Asian Semiconductor Expands Capacity, May Relocate Overseas
October 22, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- Asian Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., one of Taiwan's leading wafer foundries, is actively seeking to relocate production overseas.
The destination will be decided either next year or in 2001.
In addition, Asian Semiconductor is set to formally announce during in the week of Oct. 25 its receipt of orders for logic products and memory from Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. It is also negotiating terms of a purchase with another major Japanese buyer.
Asian Semiconductor's shipment timetable was questioned after the power outage caused by last month's earthquake, as well as a fire that broke out at one of its plants. However, the company's road show in Silicon Valley on Oct. 26 can hopefully wipe out customers' worries.
Asian Semiconductor's upgrade program is expected to enable its wafer plant one to turn out 25,000 units a month by the end of the year. Its wafer plant two is slated to ramp up manufacturing in the first quarter of next year.
Asian Semiconductor expects plant one's monthly capacity to hit 32,000 units by the first quarter of 2001, and plant two's to hit 38,000, bringing its total eight-inch wafer capacity to 70,000 units by 2001.
The company is also outlining an investment program for the construction of its third and fourth plants, which will very likely be located overseas. The losses generated by last week's blackout, as well as the imposition of anti-dumping taxes by the United States, are the two main reasons why it is seeking to relocate.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan)
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