Nov. 27, 2001 – Greensboro, NC & Tokyo, Japan – RF Micro Devices and Hitachi Ltd. have signed a cross supplier agreement for GaAs HBT wafer and module design and manufacturing, effective immediately.

It is anticipated that under the agreement Hitachi will design and assemble modules for RFMD’s module products, while RFMD will design and supply GaAs HBT semiconductor wafers for Hitachi’s module products. Both companies will maintain full and independent control of their respective product planning, product development, manufacturing, marketing and sales activities.

Under the agreement, both parties plan to utilize the other’s world-class core competencies to improve the value and functionality of their respective products.

Jerry Neal, executive VP of sales, marketing, and strategic development of RFMD, said, “We expect this collaboration will increase capacity utilization in our fabs, reduce costs and improve our overall competitiveness. We’re eager to tap into Hitachi’s module design and assembly capabilities while providing them immediate fab capacity.”

Neal added, “We’ve already received initial production orders from Hitachi for GaAs HBT JCDMA power amplifier die, which we designed for a module developed by Hitachi for the Japanese market. We expect shipments to commence in this quarter, with volumes forecast to ramp into calendar year 2002.”