Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. Carroll who wrote (31493)	7/19/1999 9:32:00 AM
From: A. Edwards	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Applied Materials Inc. Reiterated 'Buy' at ABN Amro July 19 (Bloomberg) -- Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT US) was reiterated ''buy'' by analyst David Wu at ABN Amro. The 12-month target price is $100.00 per share.

To: Thomas M. Carroll who wrote (31493)	7/19/1999 12:55:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Taiwan's Chip Makers Bolstering DRAM Output, Pathfinder Says July 19, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- State-of-the-art DRAM microchip manufacturing processes will be offered to Taiwan-based makers, as more international DRAM firms exit the market, according to Pathfinder Research Inc. Pathfinder is a U.S. research consulting group. This and other trends are expected to help boost Taiwan's global DRAM market share to 22 percent in 2000, making it the world$B%f(Bs third-largest supplier of DRAMs. Fred Zieber, founder and general manager of Pathfinder, presented the research firm$B%f(Bs findings July 14 in Taipei. Zieber had earlier worked for Dataquest Inc. Zieber noted that the DRAM slump last year prompted Texas Instruments Inc. and Nippon Steel Semiconductor Corp. to pull out of the DRAM market. Other industry leaders, such as Siemens AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp., implemented production cuts, while also seeking strategic alliances with Taiwan$B%f(Bs producers, to ensure stable supplies. The international giants are transferring advanced DRAM technology to partners in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the era of the system-on-a-chip is approaching, while analogue and dual-band information technology will replace that of digital IC. And logic products are expected to replace memory to become the driving force of new wafer production technology. Zieber said that demand for personal computers is expected to continue to grow at an annual rate of 15 percent to 20 percent over the next few years, and that the production capacity of IC design specialists will grow 25 percent to 30 percent annually. Moreover, demand for OEM wafer foundry production will likely expand 40 percent a year, Zieber said. According to Zieber, OEM wafer manufacturers cannot maintain an annual growth rate of 40 percent. The industry is likely to be faced with short supplies, which most experts believe will result in higher profits for wafer OEM makers. However, Zieber says that wafer manufacturing requires a high initial investment, and such companies must obtain high returns on investment to ensure reasonable profits. (Commercial Times, Taiwan) nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com