Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) The trend toward the localization of chip manufacturing was further confirmed Tuesday when Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced it would increase its investment in Arizona to US$40 billion.
GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s third-largest silicon wafer maker, yesterday said that Samsung Electronics Co and most of its customers have not scaled back on orders, or delayed shipments, even though consumer spending has shifted away from smartphones and notebook computers due to mounting inflation pressures.
Rising inflation has altered consumers’ spending habits, dampening sales of consumer electronics, the Hsinchu-based company said.
However, customers all honored their supply agreements by adjusting their product mix and shifting to applications that are still reporting robust growth, it said.
Aside from one 6-inch factory, GlobalWafers’ 15 factories around the world are running at 100 percent
Major silicon wafer suppliers’ sales last month met market expectations, and the positive effects of their price hikes are expected to persist in the second half of this year, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said yesterday.
Wafers are expected to remain in short supply, benefiting major suppliers in the near term, Yuanta said in a research note.
GlobalWafers Inc (環球晶圓) posted record revenue of NT$6.04 billion (US$203.08 million) for last month, up 14.9 percent month-on-month and 25.8 percent year-on-year, which Yuanta attributed to intensive renewals of the company’s long-term agreements in the second quarter, resulting in higher average selling prices.
“We expect
Silicon wafer supplier Formosa Sumco Technology Corp (台勝科) yesterday gave an upbeat outlook for the current quarter, as it expects that deteriorating supply constraints would continue to drive up wafer prices, which would help it defy a slowdown in consumer electronics demand.
The company said chip demand is strongly underpinned by exuberant demand from 5G-related devices, automotive electronics and power management chips, which most semiconductor companies consider long-term growth engines.
Customers’ silicon wafer inventories are running low due to prolonged supply-demand imbalances over the past few quarters, the company said in a presentation at an investors’ conference.
“Tight supply of 12-inch silicon wafers