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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Friday, December 5, 2008
10:29 (GMT+8)
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| 51 news tagged semiconductor |
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More players in packaging and testing sector may lower 4Q forecasts Dec 3, 01:00 With Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) lowering its fourth-quarter guidance closely on the heels of a grimmer outlook offered by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) market observers are wondering whether others in the testing and packaging sector will follow suit by adjusting their forecasts downward. Read more |
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Semiconductor equipment sales to fall 28% this year, says SEMI Dec 2, 12:31 Following 5.7% market growth in 2007, the semiconductor equipment market will decline almost 28% in 2008 to reach US$30.91 billion, according to SEMI. SEMI also expects the market to decline about 21% in 2009, and then post almost 31% growth in 2010. Read more |
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Memory makers may prefer to forget 2008, says iSuppli Dec 2, 12:14 For memory chip makers, 2008 will go down as a year to forget, as a major downturn in this segment caused revenues to fall for nearly all suppliers and contributed to negative results for the overall semiconductor industry, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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Semiconductor fab spending to decline by 41% in 2008, says SEMI Dec 2, 12:00 Worldwide fab capacity is expected to grow by 5% in 2008 and is currently expected to increase between 4-5% in 2009, according to SEMI. Read more |
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Semiconductor market down 2.4% on year, says SIA Dec 2, 01:20 Worldwide sales of semiconductors declined by 2.4% in October to US$22.5 billion compared to sales of US$23.0 billion in October 2007, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported. October sales were 2.1% lower than the US$23.0 billion in September 2008. Read more |
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Semiconductor distributor Niching to see sales up while profits drop in 2008 Nov 25, 16:28 Although Semiconductor distributor Niching Industrial has seen sales growth in 2008 thanks to strong shipments of memory module and memory card substrates, profits have declined due to worse-than-expected income from driver IC flexible PCBs (FPCBs) influenced by panel output reductions. For its 2009 outlook, Niching expects testing sales to be benefit from the merger between Hitachi and Casio. Investors estimate Niching's 2009 sales are to remain level with 2008. Read more |
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Taiwan IC production value down 6.5% in 2008, research suggests Nov 20, 15:58 The Taiwan semiconductor industry will see its IC design, packaging and testing sectors all slide in production value in 2008, with the packaging and testing segments experiencing double-digit declines, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of the Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). The production value of Taiwan's IC industry is estimated to fall 6.5% to NT$688.7 billion (US$20.6 billion) in 2008, said IEK. Read more |
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SIA forecasts 5.5% decline for global semiconductor sales in 2009 Nov 20, 12:28 The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released its annual forecast of global semiconductor sales, projecting the first decline in sales since 2001. The forecast projects 2008 sales of US$261.2 billion, a 2.2% increase from 2007 sales of US$255.6 billion. Sales in the current quarter, historically a strong quarter for the microelectronics industry, are forecasted to decline by 5.9% from the prior quarter. SIA projects that 2009 sales will decline by 5.6% to US$246.7 billion before resuming growth in 2010. Sales will grow by 7.4% in 2010 to US$264.9 billion and by 7.5% in 2011 to US$284.7 billion. Read more |
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China leads in IC consumption, despite fragile supply from local players Nov 20, 11:58 The production value of China's semiconductor industry grew 23% to account for more than one-third of total chip production worldwide for the first time in 2007, as the nation's huge export growth has been the key to driving semiconductor consumption in the Chinese market, according to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Read more |
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Chip market enters into its 11th industry recession, says Future Horizons Nov 20, 11:56 Despite the fact the first half of 2008 was stronger than many predicted, the relentless deterioration in the global financial markets has finally tipped the global economy into recession. Not surprisingly, it has taken the chip market with it says Malcolm Penn, CEO and chairman of industry analyst house Future Horizons. Read more |
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VLSI Research expects IC market to decline in 2008 and 2009 Nov 20, 11:24 In light of the recent economic deterioration, VLSI Research has revised its 2008 and 2009 forecasts for both integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductor equipment. IC sales are now expected to decline by 1.7% in 2008 to US$214.1 billion, and 2009 will be even worse with a 6.9% drop. VLSI Research cites a slowing electronics demand and an inventory correction that needs to take place to get supply back in balance with demand as the primary reasons for the revision. Read more |
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SEMI: North American semiconductor equipment book-to-bill ratio rises to 0.93 in October; matches highest monthly total in 2008 Nov 20, 01:10 North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$843 million in orders in October 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.93 according to the October 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.93 means that US$93 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month. Read more |
