As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 1999.
                                      Registration Statement No. 333-___________
================================================================================
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                        UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                   ----------

                        MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

                                   ----------

        DELAWARE                                                  86-062904
(State of Incorporation)                                      (I.R.S. Employer
                                                             Identification No.)

                 2355 W. CHANDLER BLVD., CHANDLER, AZ 85224-6199
          (Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

                                   ----------

                        MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED

                          Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                       1997 Nonstatutory Stock Option Plan
                           (Full Titles of the Plans)

                                   ----------

                                  Steve Sanghi
                      President and Chief Executive Officer
                        MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
            2355 W. Chandler Boulevard, Chandler, Arizona 85224-6199
                                 (480) 786-7200
          (Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

                                   ----------

This Registration  Statement shall become effective immediately upon filing with
the Securities and Exchange Commission,  and sales of the registered  securities
may begin as soon as reasonably practicable after such effective date.

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


==================================================================================================
                                                                      Proposed
                                                     Proposed          Maximum       Amount of
Title of Securities                 Amount to be      Maximum         Aggregate     Registration
 to be Registered                    Registered    Offering Price   Offering Price      Fee
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         
Common Stock, $.001 par value
Per share:

Employee Stock Purchase Plan           400,000(1)   $54.93125(2)   $ 21,972,500(2)   $ 5,800.74(2)
1997 Nonstatutory Stock Option Plan  1,500,000(1)    64.625  (2)     96,937,500(2)   $25,591.50(2)
Total                                1,900,000(1)                   118,910,000(2)   $31,392.24(2)
==================================================================================================

1.   This  Registration  Statement  shall  also cover any  additional  shares of
     Common Stock which become  issuable  under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan
     and the  1997  Nonstatutory  Stock  Option  Plan  by  reason  of any  stock
     dividend,  stock split,  recapitalization  or any other similar transaction
     without  receipt of  consideration  which  results in any  increase  in the
     number  of  outstanding  shares  of Common  Stock of  Microchip  Technology
     Incorporated.  Associated  with the Common Stock are common stock  purchase
     rights which will not be  exercisable or be evidenced  separately  from the
     Common Stock prior to the occurrence of certain events.
2.   Calculated  solely for purposes of this  offering  under Rule 457(h) of the
     Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  on the basis of 100% of the average of
     the high and low prices  reported on the Nasdaq National Market on December
     16, 1999  (the "Market Price") as to 1,500,000 shares and 85% of the Market
     Price as to 400,000 shares.
================================================================================

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

     Microchip  Technology  Incorporated  (the  "Registrant"  or the  "Company")
hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration  Statement,  pursuant to
General Instruction "E" to Form S-8, the contents of the Registration  Statement
on Form S-8 (No.  33-59686  filed with the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission
("SEC") on March 17, 1993,  the contents of the  Registration  Statement on Form
S-8 (No.  33-80072)  filed with the SEC on June 10,  1994,  the  contents of the
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 33-81690) filed with the SEC on July 18,
1994,  the contents of the  Registration  Statement  on Form S-8 (No.  33-83196)
filed with the SEC on August 24, 1994, the contents of Registration Statement on
Form S-8 (No.  333-872)  filed with the SEC on January 23, 1996, the contents of
Registration  Statement  on Form  S-8  (No.  333-40791)  filed  with  the SEC on
November  21, 1997 and the contents of  Registration  Statement on Form S-8 (No.
333-67215) filed with the SEC on November 13, 1998.

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The  Registrant  hereby  incorporates  by  reference  in this  registration
statement the  following  documents  previously  filed with the  Securities  and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission"):

     (a)  The Registrant's  Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
          March 31, 1999.

     (b)  The Registrant's  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended
          September 30, 1999 and June 30, 1999.

     (c)  The Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 11, 1999.

     (d)  The  description of the  Registrant's  Preferred Share Purchase Rights
          contained in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed
          on February 14, 1995,  including any amendment or report updating such
          description.

     (e)  The  description  of the  Registrant's  Common Stock  contained in the
          Registrant's  Registration  Statement on Form 8-A filed on February 5,
          1993, including any amendment or report updating such description.

     All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c),  14 and 15(d) of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  as amended (the
"Exchange  Act")  prior to the  filing  of a  post-effective  amendment  to this
Registration  Statement which indicates that all securities  offered hereby have
been sold or which deregisters all securities  remaining unsold, shall be deemed
to be  incorporated  by reference into this  Registration  Statement and to be a
part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.

