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Micronas has introduced a new Hall-effect switch, called HAL 1000, for position and speed measurements that can replace traditional mechanical micro switches. Micronas is currently the world's leading manufacturer of Hall sensors based on submicron CMOS processes, which allows them to integrate the Hall plate, logic circuitry, DSP, and EEPROM on one chip.

The Micronas Group has put in a very good performance for the first six months of the current financial year. Consolidated net sales for the period under review were up 51.4 percent on the figure posted for the first half of 1999 at CHF 216.7 million. Net profit went up from CHF 5.5 million to CHF 32.6 million and the company's net profit margin on sales came to 15 percent. Earnings per share improved from CHF 3.39 to CHF 15.25 by half-year comparison. Sales of CHF 455 million and a net profit of CHF 55 million are forecast for the 2000 financial year as a whole.

Micronas, a leading European manufacturer of semiconductor chips for consumer and multimedia applications, today announced the Audio Box, an audio device for the convergent markets of home computers and digital audio systems.

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) announced today that the Micronas (SWX: MASN; Neuer Markt Frankfurt: MNSN) MAS 3509F digital audio application board will support the SanDisk MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital (SD) Card, and CompactFlash™ (CF™). The board will be used in portable digital audio playback devices, including MP3/AAC players and audio recording systems.

Micronas has just broken ground for a second fab module situated adjacent to its existing fab in Freiburg, Germany. The new fab extension is scheduled to start production in March 2001.

Micronas has introduced its single-chip, mixed-signal VPX 3226E video decoder for multistandard analog video signals. The device supports virtually every color-decoding standard used worldwide and offers full data broadcast support for Teletext, Intercast, Wavetop, WebTV for Windows, and Electronic Programming Guide Services (EPG).

The dynamic performance of the Micronas Group continues unabated. In the first quarter of 2000, consolidated net sales reached a volume of CHF 106.6 million, compared with CHF 69.4 million in the first three months of the previous year. Operating earnings (EBIT) increased from CHF 4.6 million for the same period last year to CHF 22.3 million by the end of March 2000.

Micronas Semiconductor (SWX: MASN) has introduced a contact-free alternative to mechanical potentiometers; the HAL 805, a programmable linear hall effect sensor. The new sensors can replace existing components without having to change the system environment.

Micronas Group can look back on an extremely successful 1999 financial year. As the internationally active manufacturer of applications-specific chip systems reported at its annual results press conference in Zurich, all performance data and financial key figures were substantially improved. The company, which is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange and on Frankfurt's Neue Markt, expects to maintain the pace of growth this year.

The Micronas Group, which is listed on the Swiss stock exchange and the Frankfurt Neue Markt, had a very good 1999. The Group's consolidated net sales after adjusting for disinvestments increased by 28.9 percent to CHF  321.7 million. Annual profit came to CHF 24.8 million. The Micronas Group expects a further improvement in sales and earnings in the current year.

Micronas has announced that Boston Acoustics, Inc. has selected Micronas' USB Audio Controller, UAC 3552A, for its premier digital multimedia sound systems, ideally suited for the new trend of all-in-one PCs.

At CeBIT 2000 in Hanover, Germany, Micronas demonstrated its latest generation of MP3 decoders. The MAS 3509F is based on a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), enabling efficient processing of audio data. It is the successor of the highly successful MAS 3507D with which Micronas reached a worldwide market share of 90 % in 1999.

Micronas has introduced the application board for its next generation MP3 decoder, the MAS 3509F. The modular board is built to also support the previous generations of Micronas MP3 decoders, enabling users of the previous designs to easily switch to the next generation MP3 chip family.

At Comdex '99, the Swiss semiconductor company MICRONAS presents its future MP3 strategy. The core objective is the implementation of download security concepts conforming to the guidelines of the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI). The market leader in MP3 decoder technology will achieve this aim through strategic cooperation with internet content providers and the music industry.

On the occasion of Comdex '99, the Swiss semiconductor company MICRONAS introduces a number of new audio equipment concepts which are based on its MP3 processor family MAS 35xx. These include MP3-compatible mobile telephones and car radios as well as a new generation of the now familiar mobile flash players which, with the new MICRONAS chip generation, come with integrated download security. With a market share of over 90 % and sales of more than a million ICs, MICRONAS is the world market leader for MP3 decoders for consumer applications.

As announced a month ago, the business performance of Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich, for the first nine months of 1999 was influenced by the positive development of key sales markets and a corresponding strong demand for Micronas chips.

On October 19, 1999, some nine years after the launch of the WorldSpace project, the era of digital satellite radio dawned in Africa. The entire African continent as well as parts of the Middle East - including many regions which have had no access at all to modern mass media up to now - can be served with information and entertainment broadcasts via the 'AfriStar' satellite. The WorldSpace programs can be received with small, high-tech "transistor radios" for which the Swiss chip manufacturer MICRONAS has developed a receiver chipset.