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Global semiconductor market to contract in 2008, iSuppli predicts Nov 19, 16:42 Amid rapidly deteriorating conditions in the global economy and electronics value chain, iSuppli now is predicting worldwide semiconductor revenues will decline in 2008 compared to 2007. Read more |
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WSTS forecasts semiconductor market growth for 2008, contraction in 2009 Nov 19, 01:15 The global semiconductor market is expected to grow 2.5% on an annualized basis to US$261.9 billion in 2008, according to the autumn 2008 forecast of the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS). Read more |
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China semiconductor industry sees weak growth in 3Q08 Nov 18, 10:44 A recent survey by the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) pointed out that China's semiconductor industry only saw 1.1% growth in the third quarter of 2008, the slowest rate on record. According to CSIA, China's IC industry maintained double-digit growth at 12.5% in the first quarter of 2008. However, the growth slowed down to 8.3% in the second quarter and further down in the third quarter, CSIA noted. Read more |
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TSMC has no layoff plans despite difficult times Nov 17, 15:05 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has no layoff plans despite the global economic woes, according to company CEO Rick Tsai. He made the remarks on the sideline of the company's 2008 Supply Chain Management (SCM) Forum on November 14. Read more |
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Silicon wafer shipments contract by almost 3% in 3Q08, says SEMI Nov 14, 15:59 Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments contracted almost 3% during the third quarter of 2008 compared to the second quarter, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Read more |
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Opportunity is always present in the midst of crisis: Q&A with Freescale CEO Rich Beyer Nov 13, 16:58 Rich Beyer, CEO of Freescale Semiconductor, was attending a technology seminar held in Beijing early this month, providing his insights into the current economic conditions and particularly the prospects of the technology industry. Digitimes took the opportunity to interview Beyer on Freescale's future investment strategy and its deployments in other segments with growth potentials. Read more |
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Thailin Semiconductor to expand logic IC testing business Nov 10, 13:58 IC testing company Thailin Semiconductor has said that it will continue to expand its logic IC testing business with prospects adding one or two new clients in the first quarter of 2009, according to company general manager Cho Lien-fa. Read more |
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Polysilicon shifting form semiconductor to solar use, say Taiwan makers Nov 4, 12:17 Leading suppliers of polycrystalline silicon material (poly-Si) around the world, viewing that demand from the solar energy industry will keep growing in 2009 while that from semiconductor industry will decrease, may allocate increased portions of their output for solar players in 2009, according to makers of solar-grade polycrystalline silicon wafers in Taiwan. Read more |
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Financial crisis to take US$25 billion bite out of semiconductor market in 2009, says Gartner Nov 4, 12:06 The economic crisis is having a significant impact on the semiconductor industry, as worldwide semiconductor revenue growth in 2009 is expected to be 1%, down by approximately 7 percentage points from previous estimates, according to preliminary estimates from Gartner. Read more |
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September semiconductor sales up 1.6% on year, says SIA Oct 31, 12:45 Worldwide sales of semiconductors, the second-largest US export, increased by 1.6% to US$23 billion in September compared to sales of US$22.6 billion in September 2007. Sales grew by 1.1% from August 2008 when sales were US$22.7 billion. Sales of US$196.4 billion for the first nine months of 2008 were up by 4% compared to the first nine months of 2007 when sales were US$189 billion. Excluding memory products, industry sales in September grew by 7.8% year-on-year. Bit demand for some memory products grew by more than 100% year-on-year, however, significant price attrition continued to impact revenues. Sales of flash memory chips declined by 37.5% year-on-year, while sales of DRAMs declined by 11.1% from September 2007. Read more |
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TSMC CEO: Semiconductor industry to decline 5-9% in 2009 Oct 31, 01:10 Semiconductor industry sales will stay flat in 2008 and decline 5-9% next year, with wafer OEMs seeing even steeper declines, according to Rick Tsai, CEO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Read more |
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Socle sees greater business potential under Chartered Semiconductor 32nm process Oct 21, 16:54 Taiwan-based IC-design house Socle Technology expects its business to grow by leaps and bounds in the next three years, especially when Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing begins to offer its wafer foundry services using a 32nm node process, according to Socle CEO David Lyou. Read more |
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AMD and Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi to create new leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company Oct 8, 01:00 AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi have announced the creation of a US-headquartered, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company to address growing demand for independent, leading-edge foundry production capabilities. The new global company, to be temporarily called "The Foundry Company", will serve this need by combining advanced process technology, industry-leading manufacturing facilities and aggressive plans to expand its global capacity footprint. At the same time, the Mubadala Development Company will increase its current investment in AMD to 19.3% on a fully diluted basis. Read more |
