GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s No. 3 supplier of silicon wafers, yesterday held a ceremony to mark completion of a 12-inch fab in South Korea, paving the way for operations to be fully under way by the end of next year.
The fab, which is to be operated by GlobalWafers’ 100 percent-owned subsidiary MEMC Korea Co, would concentrate on producing 12-inch wafers for emerging applications like 5G and artificial intelligence, the company said.
Dubbed Fab 2, the facility is to have an installed capacity of 176,000 wafers per month, it said.
With the added capacity, GlobalWafers would be able to produce more than 1 million 12-inch wafers per month, it said.
“Smooth construction and rapid approval demonstrate that the project is deeply recognized by customers and the [South Korean] government,” GlobalWafers chairperson Doris Hsu (徐秀蘭) said in a statement.
GlobalWafers signed five-year supply contracts with customers, who have made prepayment for wafers to be produced at the plant, it said.
Due to an oversupply-driven slump in demand, GlobalWafers pushed back the start of operations by three to four months, it said.
The fab is to start ramping up production in the second quarter of next year and reach full production by the end of the year, rather than in the third quarter as previously planned, the company told investors at the start of this month.
It would keep the schedule flexible in accordance with market demand, GlobalWafers said.
A recovery is beginning, as excess inventory in its supply chain has eased, it said, adding that the correction would last for one to three more quarters.
Apart from solidifying GlobalWafers’ pioneering role, Fab 2 would also serve as a strategic deployment of national importance in amid global trade tensions, the company said.
Being its crucial research and development, and manufacturing center in Northeast Asia, MEMC has been manufacturing and selling high-quality 8-inch and 12-inch wafers for the past 30 years, GlobalWafers said.
MEMC has established profound long-term relationships with local tier-1 customers, it said.
SEMICONDUCTORS: The firm has already completed one fab, which is to begin mass producing 2-nanomater chips next year, while two others are under construction Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, plans to begin construction of its fourth and fifth wafer fabs in Kaohsiung next year, targeting the development of high-end processes. The two facilities — P4 and P5 — are part of TSMC’s production expansion program, which aims to build five fabs in Kaohsiung. TSMC facility division vice president Arthur Chuang (莊子壽) on Thursday said that the five facilities are expected to create 8,000 jobs. To respond to the fast-changing global semiconductor industry and escalating international competition, TSMC said it has to keep growing by expanding its production footprints. The P4 and P5
DOWNFALL: The Singapore-based oil magnate Lim Oon Kuin was accused of hiding US$800 million in losses and leaving 20 banks with substantial liabilities Former tycoon Lim Oon Kuin (林恩強) has been declared bankrupt in Singapore, following the collapse of his oil trading empire. The name of the founder of Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd (興隆貿易) and his children Lim Huey Ching (林慧清) and Lim Chee Meng (林志朋) were listed as having been issued a bankruptcy order on Dec. 19, the government gazette showed. The younger Lims were directors at the company. Leow Quek Shiong and Seah Roh Lin of BDO Advisory Pte Ltd are the trustees, according to the gazette. At its peak, Hin Leong traded a range of oil products, made lubricants and operated loading
Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp said they are leaving a global climate-banking group, becoming the latest Wall Street lenders to exit the coalition in the past month. In a statement, Citigroup said while it remains committed to achieving net zero emissions, it is exiting the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). Bank of America said separately on Tuesday that it is also leaving NZBA, adding that it would continue to work with clients on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The banks’ departure from NZBA follows Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Wells Fargo & Co. The largest US financial institutions are under increasing pressure
TRENDS: The bitcoin rally sparked by US president-elect Donald Trump’s victory has slowed down, partly due to outflows from exchange-traded funds for the token Gold is heading for one of its biggest annual gains this century, with a 27 percent advance that has been fueled by US monetary easing, sustained geopolitical risks and a wave of purchases by central banks. While bullion has ticked lower since US president-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in last month’s election, its gains this year still outstrip most other commodities. Base metals have had a mixed year, while iron ore has tumbled, and lithium’s woes have deepened. The varied performances highlight the absence of a single, over-riding driver that has steered the complex’s fortunes, while also putting the spotlight
RSS