 |
NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Friday, July 10, 2009
09:58 (GMT+8)
|
|
|
Subject: Bits + chips > Memory |
Heavy debts may force PSC to exit DRAM business, says paper Newswatch - Jul 9, 16:52 Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), which has just received the nod from bondholders for resetting the conversion price for its ECBs due June 17, 2009, still has debts worth NT$10 billion (US$303.5 million) due by the end of the year, a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report cited UBS as reporting on July 9. Due to cash flow constraints, the struggling DRAM maker may have to phase out its commodity memory business, the paper quoted an investment bank as indicating. Read more |
|
|
Chip fab spending to grow 61% in 2010, says SEMI Jul 9, 16:20 Total fab spending worldwide is poised to grow 61.5% in 2010, following a 50.7% drop in 2009, according to SEMI. The association previously predicted the overall fab spending would increase as much as 90% in 2010, following an about 51% drop this year. Read more |
|
|
|
 |
Production capacity key to DRAM survival, says Inotera president Jul 9, 12:21 Taiwan-based DRAM makers should optimize capacity at their 12-inch fabs, which is the key to their survival in the global memory industry, according to Charles Kao, president of Inotera Memories. Read more |
|
|
NAND flash price hike undermines notebook SSD market, says iSuppli Jul 9, 09:52 Surging prices for NAND flash memory have diminished the previously-promising market for solid state drive (SSD) storage technology in notebooks in 2009, according to iSuppli. Read more |
|
|
Nanya, Inotera sales down in June Jul 8, 16:50 DRAM makers Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories have reported larger revenue declines on year for June 2009, with the former ending its run of sequential growth. Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
Winbond completes transition to 300mm fab production Jul 8, 14:09 Taiwan's Winbond Electronics, which has shifted its focus from standard DRAM to niche memory and NOR flash, has recently completed its migration to 300mm wafer fab production, according to the company. Read more |
|
|
Flash maker Macronix enjoys revenue growth in June Jul 8, 11:57 Taiwan's mask ROM and NOR flash chipmaker Macronix International (MXIC) saw June sales grow 12.4% on month and 18.7% on year. Accumulated sales for January through June reached NT$10.69 billion (US$324.14 million), up 5.8% from 2008. Read more |
|
|
A-Data and Transcend see June revenues up double-digits Jul 8, 11:04 A-Data Technology and Transcend Information enjoyed on-month revenue growth of 24.5% and 25.6%, respectively, in June 2009. Both memory module makers have seen growing sales contributions from NAND flash products. Read more |
|
|
Samsung said to be subsidizing DRAM operations with NAND flash profits Jul 7, 17:02 Samsung Electronics has made efforts to provide NAND flash prices that maintain profitability in contrast to its DRAM pricing strategy, according to industry sources in Taiwan. The memory-chip vendor has adopted a strategy of using profits from NAND flash to cover losses from DRAM sales, allowing little room for Taiwan-based DRAM chipmakers to operate, the sources claimed. Read more |
|
|
PTI sales recovery continues in June, upbeat about 3Q09 Jul 6, 14:37 Memory packaging and testing specialist Powertech Technology (PTI) has posted a sequential revenue growth of 4.4% in June with a narrower on-year drop. Sales for the second quarter rose 18% sequentially to total NT$7.11 billion (US$215.88 million), beating the company's guidance. Read more |
|
|
PSC adjusts ECB conversion price to NT$5.25 per share Newswatch - Jul 6, 11:10 Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has reset the conversion price of its US$157.85 million euro convertible bonds (ECBs) at NT$5.25 (US$0.16) per share, the company has announced. Read more |
|
|
PSC says DRAM ASP and shipments up in June Jul 6, 10:17 Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has announced unaudited net sales of NT$2.12 billion (US$64.51 million) for June 2009, up 40.9% from May's NT$1.51 billion. The Taiwan-based memory chipmaker said that both its ASP and shipments went up sequentially in June, thanks to improved yields on its 65nm process. Read more |
|
|
DRAM and NAND flash transactions muted on inventory checks, says inSpectrum Jul 3, 16:33 Transactions for both DRAM and NAND flash remained limited this week (June 29-July 3), as many module houses/distributors conducted their mid-year inventory checks, said inSpectrum. Read more |
|
|
Winbond remains open to Taiwan DRAM industry consolidation, says chairman Jul 3, 15:45 Winbond Electronics still remains open to the ongoing consolidation in Taiwan's DRAM industry, according to company chairman Arthur Chiao. Read more |
