UMC Earns top rating in CDP's Climate Change and Water Security for Two Consecutive Years

* UMC is the only semiconductor company worldwide recognized double A list by CDP for Climate Change and Water Security for two consecutive years.

* In 2022, UMC Group reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scope 1 and 2 by over 9% compared to 2020, with reduction of GHG emissions per unit product exceeding 20.8%.

* The renewable energy usage rate reached 5.1% in 2022 and poised to double in 2023.

* UMC Group achieved a 21.4% reclaimed water usage rate in 2022 and reduction of the current year's water withdrawal reached 635,000 metric tons.

* Future initiatives include continued efforts in "persistent and proactive carbon emission reduction," "100% renewable energy usage," and "investment in net-zero technologies."

HSINCHU, Taiwan -- United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) announced today its achievement of the highest 'A' rating in both CDP's Climate Change and Water Security in 2023. This year's double "A" rating was granted to only 61 companies out of over 21,000 worldwide based on their superior contribution to climate change and water security challenges. UMC stands out as the sole semiconductor company globally to secure this double 'A' recognition for two consecutive years and received the highest score in 9 categories among the 11 scoring categories in both two ratings, affirming its commendable performance in greenhouse gas emission reduction and water resource management.

TS Wu, Vice President of UMC, emphasized UMC's steadfast belief that sustainable ESG practices are fundamental to corporate operations. In response to the urgent climate situation, UMC continues to take practical actions in climate change adaptation and mitigation, water resource protection, and circular economy initiatives to meet environmental and societal expectations. Looking ahead, UMC will continue to adhere to the Science-Based Targets (SBT) for carbon reduction, progressively advancing the "persistent and proactive carbon emission reduction," "100% renewable energy usage," and " investment in net-zero technologies." These three steps will contribute to achieving the 2050 Net Zero Emission commitment, addressing climate change challenges and pursuing a sustainable environment.

In alignment with the Paris Agreement goal to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, UMC pledged to achieve Net Zero Emission by 2050, receiving SBT approval in 2022, aligning the company's carbon reduction pathway with international trends. Despite capacity expansion, UMC Group achieved a 9% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 compared to 2020, with a remarkable 20.8% reduction in GHG emissions per unit product. UMC also launched a Supply Chain GHG Inventory Initiative in 2022, working with supply chain partners to gradually implement net-zero actions and actively promote reduction of Scope 3 emissions. Responding to the carbon trading system in 2023, UMC paved the way for future Net Zero goal by purchasing the first batch of international carbon credits listed on the Taiwan Carbon Solution Exchange.

In terms of renewable energy, UMC has committed to use 100% renewable energy by 2050, and progressive goals of 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 are set. By the end of 2022, UMC fabs maximized the installation of solar photovoltaic systems, generating over 9,000 MWh annually. With additional green energy procurement, the ratio of renewable energy in total energy mix exceeded 5%, and poised to double in 2023.

In water management, UMC actively explores diverse water sources, enhancing water recycling rates, and improving water utilization efficiency, effectively reducing water consumption. In 2022, the overall reclaimed water usage rate for the company reached 21.4%, saving 635,000 metric tons of water, equivalent to 254 Olympic-sized swimming pools. UMC fabs continue to implement water-saving and recycling measures, establishing various recycling models based on different water quality requirements, including copper wastewater recycling and ammonia nitrogen wastewater recycling. These efforts continually increase water resource recycling and reuse rates, reducing the environmental impact of water withdrawal and wastewater.

The disclosure system and scoring process of CDP, a non-profit organization formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, is widely recognized by investors and other stakeholders as the foremost standard for measuring corporate transparency and action on environmental issues. Annual questionnaires on climate action, water management, and forest protection are used to score companies on their environmental conservation efforts. More than 746 investors with over US$136 trillion in assets requested companies to respond to CDP questionnaires, and over 21,000 firms representing 66% of global market capitalization have disclosed environmental data this year through CDP.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry company. The company provides high-quality IC fabrication services, focusing on logic and various specialty technologies to serve all major sectors of the electronics industry. UMC's comprehensive IC processing technologies and manufacturing solutions include Logic/Mixed-Signal, embedded High-Voltage, embedded Non-Volatile-Memory, RFSOI, BCD etc. Most of UMC's 12-in & 8-in fabs with its core R&D are located in Taiwan, with additional ones throughout Asia. UMC has a total of 12 fabs in production with combined capacity of more than 400,000 wafers per month (12-in equivalent), and all of them are certified with IATF 16949 automotive quality standard. UMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, plus local offices in United States, Europe, China, Japan, Korea & Singapore, with a worldwide total of 20,000 employees. For more information, please visit: http://www.umc.com.

Note from UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

UMC Corporate Communications

Jolie Chiu

[phone] ext. 31318

[e-mail]

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