ProMOS Technologies Inc (茂德科技), the nation's third-largest maker of computer memory chips, yesterday gained government approval to manufacture chips using the advanced 0.18-micron process technology in China.
ProMOS will be the second local chipmaker approved to use the 0.18-micron technology in China. The government on March 20 gave a green light to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC,
The Ministry of Economic Affairs lifted the ban on the chipmaking process at the end of last year. In 2002, the ministry approved TSMC to manufacture chips using its 0.25-micron-and-above process technology in China.
In a regular meeting to review Taiwanese firms' investments in China yesterday, the ministry's Investment Commission approved an application filed in February by ProMOS to upgrade its processing technology in China from 0.25 micron to 0.18 micron.
ProMOS vice president Jessie Peng (彭卓蘭) said in December that the company planned to use the facility to make chips used in consumer electronics such as mobile phones.
The company had said earlier that it expected the US$365 million project to be completed in the first half of this year, and to start operation next year.
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Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day