Separately, Dow Corning will begin producing monosilane gas that is used to make thin-film solar panels and liquid crystal displays in a facility adjacent to the polysilicon factory in Hemlock, Mich. The companies will invest US$1.2 billion to add 10,000 metric tons of annual production to their polysilicon factory in Hemlock, which currently has 19,000 tons of capacity. They will also start building a new polys

Qualcomm's four-year, $350 million effort to design a chip that goes into small notebooks and handhelds will come to fruition next year when device makers deliver products based on the Snapdragon processor.

Semiconductor maker Atmel reduced its fourth-quarter revenue estimate and announced cost cuts that include an 11% reduction of its North American work force amid slumping chip demand.

DRAM ASPs (average selling prices) will climb significantly in 2010 on high demand and lower supply, according to the 2009 edition of IC Insights' McClean Report, to be released next month. This jump in prices will once again give the DRAM producer renewed confidence, leading to moderate increases in DRAM spending in 2010 and big DRAM capital expenditure increases in 2011.

Saxony will lend 150 million euros (US$205 million) to Qimonda AG, which will be matched by a capital increase from parent company Infineon Technologies AG.

First Solar's thin-film panels might be piling up in European warehouses, a bad omen for a company envied by many in the solar industry. A ThinkEquity research note on Friday estimated that six key First Solar customers aren't able to install the solar panels quick enough.

Even in a weak phone market, rising acceptance of connectivity technology should benefit semiconductor suppliers.

Leading shareholders of Hynix Semiconductor denied on Friday market talk the firm's capital could be reduced, boosting its shares, although persisting concerns over the sector outlook limited gains.

Fairchild Semiconductor said Friday it is cutting 12% of its workforce, or 1,100 people, in an attempt to reduce expenses.

Chip maker Cypress Semiconductor said late Friday that the US Department of Justice has closed its investigation into in a global price-fixing scheme involving a form of computer memory.

Infineon Technologies has indicated it could contribute 50 million euros ($66 million) to help rescue its loss-making chipmaker Qimonda, German magazine Focus said, citing sources close to negotiations.

Samsung Electronics is upgrading its memory technology and manufacturing processes, which could lead to price drops for the solid-state drives that are becoming more widely used in laptops. Samsung will introduce three-bit chips with a capacity of 64Gbit in the first half of 2009, manufactured using a 30nm process technology.

Texas Instruments expects its profit margin levels for analog chips to hold steady even as sales volumes decline, CEO Rich Templeton said on Thursday. "The key difference is that you don't have pricing moving down" for analog chips compared with other chip segments even as the entire chip industry sees volumes decline in the weak global economy."

Having launched production of its energy-saving buried wordline (BWL) technology, memory chip maker Qimonda intends to leverage this feature for its entry into the DDR3 market which is expected to take off in 2009.

Amtech Systems, a supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the manufacture of solar cells, semiconductors, and silicon wafers, posted a revenues jump of 104% on year in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Dark economic clouds shadowing businesses worldwide aren't discouraging solar companies from considering manufacturing in Oregon. A large European solar company has picked Gresham as its top US candidate while seeking a site for multiple factories that could employ more than 2,000, public officials confirm.

European semiconductor industry executives are launching a concerted push to convince European government leaders to increase support for chip manufacturing and the equipment and materials infrastructure.

IBM, Dell and Intel stand out among technology and consumer-products companies for their policies directed at averting climate change, according to a study released on Thursday.

Kim Jong-kap, CEO of the world's No. 2 memory chip maker, told the evening newspaper, Munhwa Ilbo, that the global semiconductor industry would face a big change such as a closure of a rival chipmaker by the first quarter of 2009.

Qimonda AG hopes to soon strike a deal to research chip technology with the German state of Saxony, where its main chip factories are located, a company representative said.

As downward revisions of December quarter guidances flow as steadily as pink slips this month, reports are swirling of company-enacted manufacturing plant shutdowns in what seems to be a heavy trend compared to previous years. Samsung, Spansion, TI, and TSMC are among those reportedly shutting down manufacturing sites at the end of the year for up to three weeks. Such action is nothing new...

The new center is expected to provide design and extended sales and engineering support for the company's growth in the Asian market. The company stated that the new office opening is a major strategic initiative as part of migrating its business model to that of a wholly owned Chinese enterprise.

Shares in Hynix Semiconductor rose sharply on Wednesday on expectations of an imminent US$560 million in funding from shareholders, which analysts said would help keep the chip maker afloat for a while.

Chu Woo-sik, the Korean electronics giant's executive vice president in charge of investor relations, said at an investor conference that capital expenditures will drop from about 10 trillion won (US$6.91 billion) expected this year to a range of 7 trillion won (US$4.84 billion) to 8 trillion won (US$5.53 billion) next year.

Hyderabad's plan to become the semiconductor manufacturing capital of India has run into trouble and this could impact Andhra Pradesh's image as a vibrant investment destination. SemIndia, an integrated semiconductor company, has decided to put its plan to set up a US$3-billion chip manufacturing facility (fab) on the backburner. But the company's proposed plant on assembly, testing, marking and packing (ATMP) in the city will start production in the second quarter of next year.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of memory chips and LCD panels and TVs, says the global recession is wiping out profits at those businesses in the fourth quarter.

Forecast downgrades from American chipmakers Texas Instruments and Broadcom sapped yet more investor confidence from technology stocks in Europe on Tuesday, with German semiconductor firm Infineon bearing the brunt of the sell-off.