GENEVA, April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics , one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers and for more than 10 years a leading proponent of sustainable development, today announced that it had shipped over 250 million units of energy-saving products in 2006. Designed to reduce power consumption in end equipment from lighting to white- goods appliances and entertainment electronics, these ST chips allow to save over 1200 GWh of electricity at the point of use, which is equivalent to saving the more than 2 million barrels of oil needed to generate this energy.

ST's long-term focus on power-conscious design incorporates both reduction of energy consumption in the chip itself and contribution to energy savings in the end application. For example:

-- In lighting, ST's microcontroller-based solution for compact fluorescent lamps significantly reduces the energy consumption of the lamp by using high-performing switching components that minimize power losses. ST's microcontroller also makes the lamp's light intensity almost constant throughout the life cycle and extends the lamp's life, reducing waste. Intelligent dimming solutions from ST reduce power consumption in traditional bulb lamps while ST's phase-control dimmers also extend bulb life and enhance the consumer experience, providing smooth up-and-down light adjustments and memory presets. -- ST's advanced motor-control and thermo-regulation technologies contribute to energy efficiency and higher reliability in a variety of home appliances from heating and air-conditioning systems to refrigerators and washing machines. -- ST's patented sensorless motor controller adjusts the frequency and voltage of the power supplied to the motor and optimizes the motor speed to the load needs, thus reducing the energy consumed by white-goods appliances and air-conditioning systems. -- ST's dedicated solution for refrigerators uses digital temperature regulation to maintain the internal temperature more accurately for better food preservation while saving power.

Remote control systems are yet another significant consumer of energy. ST's power-supply units for stand-by systems use innovative technologies to reduce energy consumption in TV sets, set-top-boxes and PCs, which remain in stand-by mode 24 hours a day.

"The intelligent use of energy makes a tremendous difference, reducing both our eco-footprint and the electricity bill," said Georges Auguste, Corporate Vice President and Director of Total Quality and Corporate Responsibility, STMicroelectronics. "We have developed a strong portfolio of products that optimize power consumption in virtually all devices and technologies that surround us, from lighting to computers."

According to iSuppli, STMicroelectronics is the world's number one supplier of semiconductors for power management.

A note on the calculation of the energy savings achieved by using ST products

We have compared the actual power consumption of applications built around ST's energy-saving technologies with that of the existing traditional solutions that contain no or less advanced energy-saving features. The nominal energy saving by product in the end application (generally a few watts) has been multiplied by the number of hours the equipment is in operation. These "duty cycle" values are based on publicly available statistics. Finally, we have included in the calculation the total number of energy-saving devices we shipped in 2006.

The total annual savings of 1220 GWh are equivalent to saving the more than 2 million barrels of oil needed to generate this energy (1MWh ~ 1.7 barrels of oil; 1220 GWh ~ 2,074,000 barrels of oil).

It is also important to consider that our products are generally used for more than a year, so the real energy savings are not limited to one year utilization presented in the above calculation.

CONTACT: Michael Markowitz of STMicroelectronics, +1-212-821-8959,
michael.markowitz@st.com

Web site: http://www.st.com/