ON Semiconductor to Add 6-Inch Fab at Sichuan Joint Venture
March 7, 2001 (HONG KONG) -- ON Semiconductor of the United States recently announced that it will build a 6-inch wafer fabrication plant at Leshan-Phoenix Semiconductor Co., Ltd., its joint venture in China's Sichuan province.
The company will sign a Memorandum of Understanding to invest US$100 million for that wafer fabrication plant.
"China is forecast to become the third-largest semiconductor market in the world within the next two to three years, and the second largest within 10 years," said Steve Hanson, ON Semiconductor's president and CEO. "Our focus on power management and broadband integrated circuits, together with standard semiconductors, is a perfect match with China's strength in consumer electronics, wireless and computing industries, and its fast-expanding telecommunications infrastructure."
Total approved investment before the planned investment in Leshan-Phoenix is US$280 million.
The new investment makes ON Semiconductor the first U.S. company to invest in 6-inch analog IC production in Western China.
Hanson added that China's entry to the World Trade Organization will open a new era of opportunity for the country's fast-growing semiconductor industry.
Henry Leung, president of ON Semiconductor Asia Pacific, noted, "Our goal in China is to be a fully integrated semiconductor company, from design and manufacturing to sales and marketing. The key to achieving this is local content and local skills."
(Eleanor Yeung, Hong Kong Editor, Asia BizTech/Nikkei Electronics Asia) |
