World's Largest Dedicated Semiconductor Foundry to Help Expand NVIDIA's Manufacturing Capacity

For Immediate Release

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - February 23, 1998 - NVIDIA™ Corporation announced today it has formed a multi-year strategic partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) (NYSE:TSM), the first pure integrated circuit (IC) foundry company in the world. Headquartered in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, TSMC will assist in the manufacturing of all future NVIDIA products starting with the latest offering, RIVA 128ZX™, announced today. Effective immediately, TSMC will provide NVIDIA with deep sub-micron process technology. This multi-year strategic partnership expands capacity beyond the agreement NVIDIA currently shares with fabrication partner SGS-THOMSON

"Our relationship with TSMC gives us the manufacturing muscle to meet the growing demand for performance 3D processors," said Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA president and CEO. "In a short period of time, NVIDIA has moved to the forefront of the industry through OEM partnerships with Dell, Gateway, Micron, NEC, STB and Diamond Multimedia. Today's announcements, of the TSMC relationship and the launch of the RIVA 128ZX, signal our ability to further strengthen our leadership in providing high-performance, affordable 3D processors to the mass market."

Since the company's founding, TSMC has been dedicated to providing manufacturing services for advanced IC's. TSMC serves more than 300 customers, ranging from IC design houses, to vertically integrated IC firms and system companies.

"NVIDIA is a strong customer and partner and we are pleased to establish this relationship" said Dr. Morris Chang, TSMC's chairman and president. "The combination of our experience in volume semiconductor manufacturing, process technology and NVIDIA's silicon design expertise will help to meet the increasing demand for NVIDIA's growing range of 3D processors."

About TSMC
TSMC is the world's largest dedicated integrated circuit (IC) foundry and offers a comprehensive set of IC fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture CMOS logic, mixed-mode, volatile and non-volatile memory BiCMOS chips. Currently, TSMC operates two 6-inch wafer fabs (Fab 1 and 2), and three 8-inch wafer fabs (Fab 3, 4 and 5), all located in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. In mid-1996, TSMC commenced construction on its first U.S. foundry, WaferTech - a $1.2 billion joint venture with Altera, Analog Devices and Integrated Silicon Solutions Inc. Production at WaferTech is scheduled to commence in 1998. The company plans to spend approximately NT$98.5 billion (US$3.5 billion) during the period from 1997 through 1999 for bringing Fabs 3, 4 and 5 into full production and the construction of Fabs 6 and 7. Fabs 6 and 7 are expected to be located in the new Tainan Park. Corporate headquarters are in Taiwan: TSMC, Park Ave III, Hsin-Chu Science-Based Industrial Park, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan (886) 3-578-0221. http:www.tsmc.com.

NVIDIA Company Information
NVIDIA Corporation designs, develops, markets and sells high-performance 3D processors for personal computers. NVIDIA has been recognized as one of the hottest semiconductor companies in Upside Magazine's December 1997 article titled "Mr. Hot Chips '97" and was honored as The Most Respected Private Fabless Company by the Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA) in November 1997. NVIDIA is a privately held company with venture financing. Corporate headquarters are in California: NVIDIA Corporation, 1226 Tiros Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. (408) 617-4000. http://www.nvidia.com.

Editor Notes: Please note that the recommended way of writing NVIDIA and RIVA 128 is all capitals.

NVIDIA and the NVIDIA logo are trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. RIVA 128 is a trademark of NVIDIA Corporation and SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics. Other notations of ™ and ® are trademarks of their respective firms. All other names and logos are trademarks of their respective companies.