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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12:19 (GMT+8)
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China foundries HHNEC and GSMC expected to finalize merger talks next month IC manufacturing | Dec 1, 15:16 | | Shanghai Integrated Circuit Industry Association (SICA), a semi-official government organization in China, has claimed that local foundries Hua Hong NEC (HHNEC) and Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (GSMC) are likely to finailize merger talks by Lunar New Year next month. Read more | | |
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TSMC MEMS deployment on schedule despite economic downturn IC manufacturing | Dec 1, 12:27 | | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is said to be further enhancing the company's development of micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) business, with new equipment being installed on schedule, according to sources at the foundry's equipment and material suppliers. Read more | | |
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Solar cell maker E-Ton reportedly lands 100MWp order from Italy PV module maker Solar | Dec 1, 15:15 | | E-Ton Solar Tech, a Taiwan-based maker of crystalline silicon solar cells, is expected to sign with a photovoltaic (PV) module producer in Italy for a 4-year contract to supply solar cells totaling 100MWp, according to industry sources. Read more | | |
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NXP suspends MEMS orders to SMIC IC manufacturing | Nov 28, 01:05 | | Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC), which announced plans to enter the MEMS OEM market at the end of October, has already seen orders from its major customer, NXP Semiconductors, cut because of an unclear economic outlook, according to MEMS equipment suppliers. Read more | | |
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IC designers may see even worse performance in 4Q08 due to frozen orders in November IC design | Nov 28, 01:10 | | Taiwan first-tier IC design companies have revised fourth-quarter sales forecasts warning that performance is unlikely to meet earlier expectations because orders have been frozen since mid-November. Read more | | |
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Elpida to increase stake in Rexchip to 52% Memory | Nov 28, 01:00 | | Elpida Memory's board of directors has decided to increase its holdings in Rexchip Electronics, its Taiwan-based joint venture founded along with strategic partner Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC). Read more | | |
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Some solar cell makers seeking to renegotiate contract prices for silicon wafers Solar | Nov 28, 15:19 | | In light of prices of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) solar cells having dropped from US$2.8-3.0/watt in early November 2008 to US$2.6-2.7/watt currently, and with further drops expected, some Taiwan-based makers of solar cells plan to ask their contract suppliers of solar-grade poly-Si wafers to lower contract prices to about US$7.5 per 6-inch wafer, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Read more | | |
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| | | | TSMC and UMC to carry out cost-reduction plans, report says IC manufacturing - Newswatch | Nov 28, 17:22 Today's Chinese-language cnYES.com cited Xinhua Finance (XFN)-ASIA as reporting that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United... Read more | | Economic crisis impacting MEMS market, says Yole IC manufacturing | Nov 28, 12:30 The total MEMS market will reach US$7.6 billion in 2008 and further up to US$8 billion in 2009, according to Jean Christophe Eloy, CEO of Yole Developpement... Read more | STMicroelectronics said to volume produce dual-axis MEMS gyroscope in 1H09 IC design | Nov 28, 10:49 STMicroelectronics reportedly will enter the dual-axis microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope market next year, mounting a challenge against... Read more | | Micron likely to increase orders for ChipMOS, SPIL and FATC Memory | Nov 28, 15:30 ChipMOS Technologies, Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) and Formosa Advanced Technologies Company (FATC) are expected to benefit from Micron Technology... Read more | Toshiba delivers positive outlook for SSD market over next two years Memory | Nov 28, 10:56 Toshiba has recently expressed its optimism about wider NAND flash deployment in solid-state drive (SSD) applications over the next two years. Market... Read more | | Qimonda completes sale of Inotera shares Memory | Nov 28, 10:25 Qimonda has announced the completion of the sale of its Inotera stake to Micron and the receipt of the second tranche of US$200 million in cash. Read more | CCL makers 4Q08 profitability to be crippled by oversupply and price drops Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 28, 17:11 Copper clad laminate (CCLs) suppliers Iteq, Taiwan Union Technology (TUC), Hwa Woei Laminate, Uniplus Electronics and Elite Material (EMC) are coming... Read more | | Equipment supplier Spirox sets up 5KW pilot HCPV system in Taiwan Solar | Nov 28, 16:18 Spirox Corporation, a Taiwan-based provider of semiconductor equipment and solution service, on November 27 held the opening ceremony for a 5KW (kilowatt)... Read more |
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Intel raids skilled staff from SMIC and Hynix for Fab 68 in China IC manufacturing | Nov 27, 14:11 | | Intel has completed first-round recruitment of staff for its 12-inch fab in Dalian, China (Fab 68) amid the rising wave of layoffs and production cuts by global semiconductor players, according to market sources in China. Read more | | |
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DRAM and NAND flash pricing drop to new lows Memory | Nov 27, 01:05 | | DRAM and NAND flash chip prices both recently dropped to new lows with 1Gb DDR2 chips at around US$0.70 and NAND flash chips falling around 20% over the past two weeks, according to sources at memory makers. Read more | | |
