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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12:20 (GMT+8)
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Subject: Bits + chips > IC manufacturing |
China foundries HHNEC and GSMC expected to finalize merger talks next month 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 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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Applied Materials introduces aerial imaging to boost lithography productivity Dec 1, 10:54 Applied Materials has announced its Applied Aera2 for lithography system. Using the system's IntenCD technology in the fab, semiconductor manufacturers can improve wafer critical dimension uniformity (CDU) by more than 20%, increasing device yield and lowering the per-wafer cost of patterning, according to the company. In addition, the Aera2 can be used to extend photomask lifetime and bring productivity gains to the entire lithography cell. Read more |
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TSMC and UMC to carry out cost-reduction plans, report says 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 Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) have worked out plans aimed at cutting expenses as much as 20% each. Read more |
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Micron likely to increase orders for ChipMOS, SPIL and FATC Nov 28, 15:30 ChipMOS Technologies, Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) and Formosa Advanced Technologies Company (FATC) are expected to benefit from Micron Technology after it completes the acquisition of Qimonda's stake in Inotera Memories, according to market sources. Read more |
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Economic crisis impacting MEMS market, says Yole 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. The fourth quarter 2008 is scheduled to be soft by most of the companies involved in consumer electronics, Eloy believes, explaining that Christmas inventories are already manufactured and shipped along with some first-quarter orders as well. Read more |
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NXP suspends MEMS orders to SMIC 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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Intel raids skilled staff from SMIC and Hynix for Fab 68 in China 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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UMC announces advancement in its high-k/metal-gate process solution Nov 27, 12:25 United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) recently announced the validation of its high-k/metal-gate (HK/MG) technology with process through 45nm SRAM product yield. This achievement is a first key-step in demonstrating technology performance and process reliability for HK/MG technology, which will be used for UMC's next generation 32/28nm process. Read more |
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VIA to spin off RISC-based CPU business to save costs, says paper 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 Economy Daily New (EDN) report. Read more |
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Ralink lands orders for Eee Top; expects to achieve 40% gross margin in 4Q08 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 year too, according to industry sources. Read more |
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TSMC to ship Altera 40nm FPGAs by year-end 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 of this year, kicking off the foundry's production of the 40nm general purpose (G) and low power (LP) process nodes, according to sources. Read more |
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Alpha Imaging to get boost from imaging processor orders for Samsung handsets 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) solutions for Samsung's 5-megapixel high-end cameraphones, and the relationship with Samsung should help boost the company's revenues for the second half of this year by 20-30%, compared with the NT$430 million (US$12.8 million) in sales the company reported in the first half of the year, according to market sources. Read more |
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Socle expected to enter MID market with ARM11 platform Nov 24, 17:08 After announcing its cooperation plans with ARM, Socle Technology has proclaimed its ARM11 platform built on Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing's 65nm technology has reached 1GHz, the highest in the industry. Read more |
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Time for Taiwan DRAM makers to move forward, says Kingston 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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Chartered seeks wafer testing suppliers in Taiwan 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 testing companies in Taiwan, according to industry sources. Ardentec, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), King Yuan Electronics (KYEC), Powertech Technology (PTI) and STATS ChipPAC Taiwan Semiconductor (formerly Winstek Semiconductor) are being identified as beneficiaries. Read more |
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Kenmec introduces photo engraving process equipment for large-size panels Nov 21, 17:20 Although many panel makers are slowing down their expansion plans during the economic downturn, panel equipment supplier Kenmec Mechanical Engineering is growing stably and is expanding its business from automation equipment to wet processing by introducing photo engraving process equipment for large-size panels. Read more |
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Probe card maker MPI estimates 4Q08 shipments to fall 10% Nov 21, 16:44 Probe card specialist MJC Probe (MPI) esimates a monthly shipment drop of 10% during the fourth quarter of 2008, citing weaker-than-expected demand in handset applications. The probe card industry is expected to rebound between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter of 2009, according to the company. Read more |
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Chartered CEO: No merger talks for now Nov 21, 10:07 Song-Hwee Chia, CEO of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, has denied that his current visit to Taiwan is aimed at any merger talks, but he has not ruled out the possibility of any developments in the future. Read more |
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Socle's alliance with ARM to shake up SoC industry Nov 21, 01:00 ARM and Socle Technology, a subsidiary of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, have released details of their cooperation plans which will see Socle gain licenses from ARM's IP portfolio covering ARM11 and 3D graphics chips. Read more |