|
|
Nanya Technology to see revenues down in June despite DRAM price hikes, sources say Jul 3, 14:07 Despite recent hikes of DRAM contract prices, Nanya Technology is expected to see revenues decline sequentially in June as the company has adopted a policy of not accepting orders with low margins in order to cap its operating losses, according to industry sources. Read more |
|
|
DDR3 contract prices to grow on launch of ultra-thin notebooks, says DRAMeXchange Jul 2, 15:51 Contract prices for DDR3 chips seen in more ultra-thin notebooks are expected to rise 5-10% in July, according to DRAMeXchange. The research firm expects promotions of Intel-based low-cost notebooks to result in fluctuations in prices, which remained unchanged through the latter half of June. Read more |
|
|
Apacer becomes sales agent for Diskeeper in Greater China Newswatch - Jul 2, 14:38 Apacer Technology has ventured into software distribution by obtaining the rights to distribute Diskeeper's products in the Greater China market, according to the Taiwan-based memory module maker. Responsibilities will also include training and consulting services, the company said. Read more |
|
|
Silicon Motion announces controllers supporting Micron 34nm MLC flash Jul 2, 11:02 Silicon Motion Technology has obtained validation for its new flash memory controllers that support Micron's 34nm multi-level cell (MLC) flash product family, according to the company. The validated Silicon Motion products include SM2682/SM2682LT SD controllers, SM2232/SM2234 CF controllers, SM2235/SM2242 SSD controllers and SM3251/SM3252 USB flash drive controllers, all of which are in mass production. Read more |
|
|
Elpida says partnership with PSC remains strong despite its withdrawal from PSC board Jul 1, 10:01 Elpida Memory has stated that its current relationship with Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) remains the same, despite its exit from PSC's board of directors. Read more |
|
|
Micron announces new 34nm NAND chip Jun 30, 15:27 Micron Technology has announced mass production of high-capacity 34nm NAND flash, which has been adopted by Lexar Media for its new flash memory cards. The new 16Gb and 32Gb NAND chips pair large capacity with performance to meet today's demanding portable storage requirements, which are tailored to end-customer product dimensions, claimed Micron. Read more |
|
|
Elpida exits from PSC board Jun 30, 14:47 Elpida Memory has quietly withdrawn from the board of directors of Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), its strategic partner in Taiwan. Industry sources have indicated that the partnership between Elpida and PSC became more insecure when the Japan-based memory chipmaker reportedly tried to include ProMOS Technologies among its camp partners queuing up for Taiwan government bailout funds in early 2009. Read more |
|
|
PSC allowed to reset ECB conversion price; to cut capex Jun 29, 11:06 DRAM chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) gained approval to reset the conversion price of its US$157.85 million worth of euro convertible bonds (ECBs) during its recent annual shareholders meeting. Read more |
|
|
DRAM maker Nanya raises over NT$12 billion Jun 26, 16:39 Taiwan-based DRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology on June 26 announced that it has raised additional capital of NT$12.22 billion (US$371.31 million) through private placement. Read more |
|
|
Marginal changes in DRAM and NAND flash spot prices, says inSpectrum Jun 26, 15:43 Sluggish demand, along with weak pricing, continued in both DRAM and NAND flash spot markets this week (June 22-26). Traders/brokers found it difficult to spur any transactions despite lowering quotations, said inSpectrum. Read more |
|
|
DRAM contract quotes expected to increase in July Newswatch - Jun 26, 11:44 Supply in the DRAM contract market will tighten in July as demand from PC makers grows strong, as a result pricing is set to rise, according to industry sources. DRAM module makers have recently received more orders from PC makers and expect orders to continue growing through third-quarter 2009. Read more |
|
|
NAND flash contract prices to turn soft in July, says DRAMeXchange Jun 25, 16:06 Contract prices for mainstream 8Gb and 16Gb MLC NAND flash chips have stayed flat at an average of US$3.52 and US$4.06, respectively, in the second half of June, according to data gathered by DRAMeXchange. The research firm expects the prices to remain unchanged or slightly soften in July. Read more |
|
|
Samsung and Numonyx join forces on phase change memory Jun 24, 17:02 Samsung Electronics and Numonyx have announced they are jointly developing market specifications for phase change memory (PCM) products, which feature faster read and write speeds at lower power than conventional NOR and NAND flash memory and allow for bit alterability normally seen in RAM. Read more |