The WorldSpace system is one of the first commercial digital radio projects to be realized on a large scale. The audio data are coded in the MPEG 2.5/Layer 3 standard which was specially developed for WorldSpace, and are transmitted in compressed form in the L-band (1467...1492 MHz). The up-link is implemented by frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), and the down-link by time-division multiplexing (TDM).

Dr. Otto Witte, chip developer at the Freiburg microelectronics company MICRONAS INTERMETALL, and Dipl.-Ing. Martin Dietz of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuitry (IIS-A) in Erlangen have been awarded the Georg-Waeber Prize for Innovation 1998.

At Telecom '99 in Geneva, Ericsson demonstrates a small MP3 Digital Audio Player, designed as an intelligent accessory to be attached to the new range of 3-V platform phones.

Earnings estimates by Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich, for the 1999 business year have been revised significantly upwards thanks to the unexpect-edly rapid and strong development of key sales markets and heavy demand for Micronas chips.

The new USB audio controller from MICRONAS renders the use of sound cards unnecessary in future. Thanks to the integration on the chip of a DSP (96 MIPS, 48 MHz, pipelined), an EEPROM, a digital-to-analog converter, an operation amplifier, and a USB controller, this chip contains all that is required to balance a loudspeaker enclosure and to connect the speakers directly to the PC without a sound card.

On the occasion of IFA '99, the Freiburg chip manufacturer MICRONAS again underlines its competence as a system supplier. "MUSTAFAH" provides equipment manufacturers for the first time with a chassis concept for multistandard television receivers which is geared to production requirements and on the basis of which TV sets can be constructed in a wide spectrum of specifications with optimized features and costs.

On the occasion of IFA '99, the chip manufacturer MICRONAS presents a surround sound solution for high-end TV sets and AV receivers based on the digital audio standard Dolby Digital. It is set to bring to the living room the surround sound system that has already established itself in the cinema.

On the occasion of the IFA '99 at Berlin, the chip manufacturer Micronas once again demonstrates its competence as a system supplier. The company offers its customers suitable system proposals or even reference designs already geared to production requirements for all new IC products for video and audio applications. The equipment manufacturers derive benefits from this prior input in the form of lower design costs and a faster time-to-market for their products.

Between 12 and 14 July, 500,000 new registered shares of Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich, were very successfully placed as part of a capital increase program. The issue was heavily oversubscribed, meaning that the placement price could be fixed at close of trading at CHF 181/EUR 112.70 - a very small discount to the price paid on the Swiss Stock Exchange yesterday at 12.00 noon.

The half-year results released by Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich, confirm the positive trend in the company's performance. All the budgeted targets have been achieved.

MICRONAS, Europe's biggest independent developer and producer of highly integrated mixed-signal ICs, microcontrollers, and Hall-effect sensors for applications in consumer electronics, multimedia, and automotive electronics, open a local Representative Office in Singapore. This office will function as a service hub for a large catchment area: the ASEAN (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand), Taiwan, India, and Australia.

In an effort to provide maximum transparency for shareholders and interested members of the public alike, the Micronas Group is for the first time releasing key quarterly figures.

At CeBIT '99, MICRONAS INTERMETALL presents a new chipset for an audio CD player that can play back MP3-coded CDs, too. This "MP3 chipset", consisting of the signal processor MAS 3507D and the D-A converter IC DAC 3550A, also features inside the now familiar portable MP3 flash players. This makes the MP3 CD player the second audio terminal device in a new generation that is based on the MP3 solution from MICRONAS INTERMETALL.

During the 1998 financial year, the Micronas Group carried out a refocusing of its business and thus laid the foundations for a sustained positive performance. The refocusing entailed a concentration on the two core businesses, consumer goods and automotive products, and a rescaling of capacities in the Telecommunications Division.

MICRONAS INTERMETALL presents a new variant of their successful MP3 chipset, consisting of the signal processor MAS 3507D and the D-A converter IC DAC 3550A. This chipset, which forms the heart of the now familiar MP3 players, can now decode speech compression formats, too. Possible applications include special terminal devices for voice recording and playback as well as combination units for playing back compressed music and speech

The UAC 3552A is a programmable USB DAC which supports different data rates and audio formats and, in addition to carrying out the digital-to-analog conversion, also performs the baseband processing of the audio signals. This means that a powerful and universal single-chip audio back-end is now available to all manufacturers of PC components which, among other applications, can be used in active loudspeakers, headphones, or interfaces to consumer electronics equipment.

