Industry Veteran to Run as Nominee in Test/Packaging and Back-end Partner Category
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — January 12, 2011 — Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857, NYSE: ATE) the semiconductor industry's foremost provider of automatic test equipment (ATE), today announced that R. Keith Lee, executive officer of Advantest Corporation and president & CEO of Advantest America, Inc., is running as a candidate for a seat on the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) board of directors. If elected, Mr. Lee, will serve a two-year term representing the packaging/back-end partner category. New board positions will take effect on March 1, 2011.
“The GSA continues to make significant contributions to the semiconductor industry as a champion of the fabless model,” stated Toshio Maruyama, Advantest Corporation’s Chairman. “It is a great pleasure for me at this time to put forward Keith Lee as a candidate for the GSA board of directors, as it not only confirms Advantest’s commitment to GSA as a driver of continued semiconductor industry growth, but serves as a testament to our mutual goals,” he continued.
Mr. Lee is a technology industry veteran of more than 25 years. He joined Advantest America in 1984, and has held management positions in design and development, sales and marketing, and applications and systems engineering. Prior to his career at Advantest, he held senior marketing management and engineering positions at Megatest Corporation, Mitel Corporation, and AT&T. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University, where he remains active on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
"I feel confident that the GSA is well positioned to serve as the crossroads of our industry -- that it is well situated to be at the center of our global collaboration and an incubator for future ideas,” Mr. Lee commented. “As we emerge from this severe economic downturn, and begin to grow and evolve our industry, we must do everything possible to establish connections: finance research; attract talent; improve infrastructures; and promote successes. I believe that GSA can be our springboard and I look forward to being a part of the ongoing legacy of this venerable organization,” he continued.
Advantest has been a member of the GSA (formerly the Fabless Semiconductor Association) since 1999 and has been active on several GSA committees over the years. For 22 consecutive years, the company has ranked among VLSI Research’s 10 BEST semiconductor equipment companies in terms of technical leadership, product performance, process and software support, and service. In SoC test, Advantest achieved the industry’s highest rating in cost-of-ownership, while in memory test, the company led the industry with the highest rating in the categories of uptime and usable throughput.
To hear a complete podcast of Keith Lee’s GSA commentary, go to: http://www.advantest.com/otherFiles/gsa_bod.mp3
About GSA
The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to accelerate the growth and increase the return on invested capital of the global semiconductor industry by fostering a more effective ecosystem through collaboration, integration and innovation. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration, the Alliance identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 25 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org
About Advantest
A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has recently introduced critical dimension scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tool. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.
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Advantest Corporation
Amy Gold, 212-850-6670
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