Fairchild Semiconductor and Avnet Electronics Marketing Expand Americas Franchise Agreement

Business Wire, Sept 10, 2004

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas to Leverage Fairchild's Position as a Leading Global Supplier of Power Components and provide Fairchild's complete portfolio of products

Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE:FCS), the leading supplier of high performance products that optimize system power, today announced it has reached an agreement with Avnet Electronics Marketing, to expand their existing franchise in the Americas. The expanded relationship in the Americas complements Fairchild's existing franchise with Avnet in Asia and Europe.

Avnet has been fully franchised by Fairchild in both Asia and Europe for many years. Expanding the Americas franchise will provide product designers with the ability to easily utilize all Fairchild products and programs - including the industry's leading portfolio of solutions to optimize system power - on a global basis.

"Expanding our relationship with Avnet in the Americas strengthens Fairchild's position as The Power Franchise(R) - the only semiconductor company offering complete system power solutions. We're pleased that Avnet can now offer our entire product line to designers everywhere," said Tom Beaver, Fairchild's executive vice president of Worldwide Sales and Marketing. "While Asia continues to be the fastest growing region for semiconductor consumption, that growth is supported by demand creation originating in the Americas."

"Our distribution network has successfully risen to the challenge of taking Fairchild's system solutions to their customers. With this agreement, we look forward to providing even more of our customers with access to The Power Franchise, on a global basis, through Avnet's demand creation, marketing and supply chain programs," said Gary Saunders, Fairchild's vice president of Worldwide Distribution Sales and Marketing.

"Avnet is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of the world's leading high technology companies, like Fairchild. Our customer relationships and product expertise, coupled with our robust information management system and our technical design talent, give customers a competitive edge while compressing their time to market. Fairchild's leading portfolio of power system solutions will enhance our customer offerings," said Philip Gallagher, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas.

About Fairchild Semiconductor:

Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) is the leading global supplier of high performance power products critical to today's leading electronic applications in the computing, communications, consumer, industrial and automotive segments. As The Power Franchise(R), Fairchild offers the industry's broadest portfolio of components that optimize system power through minimization, conversion, management and distribution functions. Fairchild's 9,000 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.

About Avnet Electronics Marketing

Avnet Electronics Marketing is the largest operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet Inc., a Fortune 500 company with fiscal 2004 sales of over $10 billion, and one of the world's largest technology marketing, distribution and services companies. Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas (EMA) serves electronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers in North America and Brazil through product-focused businesses, distributing electronic components from leading manufacturers and providing associated services. The company's Web site is located at www.em.avnet.com.