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Through August, semiconductor sales up 4.5% this year, says SIA Oct 3, 12:10 Worldwide sales of semiconductors grew by 5.5% on year to US$22.7 billion in August, up from August 2007 sales of US$21.5 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Sales grew by 2.4% from July when sales were US$22.2 billion. Read more |
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Powerchip Semiconductor to expand branded DRAM sales as eTT market shrinks Oct 2, 12:20 DRAM maker Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) plans to expand its sales of branded finished memory chips to PC OEM makers on a contract basis, instead of its previous strategy to focus mainly on the spot market, according to industry watchers. Read more |
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Chartered Semiconductor seeks to establish cooperation alliances with IC design houses Sep 30, 16:32 While seeking technological advancement by joining the IBM-led Common Platform technology alliance, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing is also pushing the establishment of design cooperation alliances to sustain its growth, according to sources at Taiwan IC design houses. Read more |
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ARM-based MID products to hit the market in 2009: Q&A with Warren East, CEO of ARM Sep 30, 15:39 ARM Holdings recently held its annual board meeting for 2008 in Taipei, highlighting the importance of the Taiwan market to its long-term business deployment. Digitimes took the opportunity to interview ARM CEO Warren East about ARM's business prospects and future technology roadmaps. Read more |
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Semiconductor industry can learn from financial industry melt-down, says Penn Sep 29, 12:02 While July's results in the market showed that the semiconductor market continued the first half year trend of exceeding expectations, the mood in the chip market is all doom and gloom due to the mess in the US financial markets and the demise of major institutions such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Bros and Merrill Lynch, among others, according to Malcolm Penn, Chairman & CEO of Future Horizons. Read more |
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Taiwan IC makers urged to explore semiconductor market in China Sep 25, 16:37 Taiwan semiconductor makers should team up with EMS/ODM companies to jointly explore the IC market in China due to the lower self-sufficiency rate for ICs there, according to Clement E Pausa, senior technology adviser, PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Technology Center. Read more |
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National Semiconductor introduces tool for developing sensor signal path solutions Sep 24, 16:42 National Semiconductor claims the industry's first sensor signal path design tool that enables engineers to quickly move from concept to simulation to prototyping of common sensor solutions used in medical, industrial and high-end consumer products. Read more |
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Niching Industrial set for OTC listing on September 26 Sep 24, 15:51 Niching Industrial will list on Taiwan's over-the-counter (OTC) stock market on September 26. The company expects gross profits of NT$20-25 million (US$625,000-782,000) in 2009 amid the launch of new products, while its major business, memory module boards, may decline from the fourth quarter of 2008. Read more |
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Niching Industrial to see sales growth in 3Q08 on strong memory module board shipments, but decline expected in 4Q Sep 24, 01:00 Hung-Gi Chang, general manager of semiconductor distributor Niching Industrial, has stated company sales in July and August were over NT$100 million (US$3.13 million), benefiting from strong shipment volumes of memory module boards, despite that demand in the third quarter this year has not been as high as in the past The company expects fourth-quarter sales to decline 10% since shipments are slowing down in September and semiconductor makers are reducing output. Read more |
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North American semiconductor equipment market posts August book-to-bill ratio of 0.83 Sep 19, 10:52 North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$884 million in orders in August 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.83 according to the August 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.83 means that US$83 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month. Read more |
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Global semiconductor industry to remain weak in 1Q09, says Credit Suisse Sep 19, 01:15 Affected by the global financial crisis and high inventory levels at clients, the global semiconductor industry will remain weak in the first quarter of 2009 before seeing a rebound in the second quarter, according to Credit Suisse speaking at an investors forum held recently in Taipei. Read more |
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Semiconductor market becoming less forgiving, says iSuppli Sep 18, 10:42 Facing dwindling profits, fewer opportunities to expand by taking market share from competitors and a shrinking roster of star performers, the semiconductor industry has entered a period of lowered expectations and diminishing options, forcing chip suppliers to rethink their basic strategies for success, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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Semiconductor equipment localization – Don't act like a cry baby: Q&A with Hermes Epitek Archie Hwang Sep 15, 15:42 One of the most well known local Taiwan providers of semiconductor equipment, Hermes Epitek believes that extending its business presence is a natural extension of its long-term practice of developing its technology and industry expertise, starting from its agency business decades ago. Read more |