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Pegatron at risk of inventory buildup, say IC distributors Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 27, 16:47 | | Pegatron Technology is said to be facing a stock oversupply because shipments to Asustek Computer have not been as good as expected. Supplies intended for IBM and Lenovo have also exceeded demand, according to IC distributors. Read more | | |
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| | | | VIA to spin off RISC-based CPU business to save costs, says paper IC manufacturing - Newswatch | Nov 27, 12:08 Impacted by the sagging global economy, VIA Technologies will spin off its non-core business later this month to save costs, according to a Chinese-language... Read more | | Phison to start 90nm SATA controller production in 1Q09, targeting low-cost PCs IC design | Nov 27, 16:10 Controller IC design house Phison Electronics is looking to start mass production SATA-interface solid-state drive (SSD) controllers on 90nm by the first... Read more | Efficiency, differentiation, time-to-market and localized service are keys to probe card success: Q&A with FormFactor CEO Mario Ruscev IC design | Nov 27, 15:48 FormFactor, a leading provider of advanced wafer probe cards, has inevitably taken a hit to its operations as a result of the tough economic times. Due... Read more | | Ralink lands orders for Eee Top; expects to achieve 40% gross margin in 4Q08 IC design | Nov 27, 01:00 Ralink Technology has successfully entered Asustek Computer's Eee Top WLAN chip supply chain and will have a chance to supply chips for Eee PCs next... Read more | Fire breaks out at TPT PV module plant in Pingchen, no damage reported Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 27, 16:26 A fire broke out at Taiwan PCB Techvest's (TPT's) Pingchen plant in Taiwan during the morning of November 26. The fire was controlled immediately and... Read more | | Sun Materials starts construction on Taiwan's first solar-grade poly-Si plant Solar | Nov 27, 16:56 Taiwan-based Sun Materials Technology on November 26 held a groundbreaking ceremony for constructing the country's first solar-grade polycrystalline... Read more |
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Transcend chairman urges truce among DRAM makers Memory | Nov 26, 14:02 | | Peter Su, chairman of memory module maker Transcend Information, has urged Taiwan's DRAM makers to reach a truce. Not only should the goverment take measures to bail out the local DRAM industry, but its players should also need to help themselves by further cutting production, and investing more resources in R&D enhancement and cost-effective solutions for the sake of long-term development, Su commented. Read more | | |
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Nan Ya and Inotera lend Micron US$285 million for Qimonda deal Memory | Nov 26, 01:15 | | Nan Ya Plastics and Inotera Memories will lend Micron Technology a total of US$285 million to facilitate Micron's acquisition of Qimonda's stake in Inotera, according to the companies. Read more | | |
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Staying focused on wireless connectivity: Q&A with CSR CEO Joep van Beurden IC design | Nov 26
Despite unsatisfactory 2008 financial results, UK-based CSR, which has over 50% market share of built-in Bluetooth chips for handsets, is still diversifying its products and increasing research investment during the economic downturn. Digitimes had the opportunity to interview CSR CEO Joep van Beurden on the company's future strategies as well as development of Bluetooth technology. Read more |
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| | | | TSMC to ship Altera 40nm FPGAs by year-end IC manufacturing - Newswatch | Nov 26, 10:25 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will start shipping 40nm FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) to its key customer Altera by the end... Read more | | MediaTek not to supply handset chips to Nokia or Motorola next year IC design | Nov 26, 11:38 While Texas Instruments (TI), Infineon Technologies and Freescale Semiconductor are expected to be on the supplier lists of Nokia and Motorola for 2.5G... Read more | Large-size driver IC designers eyeing small- to medium-size solutions IC design | Nov 26, 01:10 With demand for large-size LCD panels remaining in the doldrums, driver IC designers are placing more emphasis on the small- to medium-size segment,... Read more | | FPCB maker Flexium business stable despite economic downturn Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 26, 12:19 Flexible PCB (FPCB) maker Flexium Interconnect has had significant sales growth since September and continues to have strong orders in November, according... Read more |
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Realtek trims 4Q financial forecast even further IC design | Nov 25, 01:20 | | Taiwan-based IC design house Realtek Semiconductor has trimmed its fourth quarter revenue forecast and now expects its sales to drop 20% sequentially, according to market sources. The company originally forecast a revenue decline of 10-20% for the fourth quarter. Read more | | |
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Transcend strategic products bringing in solid revenues contributions Memory | Nov 25, 15:33 | | Memory-module maker Transcend Information expects the sales ratio of its profitable product segment to increase to 15% in the fourth quarter of 2008, up from 6% earlier this year, according to company chairman Peter Su. Transcend's strategic products, which bring in gross margins as high as 25%, include digital photo frames, portable hard drives and digital music players, said Su. Read more | | |
