An unrivaled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence trends.

ST is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies. In 2003, ST's net revenues were US$7.2 billion and net earnings were US$253 million. According to the most recent data from independent sources, ST is also the world's leading supplier of analog ICs, MPEG-2 decoder ICs, and ASICs/ASSPs overall. Additionally, in the memory market, ST is ranked fourth in NOR Flash ICs. In application segments: ST is number one for ICs in set-top boxes; at number two in smart cards, in hard disk drives, and also in xDSL chips; and at number three in wireless semiconductors and also in automotive.

The Company's products are manufactured and designed using a broad range of fabrication processes and proprietary design methods. To complement this depth and diversity of process and design technology, the Company also possesses a broad intellectual property portfolio that it has used to enter into cross-licensing agreements with many other leading semiconductor manufacturers.

ST has developed a worldwide network of strategic alliances, including product development with key customers, technology development with customers and other semiconductor manufacturers, and equipment and CAD development alliances with major suppliers. By augmenting its rich portfolio of proprietary technologies and core competencies with complementary expertise from a variety of carefully chosen strategic partners, ST has developed an unsurpassed capability to offer leading-edge solutions to customers in all segments of the electronics industry.