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

To: Gottfried who wrote (14740)	1/16/1998 4:46:00 PM
From: Teri Skogerboe	Respond to of 70976

GM & BB, Thanks for those good links. Some news below, mostly mixed, I guess, and just a slightly different take on the NEC story. NEC to postpone making chips from 12-inch wafers TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Japan's NEC Corp <6701.T> said on Friday it would postpone production of computer chips using 12-inch wafers to at least 1999/2000 because of high costs and a need for further research. NEC had planned to start trial production using 12-inch wafers, which can double the chip output of plants currently using eight-inch wafers, at its Sagamihara plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, outside Tokyo, in 1998/99, an NEC spokesman said. The company decided to postpone production for one year because the equipment needed to make 12-inch wafers was still too expensive and the company needed to improve its 12-inch wafer technology, the spokesman said. Using the larger wafers could cut chip-making costs by more than 30 percent from the current level -- but a plant capable of using 12-inch wafers for mass production could cost 150 billion yen or more, he said. The postponment of trial production would mean a one-year delay in the launch of mass production of chips using 12-inch wafers at an NEC plant in Kyushu, southern Japan, the spokesman said. He gave no details of the launch date originally planned. 23:50 01-15-98 Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ----- Rambus <RMBS.O> stock off after quarterly forecast NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Shares of Rambus Inc slipped on Thursday after the company, which designs chip interface technology, said earnings in the next two quarters would be no better than flat compared to the first quarter's results. The company reported first quarter fully diluted earnings of $0.06 a share versus $0.04 a share in last year's first quarter. Higher royalties from a product shipment for video games contributed to earnings growth in the quarter, but these shipments could fall now that the holidays were over, it said. "Since these shipments and the associated royalties to Rambus are likely to decline in the post-holiday period, the company cautioned investors to expect earnings in the next two quarters to be no better than flat compared to first quarter results," Rambus said in a statement. The stock fell 4-1/8 to 49-7/8. The California-based company designs, develops, licenses and markets high-speed chip interface technology to enhance the performance of consumer electronics, computer systems and other electronic systems. 16:36 01-15-98 Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ----- Andrew<ANDW.O>Q1 orders led by Asia, Latin America ORLAND PARK, Ill., Jan 16 (Reuters) - Andrew Corp said Friday the seven percent growth in its first quarter orders was led by Asia Pacific and Latin America. Andrew, which provides communications systems equipment and services, cited particular strength from the wireless infrastructure and common carrier markets in China, Hong Kong, and Brazil. Sales, which grew two percent versus the previous year, were strongest for the wireless infrastructure markets, particularly in South America and Europe, the company said. Andrew reported first quarter earnings of $0.32 a share versus $0.27. Sales were $231.14 million, up from $225.72 million. Orders for the quarter totaled $236.83 million versus $222.36 million. Andrew said 52 percent of 1997 sales were from the United States, while Europe, Africa and the Middle East accounted for 19 percent, Asia Pacific 17 percent and the other Americas 12 percent. 13:09 01-16-98 Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.