The HD66717 dot-matrix liquid crystal display controller and driver LSI displays alphanumerics, katakana, hiragana, and symbols. It can be configured to drive a dot-matrix liquid crystal display under the control of an I2C bus, a clock-synchronized serial, or a 4- or 8-bit microprocessor. A single HD66717 is capable of displaying a maximum of four 12-character lines, 40 segments, and 10 annunciators. The HD66717 incorporates all the functions required for driving a dot-matrix liquid crystal display such as display RAM, character generator, and liquid crystal drivers, and a booster for LCD power supply. The HD66717 provides various functions to reduce the power consumption of an LCD system such as low-voltage operation of 2.4V or less, a booster for generating a maximum of triple LCD drive voltage from the supplied voltage, and voltage-followers for decreasing the direct current flow in the LCD drive bleeder-resistors. Combining these hardware functions with software functions such as standby and sleep modes allows a fine power control. The HD66717, with the above functions, is suitable for any portable battery-driven product requiring long-term driving capabilities and small size.