|
|
DRAM contract prices stay flat in 2H June, says DRAMeXchange Jun 24, 14:38 Contract prices for DDR2 and DDR3 modules have stayed flat in the second half of June, following low- to mid-single-digit percentage gains in the first half, according to DRAMeXchange. Though chip suppliers earlier voiced their intentions to raise product quotes, the pricing trend has discontinued its growth momemtum. Read more |
|
|
SSD penetration in PC market remains low Jun 24, 14:13 The replacement from traditional hard drives to solid state drives (SSDs) will not take off in 2009, as the ratio of SSDs used in PCs remains low due to higher per GB costs, according to memory module makers. The makers expect chipmakers' stepping into 30nm production to be a catalyst for the adoption of SSDs. Read more |
|
|
Samsung reportedly sampling 35nm NAND flash Jun 24, 11:07 Samsung Electronics recently began sampling 35nm-made NAND flash chips with its controller IC design partners, a signal that the market for 30nm-class NAND flash is likely to heat up and push forward the mainstream density to 32Gb, according to sources at memory makers. Read more |
|
|
Memory backend supplier FATC to more than double LED packaging capacity Jun 24, 10:25 Formosa Advanced Technologies (FATC) plans to invest more than NT$1 billion (US$30.51 million) to more than double capacity of its LED chip packaging line in the second half of 2009, according to the company. The memory packaging and testing specialist said it looks to expand the monthly output to 26,000 LED wafers. Read more |
|
|
Taiwan industrial output continues to drop in May Jun 24, 10:02 Taiwan's industrial output slid 18.31% on year in May 2009, following an annual slip of 19.88% in the prior month, according to Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Despite continued drops on year, the industrial production index (IPI) has posted sequential growth from February through May. Read more |
|
|
Winbond moving toward reliance on NOR flash, specialty DRAM Jun 23, 16:35 Winbond Electronics has been transforming its product mix through phasing out standard DRAM and maintaining NOR flash and specialty DRAM as a focus, according to company president Tung-Yi Chan. Despite suffering operating losses due to low prices of standard DRAM, Winbond believes its transformation into a niche memory chipmaker will be key to the company's global competitiveness in the long run, said Chan. Read more |
|
|
Taiwan jobless rate climbs to 5.82% in May Jun 23, 10:17 Taiwan's jobless rate edged up to 5.82% in May 2009, beating the previous high of 5.81% recorded in March 2009, statistics published by the government's Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) show. The unemployment rate in May went up 0.06 percentage points sequentially, and 1.98pp from 3.84% a year ago. Read more |
|
|
PSC says bondholders agree to reset terms Stockwatch - Jun 22, 16:37 Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has announced that it has received consent from at least 90% of its bondholders, which is sufficient to allow it to reset the conversion price of its US$157.85 million worth of euro convertible bonds (ECBs). The new term will allow the DRAM maker to redeem the bonds at a lower share price. Read more |
|
|
ProMOS expects slow DRAM bit growth worldwide in 2009 Jun 22, 15:35 The worldwide DRAM bit growth rate will decelerate to less than 16% in 2009, compared to 50-60% in 2008 and 90% in 2007, according to ProMOS Technologies. Despite the conservative outlook, the financially-distressed ProMOS believes that the uncertainty plaguing the market has reduced. Read more |
|
|
PTI tougher on payment terms for DRAM customers Jun 22, 14:35 Taiwan's Powertech Technology (PTI), a memory packaging and testing specialist, has tightened the payment terms for its Taiwan-based DRAM customers to mitigate against the impact of their financial troubles, according to company chairman DK Tsai. Tsai has also urged the Taiwan government to take a more active role in supporting the local DRAM industry. Read more |
|
|
Inotera aims to complete DRAM transition to 50nm by end of 2010 Jun 22, 12:04 Inotera Memories is on track to migrate to Micron Technology's 50nm stack for its 2Gb DDR3 chips, according to company president Charles Kao. The DRAM chipmaker, a joint venture between Taiwan's Nanya Technology and US-based Micron, aims to complete the technology transition by the end of 2010. Read more |
|
|
