June 30, 2004 – STMicroelectronics’ president and CEO Pasquale Pistorio has accepted the challenge of chairing the Technology Platform group of a new European initiative called ENIAC (European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council).

Through ENIAC, leading European players in the micro- and nanoelectronics field will work together to develop and implement a coherent European vision for the coming nanoelectronics era.

The mission of the ENIAC program is to put in place the recommendations of a comprehensive report entitled “Vision 2020: Nanoelectronics at the centre of change.”

The report predicts that the progress of nanoelectronics will continue for at least another 15 years, and will give rise to another revolution in the number of applications enabled by this technology.

ENIAC’s goals include supporting public and private R&D investments in nanotechnology and the development of a common European vision for the next era of an increasingly knowledge-based world economy.

“Electronics is one of the world’s most important industries. We can be proud of the contribution European companies have made to microelectronics, which is the enabling technology for all worldwide electronics industries,” said Mr. Pistorio. “Now we need to join forces to address the long-term challenges of a new nanotechnology era. This cooperation will provide a strategic framework in which all European public and private enterprises will be able to work effectively together to contribute to the development of this new age and will reinforce Europe’s position as a key player in the global economy.”

STMicroelectronics spends approximately $1 billion each year on R&D programs, according to the company. In the nanotechnology field, ST is working on the development of many new technologies, including highly efficient solar cells that could reduce the world’s dependency on fossil fuels, new types of memories and displays that utilize the properties of organic molecules, and nanoscale technologies for medical diagnosis and treatments.