DuPont Photomasks Adds Production Capacity at Singapore Facility to Se

    Business Editors/Technology Writers

    ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2005--DuPont Photomasks, Inc. (NASDAQ:DPMI) today announced that it has expanded photomask production capacity at its facility in Singapore in response to growing demand from Asia-Pacific semiconductor markets. The Company said it has added a laser pattern generator line and inspection and support equipment for volume production of photomasks, increasing capacity at the 5-year-old facility by approximately 25 percent. The Company did not disclose the total investment.
    The capacity expansion completed this month solidifies DuPont Photomasks' Singapore plant as one of the largest photomask production facilities in Southeast Asia, and is part of the Company's previously announced capital expenditures plan in fiscal year 2005.
    "This capacity expansion reflects our growing role as a supplier of leading-edge photomasks in the chip industry's fastest-growing region," said Jim Northup, chief operating officer, DuPont Photomasks. "Our investment in this expansion reaffirms our commitment to provide our customers with the broadest and most advanced photomask-making capabilities and support services in the region."
    "With this new production line in Singapore and our facilities in China, Taiwan and Korea, DuPont Photomasks is able to provide our customers in Asia with reduced cycle times, and faster time to market," said Mike Hadsell, managing director, Asia Pacific.
    STMicroelectronics credited DuPont Photomasks for helping it improve cycle times. "DuPont Photomasks is as determined as we are to reduce cycle times, improve yields and speed time to market," said Jeffrey See, vice president, Asia Pacific, and general manager, Ang Mo Kio wafer fab for STMicroelectronics. "They have been a valued partner of STMicroelectronics, and this capacity expansion confirms their commitment to helping us meet the market and technology demands now and in the future."
    Since opening in 2000, the Singapore facility has become an integral part of DuPont Photomasks' network of photomask-manufacturing sites. Located in seven countries throughout the Asia Pacific, European and North American regions, all DuPont Photomasks sites are networked by an internally developed, proprietary software system called eMask(TM). The integration provided by eMask, the most advanced production control system in the photomask industry, offers DuPont Photomasks' customers greater flexibility for photomask ordering, production and delivery processes throughout the world. The flexibility provided by this integration leads to shorter cycle times and reduced costs.

    About DuPont Photomasks, Inc.

    DuPont Photomasks, Inc. is a leading global provider of microimaging solutions. The Company develops and produces advanced photomasks, a key enabling technology used in the manufacture of semiconductor and other microelectronic devices, and through its wholly-owned subsidiary BindKey Technologies, Inc., electronic design automation (EDA) software. Headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, DuPont Photomasks operates a global network of manufacturing facilities serving semiconductor makers and other electronics producers around the world. DuPont Photomasks posted worldwide revenues of $354 million in fiscal 2004. Information about the Company can be found at www.photomask.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements contained in this document that are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements may concern growth and future operating results, forecasts, projections, new manufacturing facilities, capital expenditures, new products and product enhancements, the future importance of photomask technology, the demand for products, competitive factors, and the Company's strategy. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current plans, expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from expectations, estimates or assumptions expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those factors set forth below, certain of which are more fully discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated September 9, 2004 and the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q dated November 5, 2004: relationships with and dependence on the semiconductor industry, fluctuations in quarterly and annual earnings, operating in a capital intensive industry, significant fixed costs, rapid technological change, competition, significant international operations, world-wide market volatility, manufacturing risks, fluctuation of income tax rates, concentration of customers, dependence on suppliers, dependence on management and technical personnel, volatility of market prices, potential acquisitions or dispositions, technology challenges in the manufacture of advanced photomasks, intellectual property, changes in governmental laws and regulations, and the potential effect of shares eligible for future sales and registration rights. The forward-looking statements are made as of the release date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why the actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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CONTACT: DuPont Photomasks, Inc., Round Rock Tom Blake, 512-310-6562 tom.blake@photomask.com

KEYWORD: TEXAS TAIWAN SOUTH KOREA CHINA SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANUFACTURING CHEMICALS/PLASTICS HARDWARE SOFTWARE COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS PRODUCT EDA SOURCE: DuPont Photomasks, Inc.

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