Annual Event Recognizes Excellence in Semiconductor Industry SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advantest Corporation (TSE:6857TSE:NYSE:TSE:ATE), the world's leading supplier of semiconductor test equipment, announces its sponsorship of the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration to be held on Thursday, December 11, 2008 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif. This premier annual event recognizes individuals and companies that have demonstrated excellence through their vision, strategy and execution, and honors achievements in several categories ranging from outstanding leadership to financial accomplishments. At the dinner, Dr. Eli Harari, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of SanDisk Corporation will receive the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award in recognition of his contributions to the semiconductor industry. In keeping with the evening's theme of "Visualizing Success," keynote speaker Chris Gardner., CEO of Gardner Rich LLC, and best selling author of the Pursuit of Happyness, will share how he was able to achieve his own personal success in spite of unimaginable obstacles. "GSA welcomes Advantest as a sponsor of our annual Awards Dinner, and appreciates their continued support of our initiatives," stated Jodi Shelton, co-founder and executive director of GSA. "We are grateful for their participation and highly value their collaboration." "Advantest is pleased to be an on-going member of the Global Semiconductor Alliance and a sponsor of this year's GSA Awards Dinner," commented Gregory Self, EVP of Advantest America, Inc. "GSA is a vital organization which continues to have a significant impact on the industry. It plays a critical role in the growth of the fabless business model and the health of the semiconductor ecosystem, at large. We applaud Dr. Harari and all those who will receive recognition at the event," he continued. 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 fabless 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. http://www.gsaglobal.org/ About Advantest Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions and serves the industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982 in the United States and now has 43 subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at http://www.advantest.com/. DATASOURCE: Advantest Corporation CONTACT: Amy Gold of Advantest America, Inc., +1-212-850-6670, Web Site: http://www.advantest.com/ http://www.gsaglobal.org/

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