Despite major pure-play foundries reporting steady sales growth in May, industry players are again warning of the potential impact of inventory adjustments among IC design houses.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced that its unconsolidated sales for May 2006 were down 1.4% on month but up 37.2% on year to NT$26.77 billion.
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) sustained its growth momentum, with its May revenues up 0.5% on month and 31.5% on year, at NT$8.5 billion.
Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) announced net sales of NT$1 billion in May, representing growth of 10.5% on year and 12.6% on month. Company spokesperson Robert Hsieh attributed the sales growth to continued shipment growth.
However, industry players pointed out that there are still shadows over the industry, as leading IC design houses including Mediatek (MTK) and Novatek Microelectronics have recently had conservative forecasts. Mediatek currently has demand for 40,000-50,000 wafers per month and Novatek has demand for 20,000-30,000 wafers, so any negative prospect for these companies can affect the industry outlook.
Article translated by Esther Lam and edited by Michael McManus
