China Chips - some history (note the dates but is this the shape of things to come)
theinquirer.net
Infineon-SMIC sign major memory deal
Chinese firm will make Infineon chips
By Mike Magee: Monday 09 December 2002, 07:22
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eetuk.com
Infineon trades technology for capacity at China's SMIC
By Mike Clendenin
EE Times
9 December 2002 (11:03 a.m. GMT)
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Infineon Technologies AG pushed its technology-for-capacity strategy into the China market on Monday (December 9, 2002), saying it would swap its 0.14-micron DRAM trench technology with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) in return for an exclusive agreement to make standard memory chips for Infineon. The deal also includes an option to trade 0.11-micron technology in future.
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taipeitimes.com
TSMC sues SMIC over patent rights
HI-TECH ESPIONAGE: TSMC alleges that its Chinese rival made chips according to its patented technologies and also tried to get trade secrets from former employees
By Lisa Wang
STAFF REPORTER , WITH BLOOMBERG
Tuesday, Dec 23, 2003,Page 10
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest made-to-order chipmaker, yesterday said it filed a lawsuit against Chinese rival Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp for patent infringement.
"We feel that we have no other choice than to proceed through the courts in order to protect our technology," Dick Thurston, TSMC's vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.
In the complaint TSMC also said SMIC has misappropriated trade secrets.
TSMC alleged that SMIC, the biggest contracted chipmaker in China, has hired more than 100 former TSMC employees and asked some of them to provide the Chinese foundry entrant with TSMC's trade secrets.
TSMC claims that it has evidence showing that SMIC is using some of its patented technologies.
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news.earthweb.com
Business News
December 22, 2003
TSMC Accuses Chinese Rival of Pirating
By Roy Mark
Thurston claims SMIC has been systematically infringing on TSMC's patents for several years, but the company has only recently been able to obtain SMIC chips on the open market for an analysis.
"It is our obligation to protect our patents and trade secrets to maintain shareholder value," Thurston said.
SMIC has three fabrication plants in Shanghai and is building a fourth one Beijing in its quest to become China's first large volume chip maker. The company counts Toshiba and Infineon among its major clients. The company is also negotiating with Motorola to transfer Motorola's semiconductor plant in Tianjin to SMIC. |
