Fairchild Semiconductor Advances to a Leadership Position in Worldwide Power MOSFET Market

Business Wire, April 10, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2001

- Strengthens its portfolio of discrete power semiconductors for multiple end
markets

- Acquisition of Intersil's power discrete business caps three year, seven-fold
revenue growth, providing critical mass for Fairchild's worldwide "line to
load" power focus

Fairchild Semiconductor International's (NYSE:FCS) Discrete Power Products Group has advanced to the #2 position in the worldwide power MOSFET arena, now offering a full range of products from 20V to 1200V. Fairchild's line-to-load power product portfolio, the broadest in the industry, now serves the complete spectrum from low voltage applications including computers and portable electronics, automotive electronics, telecommunications, voltage regulator modules (VRMs) and battery charging to high voltage applications including switch mode power supplies, ballasts, display systems and motor controls. This leading market position has been attained through a combination of internal growth and strategic acquisitions, including products formerly manufactured by Samsung Electronics' power division, and the recent acquisition of Intersil's power discrete business.

The company's discrete power semiconductor revenues have grown from $100 million in 1998 to pro forma sales (including those of Intersil's power discrete business) of $700 million in 2000. Fairchild's multi-market leadership is the direct result of its concentration on core competencies in process and packaging technologies critical to success in the strategically important power electronics markets:

- In desktop and notebook computers --Size and efficiency

offered through its patented PowerTrench(R) process technology

offering the industry's lowest specific RDS(on) and very fast

switching in innovative packages like the Bottomless(TM) SO-8

package offering one-quarter the resistance of wire-bonded

SO-8 and thermal characteristics of DPAK;

- In wireless communications devices--Size reductions offered

through a broad small-package portfolio of <20V P-Channel

PowerTrench MOSFETs with the industry's lowest RDS(on) x area;

- In DC/DC power conversion--High efficiency and high power

density in high- and low-voltage side components. On the input

side, 60 to 200V, patented fast switching UltraFET(R) trench

MOSFETs and, on the output side, 20 to 30V PowerTrench

MOSFETs, all offering exceptional thermal performance;

- In off-line industrial applications--High voltage, low cost

striped planar, patented QFETTM MOSFETs, fast switching IGBTs

and fast (and soft) recovery Stealth(TM) diodes; and

- In automotive applications--Leadership gained through decades

of work in automotive electronics resulting in patented

advanced MOSFETs and IGBTs for the ignition application

produced in QS9000 qualified manufacturing facilities.

According to Izak Bencuya, senior vice president and general manager of Fairchild's Discrete Power Group, "The defined mission of Fairchild's power business is to be the leader in the power semiconductor market by delivering optimal solutions that are cost-effective, technically innovative and to supply leading-edge performance to meet our customers' high-volume expectations in power conversion and power control applications."

In keeping with the group's mission, Fairchild has equipped itself with state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, a rich portfolio of intellectual property including hundreds of patents, market-specific application expertise and an exceptional power electronics design staff.

Fairchild's remarkable growth, from a specialized niche product producer just four years ago to the broad power portfolio market leader it is today, gives Fairchild the flexibility to respond rapidly to ever-changing market conditions while supporting the company's Phase II growth plans.

For more information, contact Fairchild Semiconductor's Customer Support Group at (888) 522-5372, fax (972) 910-8036, or visit Fairchild's Web site at www.fairchildsemi.com.

About Fairchild Semiconductor:

Fairchild Semiconductor International (NYSE:FCS) is a leading global supplier of high performance products for multiple end markets. With a focus on developing leading edge power and interface solutions to enable the electronics of today and tomorrow, Fairchild's components are used in computing, communications, consumer, industrial, automotive and aerospace applications. Fairchild's 11,500 employees design, manufacture and market power, analog & mixed signal, interface, logic, and optoelectronics products from its headquarters in South Portland, Maine, USA and numerous locations around the world. Please contact us on the web at www.fairchildsemi.com.

Special Note on Forward Looking Statements:

This press release includes forward-looking statements that are based on management's assumptions and expectations and that involve risk and uncertainty. Forward-looking statements usually, but do not always, contain forward-looking terminology such as "we believe," "we expect," "we plan," or "we anticipate," or refer to management's expectations about Fairchild's future performance. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Among these factors are the following: changes in overall economic conditions; changes in demand for our products; changes in inventories at our customers and distributors; technological and product development risks; availability of manufacturing capacity; availability of raw materials; competitors' actions; loss of key customers; order cancellations or reduced bookings; changes in manufacturing yields or output; and significant litigation. These and other risk factors are discussed in the company's quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov (see the Risk Factors subsection of the Business section in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000).