United Microelectronics Corp (UMC,
The new plant will have maximum output of 50,000 wafers a month, UMC said in a statement. The chipmaker said it is scheduled to move in equipment in the first quarter of next year but did not set a timetable for mass production.
"UMC remains strongly committed to continuing its growth and development in Taiwan," UMC chairman Jackson Hu (
UMC operates a 12-inch factory in Tainan's Science Park and another in Singapore. The company also has six 8-inch plants and one 6-inch factory in Taiwan.
UMC said it planned to invest U$1 billion in new equipment and facilities this year.
Bigger rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC,
"UMC absolutely has to expand its capacity in order to create a greater economy of scale and generate more profits," said Eric Chen (陳慧明), a semiconductor analyst with BNP Paribas Securities in Taipei.
UMC's decision was a sensible one, Chen said, as the new production line will be ready to meet growing demand next year.
Chen said next year would be better for semiconductor companies as demand for new-generation electronics such as third-generation (3G) handsets and Vista-enabled computers goes up.
UMC is set to have completed by March the construction of a research and development center for advanced nanometer processing technologies in the Southern Taiwan Science Park, it said yesterday.
Shares of UMC dropped 1.5 percent to NT$19.7 yesterday, while TSMC shares dropped 1.64 percent to NT$65.8.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
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