Chartered runs five semiconductor fabrication plants in Singapore. It's equipping a new sixth factory with advanced equipment to produce more chips at a lower cost.
The chipmaker said it won't reduce capital spending targets of US$1 billion this year. It reduced that target from US$1.2 billion when it reported earnings in April.
The company expects to report results for the quarter on July 20.
The largest made-to-order chip company is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC,
UMC said that it is not changing its expectations for the second quarter. ``We are standing by our comments at our last investors conference,'' said Jim Ballingall, a UMC vice president in the US.
The company said in its first-quarter earnings conference on April 30 that its use of production capacity could fall to as low as 45 percent, a level that analysts say is close to the break-even point.
UMC Chairman John Hsuan said on May 4 that the company could report a loss for the second quarter and is taking cost-cutting measures. TSMC also said that there's no change in its expectations for the second quarter. While TSMC did not forecast whether it will make a profit in the second quarter, the company said use of capacity will be about 45 percent in the period.
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