        4.1       1997  Nonstatutory  Stock  Option Plan,  as amended  through
                  April 26, 1999
        4.2       Employee Stock  Purchase Plan, as amended  through April 26,
                  1999
        5.1       Opinion and Consent of Mary K. Simmons, Esq.
        10.1      Form of Notice of Grant For 1997  Nonstatutory  Stock Option
                  Plan, with Exhibit A thereto, Form of Stock Option Agreement
                  [Incorporated  by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to Registrant's
                  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal  year ended March
                  31, 1998]
        10.2      Form of Stock Purchase Agreement for Employee Stock Purchase
                  Plan   [Incorporated   by   Reference  to  Exhibit  10.2  to
                  Registration Statement No. 333-872]
        10.3      Form of  Enrollment  Form for Employee  Stock  Purchase Plan
                  [Incorporated  by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to  Registration
                  Statement No. 333-872]
        10.4      Form  of  Change  Form  for  Employee  Stock  Purchase  Plan
                  [Incorporated  by Reference to Exhibit 10.4 to  Registration
                  Statement No. 333-872]
        23.1      Consent of KPMG LLP
        23.2      Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
        24.1      Power of  Attorney  (reference  is made to page II-3 of this
                  Registration Statement)

                                      II-1

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement  to be  signed  on its  behalf  by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly
authorized, in the City of Chandler, State of Arizona, on December 23, 1999.

                                     MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED

                                     By: /s/ Steve Sanghi
                                         ---------------------------------------
                                         Steve Sanghi, President and
                                         Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

     That  the  undersigned  officers  and  directors  of  Microchip  Technology
Incorporated,  a Delaware  corporation,  do hereby  constitute and appoint Steve
Sanghi and Mary K. Simmons, and each of them, the lawful  attorneys-in-fact  and
agents,  with full power and  authority to do any and all acts and things and to
execute any and all instruments which said attorneys and agents,  and any one of
them,  determine  may be  necessary  or  advisable  or  required  to enable said
corporation to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules
or  regulations  or  requirements  of the  Commission  in  connection  with this
Registration  Statement.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing power
and authority,  the powers  granted  include the power and authority to sign the
names of the  undersigned  officers and  directors in the  capacities  indicated
below  to  this  Registration  Statement,  to  any  and  all  amendments,   both
pre-effective and post-effective, and supplements to this Registration Statement
and to any and all instruments or documents filed as a part of or in conjunction
with this Registration  Statement or to amendments or supplements  thereof,  and
each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that said attorneys and
agents, or any one of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.  This
Power of Attorney may be signed in several counterparts.

     IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  each of the  undersigned  has executed  this Power of
Attorney as of the date indicated.

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended,
this  Registration  Statement has been signed below by the following  persons in
the capacities and on the dates indicated.


     Signature                          Title                                 Date
     ---------                          -----                                 ----
                                                                     
/s/ Steve Sanghi                  Chairman of the Board of                  December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------     Directors, President and
Steve Sanghi                      Chief Executive Officer
                                  (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ C. Philip Chapman             Vice President, Chief Financial           December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------     Officer and Secretary (Principal
C. Philip Chapman                 Accounting and Financial Officer)

/s/ Albert J. Hugo-Martinez       Director                                  December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------
Albert J. Hugo-Martinez

/s/ L.B. Day                      Director                                  December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------
L.B. Day

/s/ Matthew W. Chapman            Director                                  December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------
Matthew W. Chapman

/s/ Wade F. Meyercord             Director                                  December 23, 1999
- -----------------------------
Wade F. Meyercord

                                      II-2

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


  Exhibit No.                              Exhibit
  -----------                              -------

     4.1       1997  Nonstatutory  Stock  Option Plan,  as amended  through
               April 26, 1999
     4.2       Employee Stock  Purchase Plan, as amended  through April 26,
               1999
     5.1       Opinion and Consent of Mary K. Simmons, Esq.
     10.1      Form of Notice of Grant For 1997  Nonstatutory  Stock Option
               Plan, with Exhibit A thereto, Form of Stock Option Agreement
               [Incorporated  by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to Registrant's
               Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal  year ended March
               31, 1998]
     10.2      Form of Stock Purchase Agreement for Employee Stock Purchase
               Plan   [Incorporated   by   Reference  to  Exhibit  10.2  to
               Registration Statement No. 333-872]
     10.3      Form of  Enrollment  Form for Employee  Stock  Purchase Plan
               [Incorporated  by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to  Registration
               Statement No. 333-872]
     10.4      Form  of  Change  Form  for  Employee  Stock  Purchase  Plan
               [Incorporated  by Reference to Exhibit 10.4 to  Registration
               Statement No. 333-872]
     23.1      Consent of KPMG LLP
     23.2      Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
     24.1      Power of  Attorney  (reference  is made to page II-3 of this
               Registration Statement)