual semiconductor revenues are predicted to grow by 6.5% annually while R&D expenses increase 12.5% annually. With the investment in a state-of-the-art 300mm wafer fabricating facility approaching $4 billion, the need for collaboration and integration across facilities is critical to driving the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing innovation.

“As geometries for semiconductor design and fabrication continue to shrink, the risk and expense of developing new technologies rises,” stated Jim Feldhan, Semico President. “The work that has been spearheaded by Dr. Kelly, resulting in the development of the Common Platform, provides long-term benefits that will reduce development cycles, mitigate business risk, and improve time-to-market.”

The Bellwether Award honors leaders in the semiconductor industry and recognizes them for their unique contribution to the advancement of their company and making fundamental changes in the semiconductor industry. Each Bellwether Award is a one-of-a-kind collector’s wind bell, designed and cast in bronze by Paolo Soleri, world-renowned architect and artist located in Phoenix Arizona.

About Dr. John E. Kelly, III
In his role as senior vice president and director of research at IBM, Dr. Kelly directs the worldwide operations of IBM Research, with 3,200 employees at eight laboratories in six countries around the world. Dr. Kelly guides IBM’s overall technical strategy to stimulate innovation in key areas and quickly bring those innovations into the marketplace to sustain and grow IBM’s current businesses and create new businesses in IBM’s future. Dr. Kelly received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Union College in 1976, a Master of Science in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1978, and his Doctorate in materials engineering from RPI in 1980. He is on the Board of Governors of The IBM Academy of Technology; a board member and former chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association; a Fellow of the IEEE, and on the Board of Trustees of Union College.

About Semico
Since 1994, Semico Research Corporation has been providing strategic marketing, trend analysis, and custom consulting services for the semiconductor and electronics industries. Semico’s published market and technical reports include demand studies by product type (DRAM, NAND, NOR, Micro Logic, and ASICs), end-use markets, and manufacturing. Globally, technology manufacturers, vendors, service providers, professionals and market specialists, utilize Semico’s experienced staff and in-depth research to support critical business, product and technology decisions. Semico is a strategic partner with leading technology companies, with access to an extensive worldwide electronic network, technology databases and expert personnel. For more information about Semico, visit http://www.semico.com.

Contact Information:
Jim Feldhan, President
Semico Research Corporation
jimf@semico.com
602-997-0337