Taipei's annual semiconductor trade show, Semicon Taiwan, is expected to attract a record high number of visitors this year as a result of semiconductor companies' continued capacity expansion amid sustained growth momentum in the industry, an organizer of the event said yesterday.
Semiconductor Equipment and Material International (SEMI), the event's organizer, said Taiwanese companies accounted for nearly one-fifth of the world's spending on equipment, which amounted to a total of US$16.9 billion in the first half of this year.
However, according to SEMI's data, Japan and Korea still spent more on equipment in the first half than Taiwan did.
The organizer expects more than 30,000 visitors to flock to the three-day exhibition this year, compared with 29,000 last year.
The event, at which 630 companies will showcase their latest products, starts on Monday at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall I and III.
Capital equipment spending worldwide is expected to slide 12 percent to US$32.63 billion this year, from US$37.12 billion last year, with nearly 70 percent coming from wafer manufacturers, according to statistics provided by SEMI.
"The [expected] small correction will be quite good for the industry after spending rebounded strongly last year," SEMI vice chairman Archie Hwang (
"The semiconductor industry is maturing. You can't always expect dramatic growth," he said.
Industry watcher iSuppli Corp yesterday slashed its forecast for the expected growth in chip sales this year to 2.4 percent, compared with its earlier projection of 5.9 percent. It expects sales to reach US$232.7 billion.
ISuppli attributed the downward adjustment to high oil prices and manufacturers' growing excess capacity. Nonetheless, iSuppli said the industry would gather steam in 2007, 2008 and 2009, with annual growth expected to hit double-digit levels.
SEMI expects spending on equipment to regain momentum next year to total US$35.29 billion, rising to US$44.32 billion in 2008, Hwang said.
Taiwanese semiconductor companies are expected to spend around US$6 billion on new equipment this year, down from nearly US$8 billion last year, according to SEMI.
The world's top contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), based in Hsinchu, said it plans to spend between US$2.5 billion and US$2.7 billion on new equipment this year, about the same as last year.
Hwang said he expects local semiconductor companies to further cut their capital expenditures slightly next year.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said its materials management head, Vanessa Lee (李文如), had tendered her resignation for personal reasons. The personnel adjustment takes effect tomorrow, TSMC said in a statement. The latest development came one month after Lee reportedly took leave from the middle of last month. Cliff Hou (侯永清), senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer, is to concurrently take on the role of head of the materials management division, which has been under his supervision, TSMC said. Lee, who joined TSMC in 2022, was appointed senior director of materials management and
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Thursday met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, days before a planned trip to China by the head of the world’s most valuable chipmaker, people familiar with the matter said. Details of what the two men discussed were not immediately available, and the people familiar with the meeting declined to elaborate on the agenda. Spokespeople for the White House had no immediate comment. Nvidia declined to comment. Nvidia’s CEO has been vocal about the need for US companies to access the world’s largest semiconductor market and is a frequent visitor to China.
Hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan and upscale supermarket chain Mia C’bon on Saturday announced the suspension of their partnership with Jkopay Co (街口支付), one of Taiwan’s largest digital payment providers, amid a lawsuit involving its parent company. Carrefour and Mia C’bon said they would notify customers once Jkopay services are reinstated. The two retailers joined an array of other firms in suspending their partnerships with Jkopay. On Friday night, popular beverage chain TP Tea (茶湯會) also suspended its use of the platform, urging customers to opt for alternative payment methods. Another drinks brand, Guiji (龜記), on Friday said that it is up to individual
STABLE RESULTS: Despite June’s lower consolidated revenue, second-quarter sales still reached a record high, driven by demand for chips for AI applications Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported consolidated sales of NT$263.71 billion (US$9.02 billion) for last month, its second-lowest monthly result this year. The world’s largest contract chipmaker said in a statement that its revenue last month only fared better than the NT$260.01 billion posted in February. Last month’s figure rose 26.9 percent from a year earlier, but slumped 17.7 percent from May, the company said. However, second-quarter revenue reached NT$933.8 billion, a record high for a single quarter, company data showed. The figure represented growth of 11.26 percent from the first quarter and 38.6 percent from a year earlier. Previously, TSMC said that
RSS