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Taiwan IC production value down 6.5% in 2008, research suggests Nov 20, 15:58 The Taiwan semiconductor industry will see its IC design, packaging and testing sectors all slide in production value in 2008, with the packaging and testing segments experiencing double-digit declines, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of the Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). The production value of Taiwan's IC industry is estimated to fall 6.5% to NT$688.7 billion (US$20.6 billion) in 2008, said IEK. Read more |
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SIA forecasts 5.5% decline for global semiconductor sales in 2009 Nov 20, 12:28 The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released its annual forecast of global semiconductor sales, projecting the first decline in sales since 2001. The forecast projects 2008 sales of US$261.2 billion, a 2.2% increase from 2007 sales of US$255.6 billion. Sales in the current quarter, historically a strong quarter for the microelectronics industry, are forecasted to decline by 5.9% from the prior quarter. SIA projects that 2009 sales will decline by 5.6% to US$246.7 billion before resuming growth in 2010. Sales will grow by 7.4% in 2010 to US$264.9 billion and by 7.5% in 2011 to US$284.7 billion. Read more |
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InvenSense seeks partnerships with Taiwan foundry service providers Nov 20, 12:17 InvenSense, a provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications, is looking for partnerships with Taiwan-based foundry service providers, according to company CEO Steve Nasiri. Read more |
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China leads in IC consumption, despite fragile supply from local players Nov 20, 11:58 The production value of China's semiconductor industry grew 23% to account for more than one-third of total chip production worldwide for the first time in 2007, as the nation's huge export growth has been the key to driving semiconductor consumption in the Chinese market, according to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Read more |
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Chip market enters into its 11th industry recession, says Future Horizons Nov 20, 11:56 Despite the fact the first half of 2008 was stronger than many predicted, the relentless deterioration in the global financial markets has finally tipped the global economy into recession. Not surprisingly, it has taken the chip market with it says Malcolm Penn, CEO and chairman of industry analyst house Future Horizons. Read more |
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VLSI Research expects IC market to decline in 2008 and 2009 Nov 20, 11:24 In light of the recent economic deterioration, VLSI Research has revised its 2008 and 2009 forecasts for both integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductor equipment. IC sales are now expected to decline by 1.7% in 2008 to US$214.1 billion, and 2009 will be even worse with a 6.9% drop. VLSI Research cites a slowing electronics demand and an inventory correction that needs to take place to get supply back in balance with demand as the primary reasons for the revision. Read more |
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SEMI: North American semiconductor equipment book-to-bill ratio rises to 0.93 in October; matches highest monthly total in 2008 Nov 20, 01:10 North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$843 million in orders in October 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.93 according to the October 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.93 means that US$93 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month. Read more |
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Global semiconductor market to contract in 2008, iSuppli predicts Nov 19, 16:42 Amid rapidly deteriorating conditions in the global economy and electronics value chain, iSuppli now is predicting worldwide semiconductor revenues will decline in 2008 compared to 2007. Read more |
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TICP sees memory card packaging orders pick up Nov 19, 15:27 Taiwan IC Packaging (TICP) has remarked that its overall performance in the fourth quarter of 2008 will be hit by the ongoing economic downturn. But orders for memory card packaging orders have been increasing steadily since the third quarter amid slumping NAND flash prices, according to the company. Read more |
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UMC to produce Actel 65nm eFlash FPGAs Nov 19, 12:27 Low-power field programmable gate array (FPGA) specialist Actel and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) have announced that the two companies are cooperating in the production of Actel's next generation flash-based FPGAs. The chips will be manufactured on UMC's 65nm low leakage process, and will take advantage of the foundry's 65nm embedded flash (eFlash) technology. Successful first-silicon demonstration of Actel's 65nm eFlash-based FPGA has already been achieved at UMC's 300mm fabs. Read more |
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Mirle sees October profit down 45% on year Nov 19, 12:00 Taiwan-based equipment supplier Mirle Automation has reported profits of NT$41 million (US$1.2 million) for October, down 45% on year. The company had accumulated revenues NT$3.8 billion for January-October, slightly up 2% on year, according to data from the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
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MEMS market slows, less attractive to venture capital Nov 19, 11:04 The global market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will see single-digit growth for the first time in 2008 and low growth is also anticipated for 2009, as plummeting consumer confidence has weakened the market for MEMS-enabled consumer applications, analysts pointed out. Read more |
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Socle to license ARM11 multiprocessor Nov 19, 10:28 Socle Technology, a Taiwan-based IC design service company in which Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has a major stake, will announce Socle's further license agreement with ARM on November 20, according to the company. Read more |
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WSTS forecasts semiconductor market growth for 2008, contraction in 2009 Nov 19, 01:15 The global semiconductor market is expected to grow 2.5% on an annualized basis to US$261.9 billion in 2008, according to the autumn 2008 forecast of the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS). Read more |
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TSMC reportedly invests in Accton subsidiary, eyeing SiP-module market Nov 18, 15:27 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly invested in Taiwan-based Aiconn, a subsidiary of network-equipment maker Accton Technology, via the foundry's venture capital affiliate VentureTech Alliance. Industry sources have speculated that TSMC is looking to enter the wireless SiP (system in package) module market due to growing demand for portable consumer and wireless connectivity devices. Read more |
