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

To: etchmeister who wrote (15911)	9/9/2005 3:48:43 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

Applied Materials contributes to hurricane relief Friday September 9, 3:36 pm ET Applied Materials Inc. is doing its part to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The local chapter of the American Red Cross will receive $250,000 from the semiconductor equipment manufacturer. A check was presented Thursday to board member Guy Robinson, who also is Applied Materials' facilities director in Austin. An additional $250,000 was earmarked for Central Texas charities that are aiding relief efforts. That check was presented to Austin Mayor Will Wynn and Round Rock Mayor Nyle Maxwell. The contribution comes on the heels of Applied Materials saying it would match all contributions by its 12,500 global employees to help Katrina victims. As of Thursday, with the company match, another $225,000 had been collected. Employees also donated 21,800 disposable diapers and more than 17,500 baby wipes to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT - News) is based in Santa Clara, Calif., and operates a plant in Northeast Austin. Published September 9, 2005 by the Austin Business Journal

To: etchmeister who wrote (15911)	9/12/2005 8:26:55 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

Samsung CEO celebrates start of "flash rush" era Peter Clarke EE Times (09/12/2005 7:42 AM EDT) LONDON — Chang-Gyu Hwang, president and chief executive officer of the semiconductor business of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., has said the semiconductor industry is entering a “flash rush” era, which will see solid-state memory invigorate and transform electronics. Hwang, speaking at the announcement of Samsung’s 16-Gbit NAND flash memory, said the semiconductor industry is at a major turning point in the use of memory for data storage and said that advancements in NAND flash would lead to a surge demand and a modern-day “Flash Rush” that is changing the way consumers and businesses use portable computer and electronics technology. “The future of NAND is setting the stage for an irreversible shift in the design of digital end products as NAND becomes the key storage medium for data in virtually any portable form,” said Hwang in a statement. Hwang compared the growing importance of NAND technology for data storage applications to that of the Gold Rush of 1849, which permanently transformed the value and importance of gold around the word almost overnight. “NAND flash will eventually replace other storage mediums, especially those used in mobile products, creating a "Flash Rush," as NAND continues to register an unprecedented surge in demand as the backbone of the mobile electronics era,” Hwang added. Hwang predicted that as the industry shifts to NAND flash it would trigger a ripple effect across the electronic industry that would result in increased portability, a wealth of new design choices and much more convergence in digital applications. The advent of 16-Gbit flash memory would be a further spur to the proliferation of NAND as the dominant storage medium in portable digital applications, Samsing said. In 2002, when Samsung foretold a shift in storage media, market research companies’ forecasts for NAND predicted about $1.7 billion in sales revenues in 2005. Global NAND flash memory revenues are now expected to reach $9.4 billion this year, Samsung said.

To: etchmeister who wrote (15911)	9/13/2005 9:31:04 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 25522

Appears as though there are fewer and fewer "real men" in the semi world..... LSI Logic to sell Gresham plant as it goes fabless Spencer Chin EE Times (09/13/2005 4:59 PM EDT) MANHASSET, N.Y. — Semiconductor supplier LSI Logic Corp. said it would sell its 8-in. wafer manufacturing plant in Gresham, Ore., as it continues to transition to a fabless manufacturing strategy. In making the announcement, LSI Logic (Milpitas, Calif.) said it would expand its relationships with major foundry partners and adopt a roadmap to produce semiconductors using 65-nm and below process technologies on 300-mm wafers. No buyer has been found for the plant, which is capable of manufacturing designs at 0.13 micron and higher, according to LSI Logic president and chief executive Abhi Talwalkar. Talwalkar who continues to put his stamp on the company after replacing Wilfred Corrigan last May. LSI announced in August it would restructure its business to focus on key markets, including custom integrated circuits, consumer products, and storage platforms and products. But the company's adoption of a fabless global manufacturing strategy predates Talwalkar’s regime. For the past few years, LSI Logic has jettisoned several fabs and formed or strengthened partnerships with foundry companies such as TSMC, UMC, SMIC, and Rohm Co. Ltd. "Leading-edge foundries have consistently demonstrated that they have the capability to manufacture the advanced solutions required by our standard-cell ASIC, Platform ASIC and standard product customers," said Talwalkar in a statement. "Our customers are demanding technology leadership from LSI Logic in the drive toward 65-nm process technologies and lower, and that is exactly the course we are going to follow. LSI estimates it will record restructuring and other charges of approximately $75 million to $110 million in the third fiscal 2005 quarter for fixed asset write-downs, severance and other expenses associated with the planned sale of the Gresham plant. The company anticipates incurring related restructuring charges of less than $3 million per quarter in the fourth quarter of 2005 and the first two quarters of 2006.