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

To: Duker who wrote (30570)	5/25/1999 11:52:00 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

TSMC to Enter Foundry Business for 12-In. Wafers in 2002 May 25, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- The world's largest wafer foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., said it will keep expanding output and begin 12-in. wafer foundry services in 2002. The company made the announcement on May 19 at the 1999 Technology Symposium here. F.C. Tseng, president of the company, said that TSMC has constantly maintained a focus on delivering the industry's most advanced technology within an aggressive timetable. He added that the company is now able to deliver true 0.18-micron process technology, and is set to launch 0.15 and 0.13 micron process technology in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Optimistic about the stable recovery in the wafer foundry market, TSMC's output expansion is on track and in tandem with the company's long-term production plans. Its fab 6 in southern Taiwan will begin mass production next year, with monthly output targeted at 60,000 units per month at full tilt. U.S.-based WaferTech (in which TSMC holds a lion's share) will produce 10,000-20,000 wafers every month by December this year, and will see a one-fold increase in output next year. The joint venture between TSMC and Philips N.V. in Singapore will also begin operations in 2001. Tseng said the company is also considering building a new plant in southern Taiwan, but the 12-in. wafer project will be located in Hsinchu, where TSMC's R&D center is based. TSMC plans to build the 12-in. wafer plant in joint venture with Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp., Tseng said. TSMC now has 50 percent of its output engaged in foundry services for PC-related products, but the company plans to lower that percentage to 40 percent in the future, while maintaining the output of telecommunication ICs and memory products at 30-35 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Orders placed by integrated device manufacturers accounted for 22 percent of the output of TSMC last year, and the amount of those orders is to enjoy stable growth this year. (Commercial Times, Taiwan) nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com