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The state of the semiconductor industry: Q&A with SEMI president Stanley Myers Sep 11, 16:42 When looking to divine the direction of the semiconductor industry, it makes sense to turn to SEMI, the global industry association serving companies that provide equipment, materials and services used to manufacture semiconductors devices. Read more |
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SEMICON Taiwan 2008: Semiconductor players cautiously optimistic about 2009 Sep 9, 01:00 The present sluggish semiconductor industry status has not discouraged participants of a Executive Discussion Panel, with the members for the most part voicing a cautiously optimistic outlook for the industry next year. SEMI president and CEO Stanley T. Myers indicated that the equipment market in Taiwan may even see a 53% on-year growth next year. Read more |
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North American semiconductor equipment industry posts book-to-bill ratio of 0.83 in July, says SEMI Aug 20, 10:27 North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$905 million in orders in July 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill (B/B) ratio of 0.83, meaning US$83 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month, according to SEMI. Read more |
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Semiconductor market starting to look interesting, says Future Horizons Aug 5, 11:54 With market data recently released by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) showing that quarterly semiconductor sales growth reached 3.0% in the second quarter, Malcolm Penn, Chairman & CEO of Future Horizons reiterated that the semiconductor industry remains strong, despite a general gloom observed in the market. Read more |
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Global semiconductor sales up 5.4% in 1H 2008, says SIA Aug 5, 10:32 Global sales of semiconductors for the first half of 2008 grew to US$127.5 billion, an increase of 5.4% over the first half of 2007 when sales were US$121 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported. June sales of US$21.6 billion were up by 8% from the US$20 billion reported for June 2007. June sales increased by 0.5% from May, when sales were US$21.5 billion. Second-quarter sales of US$64.7 billion increased by 3% over first-quarter sales of US$62.8 billion. Thus far increased energy costs have had little impact on demand for electronic products that drive semiconductor demand. Read more |
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Relaxed restrictions welcomed in Taiwan, but indifference remains about actually building 12-inch wafer fabs in China Aug 5, 01:10 Leading pure-play foundries Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), as well as DRAM maker Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), have expressed indifference over a potential policy relaxing restrictions on constructing 12-inch wafer fabs in China, as all of them have a deep-rooted 12-inch wafer fab foundation in Taiwan. Read more |
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Higher ASPs and stronger growth expected in the semiconductor market, says Future Horizons Aug 1, 15:01 While growth over the past few years in the semiconductor industry has been driven by IC unit growth being able to overcome the offsetting downward trend of average selling prices (ASPs), Malcolm Penn, chairman and CEO of Future Horizons, recently forecast in the company's Global Semiconductor Monthly Report that ASPs will start to rise (or even stop falling), with the net result being that unit shipment growth will now be a net contributor to semiconductor market growth. Read more |
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Taiwan government likely to further lift ban on semiconductor production in China Newswatch - Jun 27, 10:05 Government officials were cited by a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report in saying that the Taiwan government is likely to lift the ban on local Taiwan semiconductor companies investing in 12-inch wafer production on advanced nodes in China. Read more |
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Solar cell investments to reach parity with semiconductor industry by 2010, says iSuppli Jun 24, 12:26 Worldwide investments in the production of photovoltaic (PV) cells will rise to the same level as those for semiconductor manufacturing by 2010, due to booming demand for solar energy, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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Semiconductor chemicals and materials market to grow 8.7% in 2008, says The Information Network Jun 12, 16:43 While chip sales are expected to grow by only 6% and equipment revenues to drop 15% in 2008, sales of chemicals and materials for making the chips are expected to grow by 8.7% in 2008, according to The Information Network. Read more |
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SIA lowers 2008 semiconductor sales growth forecast Jun 12, 10:14 Healthy demand from key end-markets will keep worldwide semiconductor sales at record levels through 2011, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said recently. However, continued strong competition in memory chips - principally DRAMs - will result in slower growth in 2008. Read more |
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Daily silicon: Q&A with Gary Homan, VP of Hemlock Semiconductor Jun 10, 10:50 What is going on in the polysilicon industry? It is common knowledge that silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust (after oxygen) and the third in the planet's mantle (behind oxygen and magnesium), so any sort of silicon shortage may sound like nonsense. However, this is the situation. Read more |
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| 51 news tagged semiconductor (1/2) | |
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