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TSMC urges equipment and material suppliers to push for 18-inch wafer migration Nov 18, 11:53 The transition to 18-inch wafer production may be interrupted by the current economic woes, but it is a necessary step the semiconductor industry has to take in order to increase production scale and efficiency significantly for better competitiveness, according to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As for its own 18-inch wafer production plan, TSMC has stated it is seeking more cooperation with equipment and material suppliers on development of 18-inch wafer fabs. Read more |
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China semiconductor industry sees weak growth in 3Q08 Nov 18, 10:44 A recent survey by the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) pointed out that China's semiconductor industry only saw 1.1% growth in the third quarter of 2008, the slowest rate on record. According to CSIA, China's IC industry maintained double-digit growth at 12.5% in the first quarter of 2008. However, the growth slowed down to 8.3% in the second quarter and further down in the third quarter, CSIA noted. Read more |
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TSMC ramps volume production of 40nm process Nov 18, 01:15 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced volume production of the foundry segment's only 40nm semiconductor manufacturing process with the successful ramp of its 40nm General Purpose (G) and Low Power (LP) versions. A comprehensive design infrastructure including library, IP, design flow, engineering service, and monthly CyberShuttle prototyping vehicles is also ready for these two processes. Read more |
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IC packaging and testing houses Sigurd and KYEC expects 10% drop in sales in 4Q Nov 18, 01:05 With the global semiconductor market falling on difficult times, IC packaging and testing houses Sigurd Microelectronics and King Yuan Electronics Company (KYEC) expect to see a 10% decline in revenues in the fourth quarter this year, according to market sources. Read more |
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TSMC has no layoff plans despite difficult times Nov 17, 15:05 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has no layoff plans despite the global economic woes, according to company CEO Rick Tsai. He made the remarks on the sideline of the company's 2008 Supply Chain Management (SCM) Forum on November 14. Read more |
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US house pricing key to economic recovery, says TSMC chairman Nov 17, 11:42 Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), remarked at a conference held by the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC) on November 14 that bringing an end to the housing crash in the US should be considered the key to an economic U-turn. Chang expects the incoming Obama administration to intervene in the national free market much more aggressively than the current Bush government, in order to restore the confidence of both consumers and investors. Read more |
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Silicon wafer shipments contract by almost 3% in 3Q08, says SEMI Nov 14, 15:59 Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments contracted almost 3% during the third quarter of 2008 compared to the second quarter, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Read more |
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Applied Materials expects overall equipment spending to drop in 2009, but upbeat about PV market Nov 14, 10:23 Applied Materials has posted results for its fiscal year 2008 and fourth quarter ended October 2008, with announcements of workforce cut and cost-reduction strategies for the next fiscal year. Company CEO Mike Splinter estimates that equipment spending will drop in the semiconductor and display sectors, but he remains optimistic about the solar-energy market. Read more |
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Opportunity is always present in the midst of crisis: Q&A with Freescale CEO Rich Beyer Nov 13, 16:58 Rich Beyer, CEO of Freescale Semiconductor, was attending a technology seminar held in Beijing early this month, providing his insights into the current economic conditions and particularly the prospects of the technology industry. Digitimes took the opportunity to interview Beyer on Freescale's future investment strategy and its deployments in other segments with growth potentials. Read more |
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UMC to advance annual maintenance due to utilization drop Nov 13, 15:08 United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has decided to start its annual maintenance ahead of schedule in 2008, as the company's utilization will drop to as low as 55%, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Chartered CEO said to be coming to Taiwan for merger talks Nov 13, 11:38 Song-Hwee Chia, CEO of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, is scheduled to pay a low-profile visit to Taiwan next week, with speculation abounding that he will be in talks for a merger deal with the local foundries, according to market sources. Read more |
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Semco becomes top-two FC-CSP substrate supplier Nov 13, 01:00 Korea-based flip-chip chip-scale packaging (FC-CSP) substrate maker Semco has gained market share from Japan-based Ibiden to become one of the top-two players in the market, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Taiwan semiconductor industry to decline 3.9% in 2008, says IMF Nov 12, 16:22 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast the global semiconductor industry will see a 1.3% on-year growth in sales, but Taiwan will see a 3.9% decline in 2008. Industrial Technology Intelligence Services (ITIS) said the decline of Taiwan is due to crashing DRAM prices. Read more |
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ChipMOS gross margins fall to zero in 3Q, will be negative in 4Q Nov 12, 12:26 ChipMOS Technologies has reported third quarter revenues of NT$4.36 billion (US$135.3 million), a decrease of 9.5% from NT$4.82 billion (US$149.5 million) in the second quarter of 2008 and a decrease of 26.6% from NT$5.94 billion (US$184.3 million) for the same period in 2007. The gross margin fate for the third quarter of 2008 was 0.3%, compared to 7.2% for the second quarter of 2008 and 24.2% for the same period in 2007. Read more |
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Datang to invest US$172 million in SMIC Nov 12, 01:10 Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Holdings have announced that the two companies have reached a definitive agreement under which Datang will invest US$172 million in common equity in SMIC for a 16.6% interest in the company proforma for newly issued shares. Read more |
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