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PSC exits from solar-cell maker board, to focus on DRAM Memory | Nov 25, 15:05 | | Wafer Works announced on November 24 that stake-holder Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has resigned from its board of directors. Wafer Works specializes in semiconductor-grade and solar-grade silicon wafers. PSC currently holds 13.9 million shares of the solar-wafer supplier and takes one director and one supervising director seat on the company's board. Read more | | |
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| | | | Taiwan IP vendor Andes expands product portfolio IC design | Nov 25, 16:58 Andes Technology, a Taiwan-based processor core IP vendor, has recently expanded its product portfolio by introducing 32-bit microcontroller units (MCUs)... Read more | | Why not both ARM and Intel processors in notebooks IC design | Nov 25, 15:19 While UK-based IP firm ARM is aggressively targeting Intel's turf in the netbook market with its ARM-based processors, notebook makers and vendors are... Read more | Alpha Imaging to get boost from imaging processor orders for Samsung handsets IC design | Nov 25, 01:05 MediaTek affiliate Alpha Imaging Technology (AIT) has successfully entered the supply chain for Samsung and will provide image signal processor (ISP)... Read more | | Semiconductor distributor Niching to see sales up while profits drop in 2008 Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 25, 16:28 Although Semiconductor distributor Niching Industrial has seen sales growth in 2008 thanks to strong shipments of memory module and memory card substrates,... Read more | Taiwan cable terminal makers face pressure due to falling copper prices Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 25, 16:13 Although falling global copper prices should have helped Taiwan-based cable terminal makers see their costs drop, the sharp decline in demand across... Read more | | PCB maker Chin-Poon suspends China expansion plan due to sagging market demand Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 25, 15:56 PCB maker Chin-Poon Industrial has suspended expansion plans for its Changshu plant in China due to internal forecasts that PCB demand is to remain sluggish... Read more | Passive component demand falls sharply in November Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 25, 14:53 Passive component makers expect to see large sales declines in the fourth quarter because of sharply decreasing demand. Read more | | Wafer supplier SAS likely to benefit from Panasonic's plan to strengthen Sanyo PV operations Solar | Nov 25, 10:35 Panasonic's plan to strengthen Sanyo Electric's solar energy business after acquiring the company is expected to bring more orders for solar-grade crystalline... Read more |
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Time for Taiwan DRAM makers to move forward, says Kingston Memory | Nov 24, 15:26 | | David Sun, co-founder of Kingston Technology, recently stated that Taiwan's DRAM makers should be aware that now is the best time for Taiwan's DRAM industry to implement consolidation or vertical integration strategies. The later a response to the industry downturn is carried out, the harder is will be for DRAM makers to recover, Sun commented. Read more | | |
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Taiwan government urged to help local DRAM makers forge closer ties with Elpida Memory | Nov 24, 12:09 | | Speculation has emerged concerning enhanced relationship between DRAM makers in Taiwan and Japan since Elpida Memory expressed its interest in the company's closer tie with its Taiwan counterparts. Market watchers have also urged the Taiwan government to play a major role in bringing about the cross-border collaboration. Read more | | |
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| | | | Chartered seeks wafer testing suppliers in Taiwan IC manufacturing | Nov 24, 14:29 Instead of drafting merger talks, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing is actually looking to outsource its wafer-testing orders to IC packaging and... Read more | | Socle expected to enter MID market with ARM11 platform IC design | Nov 24, 17:08 After announcing its cooperation plans with ARM, Socle Technology has proclaimed its ARM11 platform built on Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing's... Read more | Commentary: ARM-Socle alliance stirs up rivalry among foundries IC design | Nov 24, 17:06 ARM's license agreement with Socle Technology, a IC design service subsidiary of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, has heated up... Read more | | IC designers may see sales rebound in December on Lunar New Year demand IC design | Nov 24, 11:22 Taiwan's IC design companies expect to see weak November sales due to frozen orders in the second half of November, but sales may rebound in December... Read more | Weak market means even price-cuts are having no impact on handset PCB or PV module orders, say makers Passive, PCB, other IC components | Nov 24, 12:14 PV module orders have dropped 20% and demand for handset PCBs has also been sluggish in the fourth quarter due to production cuts by panel makers. However,... Read more | | China solar cell maker Suntech braces for 0% gross margin in 4Q08 Solar | Nov 24, 11:33 Suntech Power Holdings, a China-based maker of polycrystalline silicon solar cells and the world's largest provider of photovoltaic (PV) modules, forecasts... Read more |
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China DRAM handset IC IC design IC manufacturing MediaTek Memory Mobile phone and PDA NAND flash Passive, PCB, other IC components PCB PSC revenues sales semiconductor Solar Taiwan TSMC UMC |
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Qimonda announces progress on partnership discussions and delays release of results (Dec 1) - Business Wire Qimonda announced today that it is making progress in its discussions with strategic and financial investors on potential partnerships with Qimonda, and that it will delay the release of its financial results for the fourth quarter of its 2008 financial year and its full financial year ended September 30, 2008 until mid-December while these discussions are proceeding.
