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Technology Stocks : Applied Materials No-Politics Thread (AMAT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: etchmeister who wrote (11763)	10/19/2004 12:07:51 AM
From: etchmeister	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

Samsung anticipates good 4Q for memory sales Printer friendly Related stories Comments Email to a friend Latest news Advertisement Jack Lu, DigiTimes.com, Taipei [Monday 18 October 2004] Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest DRAM and NAND flash supplier, forecast demand for its DRAM and NAND flash products would grow in the fourth quarter since demand for PCs is expected to increase, while prices for high-density flash cards are forecast to drop. In an October 15 webcast of its third-quarter results, Samsung estimated worldwide PC shipments for the fourth quarter would increase by 14.1% on seasonality and corporate PC replacement. Samsung said PC shipments grew 10.8% in the third quarter after declining 4.6% in the second quarter and 8.7% in the first quarter. IDC expects PC shipments will grow 14.2% this year to 176.5 million units, driven mainly by corporate PC replacements, according to a September 27 PC World report. Samsung claims that price cuts for high-density NAND flash cards will stimulate demand in the fourth quarter. NAND flash cards with a capacity of 512MB are expected to sell at US$40 per card in the fourth quarter, compared to US$70 in the third quarter and US$120 in the second quarter, Samsung said. With the anticpated price cut, Samsung expects its 512MB and 1GB cards will account for 33% of its fourth-quarter card sales, up from 21% in the third quarter. Samsung’s comment is in line with that given by SanDisk. In an October 13 webcast, SanDisk said it plans to cut prices for 512MB and 1GB cards by 30% in the fourth quarter, to promote card sales during the holiday season, and it expects the move will reduce oversupply of flash chips in the fourth quarter. Third quarter Samsung’s semiconductor sales – which consist mainly of memory chips and system LSIs – increased 4% sequentially and 40% on-year in the third quarter. In contrast, sales by its TFT-LCD Division dropped, as also did sales of mobile handsets and digital-media products (including PC systems). Consumer appliances, such as microwave ovens, all dropped sequentially. The average selling price (ASP) of DRAM dropped 10% sequentially and was below US$6 per 256Mbit-equivalent unit, while NAND flash dropped 41% to mid-US$5 per 512Mbit equivalent unit. The South Korea-based chipmaker had more than doubled wafer starts at its 12-inch Fab 13, to 13,000 12-inch wafers per month in September. doesn't look like IC sales taking a dump in Q4 ...

To: etchmeister who wrote (11763)	10/19/2004 8:08:40 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

TSMC Honors Applied Materials With Two ''Best Product'' Awards Tuesday October 19, 7:30 am ET SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 19, 2004--Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest dedicated chipmaking foundry, has honored Applied Materials (Nasdaq:AMAT - News) with two "Best Product" awards. The awards, for "Best Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Product" and "Best Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) Product," were presented at TSMC's annual Supply Chain Management Forum held on Sep. 16, 2004, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Applied Materials won two of the four awards given in the equipment category, which covers all equipment used in TSMC's fabs. "TSMC appreciates Applied Materials' dedication to our productivity, profitability and overall success," said Dr. Mark Liu, vice president of Operations II, TSMC. "Applied has proven its tools' capability for outstanding performance and reliability in our very demanding fab environments. As we go forward into the nanometer chipmaking era, TSMC's long-term collaborative relationship with Applied Materials should greatly benefit both our company and our foundry customers as they implement the latest technology." TSMC's stringent criteria for the awards specify that the candidate must be in the top 20 equipment suppliers to TSMC; meet TSMC's aggressive cost reduction requirements; and score highest in each field, using criteria that include technology, productivity, cost, quality and service. Mr. Liu presented the honors to Dr. Gongda Yao, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' PVD division, and Dr. Randhir Thakur, group vice president and general manager of Applied's Front End Products group. "TSMC and Applied Materials have worked together for many years on a broad spectrum of advanced technologies and we hope to continue this close and valuable relationship for many years to come," noted Franz Janker, senior vice president of Applied Materials. "We are very proud to have our products recognized by TSMC, validating that their performance meets the world-class technology requirements of advanced transistor and copper/low k manufacturing, and TSMC's fast-paced, highly flexible fab operations. We also thank our employees, whose hard work and contributions have enabled this important success for Applied Materials." Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT - News) is the largest supplier of equipment and services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials' web site is www.appliedmaterials.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Applied Materials, Inc.

To: etchmeister who wrote (11763)	10/21/2004 11:27:27 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

Longer production cycle constrains 3Q DRAM output Hans Wu, Taipei; Jack Lu, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 21 October 2004] A longer production cycle, resulting from the transition to 0.11-micron process technology from previous generation technologies, has constrained DRAM output in the third quarter, according to DRAM makers in Taiwan. In the third quarter, completing DRAM production at the 0.11-micron node required almost 80 days, compared to a normal production cycle of 60 days, said Pei-lin Pai, spokesperson for Nanya Technology, during an October 20 investors conference. Nanya estimates the worldwide DRAM supply grew 6% sequentially in the third quarter, compared to 4.5% in the second quarter and 6.7% in the first quarter. The company forecasts growth for the year to reach 45%. Production cycles were lengthened last quarter due to the process transition, with chipmakers needing more time to acquire experience in the use of new photoresist materials and equipment, Pai added. This prolonged production cycle is now becoming more apparent since chipmakers are producing most of their DRAM at the 0.11-micron node, a source with another DRAM maker noted.