Taiwan DRAM makers to apply for government funding soon Jun 19, 17:10 The soon-to-be established Taiwan Memory Company (TMC), along with technology partner Elpida Memory of Japan, is expected to have its decision makers finalize a proposal to apply for government funding by the end of June 2009, according to industry sources. A competing memory camp led by the Formosa Plastics Group is also scheduled to submit a new application for financial aid from the Taiwan government around the same time, said the sources. Read more |
|
|
A quiet week for both the DRAM and NAND flash spot markets, says inSpectrum Jun 19, 16:49 Spot market activities for both the DRAM and NAND flash markets were very quiet this week (June 15-19), resulting in only a marginal change in pricing, according to inSpectrum. Read more |
|
|
PSC refutes rumors it plans to reduce stake in Rexchip Jun 19, 14:46 Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) has dismissed rumors that it may have to lower its stake in Rexchip Electronics, or hand over one of its 12-inch fabs to the joint venture, in order to relieve its accumulated debts to Elpida Memory. Read more |
|
|
DDR3 contract prices to continue growth momentum in 2H June, says DRAMeXchange Jun 18, 16:15 Contract prices for DDR3 are expected to continue growing in the second half of June, thanks to increased demand on the launch of ultra-thin notebooks, according to DRAMeXchange. As DDR2 contract prices will remain almost unchanged in the latter half of the month, the price gap between DDR2 and DDR3 is likely to widen. Read more |
|
|
Nanya gets approval to cut capital Newswatch - Jun 18, 13:38 Technology has received approval from Taiwan's Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) to reduce its capital by 66.43% to NT$15.76 billion (US$479.03 million). The DRAM maker will then move to raise capital through private placement and a rights issue. Read more |
|
|
PSC shares to be downgraded for not settling its ECB issue on time Newswatch - Jun 18, 11:30 Shares of Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) will be downgraded to a category that requires full delivery in cash on June 19 as the DRAM maker is unable to complete the process to redeem its euro convertible bonds (ECBs) worth US$157.8 million, according to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
|
|
Micron samples low-voltage DDR3 notebook modules Jun 18, 10:09 Micron Technology has introduced a new low-power memory solution, and is working to validate the modules with Nvidia's notebook processors. The modules are available in densities up to two-gigabytes (GB) now, with 4GB samples coming this fall, according to the company. Read more |
|
|
ProMOS seeking partnerships for restructuring Jun 17, 15:15 ProMOS Technologies has drafted a restructuring plan to strengthen its operations, according to industry sources. The DRAM chipmaker plans to divide its facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) and Hsinchu Science Park (HSP) into two business groups, and is open to industry partnerships. Read more |
|
|
Is Moore's Law becoming academic? asks iSuppli Jun 17, 14:48 The high cost of semiconductor manufacturing equipment is making continued chip-making advancements too expensive to use for volume production, relegating Moore's Law to the laboratory and altering the fundamental economics of the industry, according to iSuppli. Read more |
|
|
DRAM prices expected to approach US$2 in 4Q09, says Transcend chairman Jun 17, 14:15 DRAM prices stand a good chance of approaching US$2 in the fourth quarter, surpassing cost levels, according to Peter Su, chairman of memory module maker Transcend Information. As for NAND flash, price fluctuations will not be significant towards the end of the year, Su said. Read more |
|
|
ProMOS to sign supply agreement with Elpida, sources say Jun 17, 11:53 ProMOS Technologies will sign a DRAM supply agreement with Elpida Memory soon, forming a partnership that may be key to success of the Taiwan government-led Taiwan Memory Company (TMC) project, according to industry sources. Read more |
|
|
Transcend to increase investment in flash controller IC designer Jun 17, 11:24 Memory module maker Transcend Information plans to increase its stake in Alcor Micro by subscribing to part of the seven million new shares to be issued by the NAND flash controller IC design house, according to industry sources. Read more |
|
|
Notes and corrections |
|
A July 8 article regarding the CMMB market has been updated with comments from mobile TV solution provider Siano. Siano has pointed out that a recent licensing dispute referenced in the article between it and TiMi was a temporary mistake, which was quickly resolved. Siano also expressed its view that the CMMB market is seeing an increase, not a decline as claimed by the sources in the article. |
|
© DIGITIMES Inc. All rights reserved.
Please do not republish, publicly broadcast or publicly transmit content from this website without written permission from DIGITIMES Inc. Please contact us if you have any questions. |
|