Hanover, March 18, 1999 - At CeBIT '99, MICRONAS INTERMETALL unveils a new version of its successful multistandard sound processor MSP. In addition to all analog TV audio standards, the IC family MSP 34x8G now also supports the digital interface with digital or hybrid (analog/digital) set-top boxes and TV receivers. MICRONAS INTERMETALL thereby offers equipment manufacturers the possibility of both global and future-oriented system design.

Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG recorded net sales of CHF 280.7 million during the 1998 financial year. The net loss for the year, CHF 44.6 million, was within the range forecast at the 1998 annual general meeting.

Micro Value AG of Zurich, a company which specializes in investments in high-tech firms, has acquired 82,000 registered shares of Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich. This is equivalent to 5.05 percent of voting stock. Micronas shares are listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

The forward-looking restructuring measures introduced by the Micronas Group are nearing completion. As part of the company's reorientation strategy, its Board of Directors and Executive Board have decided to sell a majority stake in Micronas Oy of Espoo (Finland), which specializes in products for analog telephony, to the local management with retrospective effect from 31 December 1998.

Over the last few days, the leading international investment fund manager Fidelity International Ltd. has acquired 85,300 registered shares of Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG, Zurich. This gives Fidelity a total of a 5.25 percent of Micronas voting stock. Micronas shares are listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

MICRONAS INTERMETALL, leading European supplier of highly integrated circuits for mixed-signal applications and Hall effect sensors, provides its customers with comprehensive and up-to-date product information which is available both in printed catalog and electronic form.

At the Electronica'98, MICRONAS INTERMETALL will unveil the new generation of its successful multistandard audio processor, the MSP: The IC family MSP 34xxG processes all TV audio standards in use worldwide and, thanks to the expanded processor intelligence, the system design is simpler than ever.

At Electronica'98, MICRONAS INTERMETALL  presents the worl's first programmable CMOS Hall sensor with digital signal processing. This new product, bearing the type designation HAL 800, marks the latest pinnacle in a development which also began with a world premiere in 1993 when the first CMOS Hall sensor was launched as a wear-free alternative to mechanical switches.

At Electronica'98 MICRONAS INTERMETALL  presents a chip set that has what it takes to revolutionize the way music is distributed today. The MP3 chipset, consisting of the audio decompression processor MAS 3507D and the D-A converter circuit DAC 3550A, form the heart of the new portable MP3 play-back units which a number of manufacturers are now launching on the market.

At Electronica'98 MICRONAS INTERMETALL presents its new Multistandard Sound Processor, the MSP 3451G, with integrated Virtual Dolby Surround decoder. This means that, for the first time, surround sound is set to become an interesting proposition for standard television receivers as well as TV-compatible personal computers, too.

At Electronica '98 MICRONAS INTERMETALL presents its new Display and Deflection Processor, the DDP 3310B. In addition to standard TV formats, this mixed-signal IC is also capable of processing video signals from digital sources for displaying on 4:3 and 16:9 television picture tubes. Up to now, three ICs and additional circuitry were required for the capabilities now offered by the DDP 3310B. The new IC is mainly aimed at applications in television receivers with multimedia and Internet compatibility, as well as in projection units.

Today, at exactly 23.15 hours CET, the Ariane 4 launch rocket completed a successful lift-off from its launchpad in Kourou, French Guyana, putting the first of three WorldSpace satellites into orbit.

The WorldSpace system is one of the first commercial digital radio projects to be realized on a large scale. The audio data are coded in the MPEG 2.5/Layer 3 standard which was specially developed for WorldSpace, and are transmitted in compressed form in the L-band (1467...1492 MHz).

This year's Electronica will be the first international event for MICRONAS INTERMETALL to present itself under its new company name. The Freiburg-based semiconductor manufacturer is a leading supplier of mixed signal ICs, automotive controllers, and Hall-effect sensors.

MICRONAS INTERMETALL, leading manufacturer of mixed-signal ICs, automotive controllers, and Hall-effect sensors, presents its new linear Hall-effect sensor HAL 800 as a contact-free alternative to mechanical potentiometers and angle measuring devices. The HAL 800 is the worl's first Hall-effect sensor featuring programmable, digital on-chip signal processing which permits matching to different applications and systems, as well as automatic, electronic in-line adjustment.

MICRONAS INTERMETALL, leading European supplier of highly integrated circuits for mixed-signal applications and Hall effect sensors, has updated its product documentation with a new CD-ROM.

Manufacturers of PCs, graphics cards, video and TV tuner cards need wait no longer for Windows 98. At CeBIT'98, MICRONAS INTERMETALL, the leading European provider of advanced video and audio solutions, presented its new hardware and software package, ?MediaCVR? (pronounced ?mediaceiver?), for processing and visualizing TV signals on the PC.