FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of April 2001
STMicroelectronics N.V.
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(Translation of registrant's name into English)
Route de Pre-Bois, ICC Bloc A, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
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(Address of principal executive offices)
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file
annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F]
Form 20-F X Form 40-F
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[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934]
Yes No X
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[If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
Registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-______]
Enclosure:
A press release dated April 3, 2001 announcing that STMicroelectronics
and Hitachi have formed SuperH, Inc. to boost the proliferation of SuperH cores
in embedded microprocessor applications.
[STMICROELECTRONICS LOGO] HITACHI
Inspire the Next
PR NO: C1000P
SuperH, Inc. formed by Hitachi and STMicroelectronics to
Boost the Proliferation of SuperH(TM) Cores in
Embedded Microprocessor Applications
New San Jose-based company to develop enhanced SuperH RISC
microprocessor cores and license MPU technology to the open market,
facilitating powerful, cost-effective system-on-chip implementations
[San Jose, California / Tokyo / London] April 3, 2001 - STMicroelectronics
(NYSE: STM) and Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) today announced that they have signed
an agreement to establish an independent company, named SuperH, Inc., which will
develop and license RISC microprocessor cores of the SuperH(TM) family. The new
company will license the SH-4 core and all subsequent SuperH cores to the open
market, making it easier for customers worldwide to create powerful,
cost-effective system-on-chip (SOC) embedded microprocessor (MPU) designs.
SuperH, Inc. will also complete final development of the 64-bit SH-5 processor
and take over the development of the future SH-6 and SH-7 cores.
Hitachi and STMicroelectronics, both of which are world top-ten semiconductor
companies that manufacture and market a broad portfolio of devices, believe that
an independently managed entity concentrating on developing and licensing the
SuperH family of processor cores will provide significant benefits for systems
manufacturers and semiconductor firms. As the new company will be staffed by a
highly focused and experienced R&D team and backed by a fully dedicated support
organization, SuperH, Inc. will have the resources needed to deliver the high
levels of expertise, performance and responsiveness that sophisticated customers
demand.
The success of SuperH, Inc. will enlarge the already extensive user base for the
SuperH architecture and make it an even more compelling embedded system design
choice, particularly for microprocessor-based application-specific products. The
potential gains are significant; according to market research firm Gartner
Dataquest, the worldwide market for such MPU-based application-specific products
should increase by 33% this year and reach 1.4 billion units within four years.
The SuperH family of high-performance 32-bit and 64-bit processor cores is
ideally suited for digital consumer, automotive and telecommunications
applications. These applications typically require a highly integrated
system-on-chip solution that includes a powerful embedded processing engine and
can run a wide variety of application software on industry-standard operating
systems and middleware.
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SuperH, Inc. will have its headquarters in San Jose, California, with operations
in Bristol, U.K. and Tokyo, Japan, creating a global R&D network and customer
support structure. The Chief Executive Officer of the new company will be
Toshimasa Kihara, formerly General Manager of Microcomputer & ASIC Product
Operation at Hitachi, and the Chief Operating Officer will be Jean-Marie
Rolland, currently R&D Director for MicroCore Development at STMicroelectronics.
Initially, around 100 people will be employed by SuperH, Inc., the majority of
whom will transfer from Hitachi and STMicroelectronics.
Etsuhiko Shoyama, President and Director of Hitachi, Ltd., said: "The new
company will have the necessary mandate, resources and focus to take the SuperH
family of processor cores to the open market. It will make the SuperH
architecture the de facto standard in digital consumer, automotive and
telecommunications. By leveraging the outstanding combination of price,
performance and power that SuperH CPUs offer, from the SH-4 series upwards,
SuperH, Inc. will make the cores compelling choices for leading-edge customers
contemplating advanced system-on-chip designs."
Pasquale Pistorio, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics, said: "The
establishment of this new company is the culmination of the excellent
relationship that STMicroelectronics has enjoyed with Hitachi over the past few
years to develop leading-edge microprocessor cores for system-on-chip
applications. The SuperH architecture already enjoys a significant market
presence, especially in the digital consumer and automotive segments. SuperH,
Inc. will build on this strength and really play a leading role in the fast
growing embedded RISC processor market."
Both STMicroelectronics and Hitachi are contributing the necessary intellectual
property rights, human resources and financial assets that SuperH, Inc. needs to
start its operations. Initially, the new company will be jointly owned by
Hitachi and STMicroelectronics and managed as an independent entity. The Board
of Directors of the new company will comprise four members from Hitachi and
four members from STMicroelectronics. A strategic round of investment is planned
following incorporation.
Hitachi and STMicroelectronics have been promoting the SuperH architecture
together and jointly developing the SH-5 core in a close relationship since
1998. In October 2000, the companies also announced plans to jointly develop the
SH-6 and SH-7 cores.
The contemplated transaction is subject to certain regulatory approvals.
STMicroelectronics and Hitachi expect the transaction to close within the
quarter.
***
About the SuperH architecture
SuperH is a RISC microprocessor technology based on an original Hitachi
architecture. To date, six cores have been released: the SH-1, SH-2, SH-3,
SH2-DSP, SH3-DSP and SH-4. SuperH processors are used in many fields of
industry, including information systems and digital consumer products.
Applications include digital set-top boxes, portable information appliances, car
navigation systems, factory automation systems and digital cameras. Further
information about SuperH products can be found on http://www.SuperH.com.
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About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading
global electronics companies, with fiscal 1999 (ended March 31, 2000)
consolidated sales of 8,001 billion yen ($75.5 billion*). The company
manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers,
semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more
information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's web site at
http://global.hitachi.com/ Hitachi's semiconductor business web site/home page
address: http://global.hitachi.com/Sicd/index.htm
*At an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics (formerly SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics) is a global
independent semiconductor company, whose shares are traded on the New York Stock
Exchange, on the ParisBourse and on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Company
designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductor
integrated circuits (ICs) and discrete devices used in a wide variety of
microelectronic applications, including telecommunications systems, computer
systems, consumer products, automotive products and industrial automation and
control systems. In 2000, the Company's net revenues were $7,813.2 million and
net earnings were $1,452.1 million. According to Dataquest's annual ranking for
2000, STMicroelectronics is the sixth largest semiconductor company in the
world. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.
Editor's Note: SuperH is a trademark of Hitachi, Ltd.
STMICROELECTRONICS CONTACTS:
Media - Investors -
Maria Grazia Prestini Benoit de Leusse
Corporate Press Relations Manager Investor Relations Manager Europe
STMicroelectronics STMicroelectronics
Tel. +39.039.603.59.01 Tel. +33.4.50.40.24.30
Tel. +33.4.50.40.25.32 Fax +33.4.50.40.25.80
mariagrazia.prestini@st.com benoit.de-leusse@cst.com
Lorie Lichtlen/Nelly Dimey Jean-Benoit Roquette/Nicole Curtin
Media Relations Investor Relations
Morgen-Walke Europe Morgen-Walke Europe
Tel. +33.1.47.03.68.10 Tel. +33.1.47.03.68.10
llichtlen@mweurope.com jbroquette@mweurope.com
HITACHI MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kantaro Tanii
Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Tel: +44-(0)1628-585379
kantaro.tanii@hitachi-eu.com
Jonathan Colbourne
Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Tel: +44-(0)1628-585163
jonathan.colbourne@hitachi-eu.com
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
STMicroelectronics N.V. has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: April 4, 2001 STMicroelectronics N.V.
By: /s/ Pasquale Pistorio
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Name: Pasquale Pistorio
Title: President and Chief
Executive Officer