Microchip Wafer Foundry Output Rising in Taiwan
April 14, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) of Taiwan, and Singapore-based Chartered Electronics Industrial Pte Ltd. are expected to report an average 24 percent growth in unit shipments for 1999.
The three are the world's top semiconductor wafer foundry companies.
The global semiconductor industry is recovering, and the wafer foundry sector, which is usually the least influenced by recessions, is enjoying a rise in output.
At the end of last year, TSMC estimated its growth in production for 1999 at around 5 percent. It recently increased the estimate to 11 percent. Meanwhile, UMC's output is expected to increase 40 percent, and Chartered Electronics Industrial projects a rise of 30 percent. The three companies will likely make a total of 3.9 million units of 8-inch wafers this year, up 24 percent from 3.15 million units in 1998.
TSMC's shipments of 8-inch wafers stood at 1.6 million units last year, with an output value of NT$50.2 billion (NT$33.01 = US$1). The company is likely to produce 1.8 million units this year.
UMC expects even greater growth. This year, UMC and its affiliates Holtek Microelectronics Inc. and United Semiconductor Corp. are likely to report a total of NT$35.1 billion in output value for overall shipments of 1.1 million units of 8-inch wafers. Holtek's monthly output is scheduled to rise to 15,000 units around the middle of this year. United Silicon Inc., another affiliate, expects to increase its monthly output to 25,000 units in the second half of this year.
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