| Taiwanese chip design house CMSC plugging into Japanese market (Nov 27) - Techon | Toshiba to raise solid-state drive output 15-fold - Reuters Japan's Toshiba said it planned to increase its output of flash memory-based solid state drives (SSDs) 15-fold over the next two years, aiming to control half of the global market for the new memory devices.
| Gartner: CIOs must plan for growth - Express Computer Gartner analysts have advised CIOs in the Asia Pacific region to plan for future growth. Speaking in the opening keynote presentation at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Sydney, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research Peter Sondergaard said that an economic downturn can be a perfect time to undertake projects that warrant priority, because of their impact on future growth.
| Taiwan stocks end at 2-wk high as DRAM makers surge - Hemscott Taiwan stocks rose 0.15 percent on Friday to a more than two-week closing high, as DRAM makers such as Powerchip surged after saying Japanese rival Elpida would boost its stake in their joint venture. DRAM chip makers surged, with Powerchip and Nanya Technology both up by their 7 percent daily limit, helping lift the electronics sub-index by 0.63 percent.
| Global chip makers plan cutbacks - Wall Street Journal Chip makers are shutting down less-productive factories, delaying investment projects and even cutting staff in a sign that the global economic slowdown and the credit crunch are taking a hefty toll on demand and hurting their operations. The coming few months could be critical for several memory-chip makers in Asia, Europe and the US as they continue to grapple with weak demand and a severe cash crunch amid plunging chip prices, which remain well below their manufacturing costs.
| Infineon says Fairchild's suit counters own case - Reuters Infineon said on Saturday that Fairchild Semiconductor's patent lawsuit against the German chip maker had been filed in response to a similar case brought by Infineon against its US rival. The two companies are in a legal tussle over so called power chips that regulate electricity supply in computers, sold by Infineon under its CoolMOS and OptiMOS as well as Infineon IGBT and CanPak brands.
| Infineon to step up cost cuts, plans shorter week - Reuters German micro-chip maker Infineon (IFXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to step up its recent cost cutting programme and is in talks with shop stewards about shortened working weeks, it said on Saturday. A spokesman for the company confirmed a pre-release of a report in Sunday paper Welt am Sonntag that Infineon was to slash costs beyond the 200 million euro ($258.8 million) programme already announced.
| Advanced fab utilisation up, foundries down - SICAS - Electronics Weekly Fab capacity utilisation in Q3 was high for advanced processes and 300mm fabs but overall showed a decline, according to the latest Semiconductor Industry Capacity Statistics (SICAS) report, with the foundry industry experiencing sharp declines in capacity, actual wafer starts and capacity utilisation.
| Chipmakers down after STMicroelectronics outlook - Interactive Invester (UK) Investors are also expecting a decline in mobile phone demand in 2009. Dow component Intel Corp slid 1.3 percent to $13.80 while Applied Material was off 0.9 percent to $9.64 and National Semiconductor slid 1.8 percent to $11.05.
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Taiwan semiconductor equipment industry overview (Aug 12) |
Worries about a global economic downturn have taken a toll on a number of industries, with the semiconductor industry being no exception. Players in the semiconductor industry have cut their annual capital expenditure (capex) this year to cope with the weak demand, and SEMI projects that following 6% market growth in 2007, the semiconductor equipment market will decline 20% in 2008 with sales reaching US$34.12 billion. |
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Foundry overview (Sep 1) |
Taiwan's semiconductor industry has begun to out-run its global peers, once more, in 2006. This followed a trough in 2004, caused by over-inventory, plus volatility in memory pricing in 2005, both factors that had put a damper on the industry in Taiwan. |
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Taiwan DRAM-module industry overview (Jun 27) |
While Taiwan's IT industry dominates the global motherboard and ODM notebook businesses, its position as a global center for DRAM-module production is less sure. DRAM-module production is not especially labor intensive when compared to other assembly-type manufacturing processes, so there is an opportunity for regions with higher labor costs to compete effectively in the DRAM-module business, and they do just that. |
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