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Taiwan Weekly Newsletter
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台湾ニュースレター（３月１２日号のテーマ）
Taiwan Semiconductor Weekly
Newsletter
3, March 2008
The themes of this week :- 2007 Taiwan Top 10 Semiconductor Companies
- PSC to Move to 60nm Process Node in Second Half of 2008
- Taiwan Memory Module Makers Suffer From Weak Market
- Winbond to Move to 58nm Process Node for Specialty and Commodity DRAM
- Taiwan Hanset Chip Venodors Expects to Build More Relationship With
Nokia
2007 Taiwan Top 10 Semiconductor Companies
Foundry industry still generates biggest chunk of revenue for Taiwan semiconductor
industry. TSMC still the leading semiconductor company in Taiwan in 2007.
TSMC reckons US$9.927 billion revenue for 2007, grows 2.79% from 2006.
UMC sits in the second largest semiconductor company as well as foundry
provider in Taiwan. UMC un-consolidated revenue for 2007 is US$3.285 billion
grows 2.56% from 2006.
The big jump of revenue comes from fabless industry. MediaTek, the largest
fabless company in Taiwan, has whooping growth of 50.52% over 2006 and
generates $2.452 billion. MediaTekﾕs rank in Taiwan jump to number 5 from
2006ﾕs number 9.
Novatek is another IC design house which sits in Taiwan top 10 semiconductor
companyﾕs ranking. The main products line for Novatek is LCD driver IC
and its growth rate is not as splendid as MediaTek, Novatek grows 14.89%
from 2006 and generates $1.111 billion revenue in 2007.
Inotera is the only DRAM manufacturer in Taiwan that enjoys revenue growth.
Inotera 2007 revenue is US$1.411 billion grows 12.43% from 2006ﾕs $1.255
billion.
There are two factors which contribute to Inoteraﾕs revenue growth. First
Inotera ramped up its second 12-inch fab in 2007 and its wafer output
substantial increase from 2006. Second Inotera serves as a dedicated DRAM
foundry provider, the transaction base is wafer and the price is more
stable than chip base.
Two IC assembly companies list in Taiwan top 10 semiconductor companies.
Advance Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) is the largest assembly house
in Taiwan its consolidated base revenue is $3.113 billion in 2007 grows
0.74% from 2006ﾕs 3.09 billion.
Siliconware Precision Industries Ltd. (SPIL) is another IC assembly company
lists in top 10. SPIL do a better job than ASE with 14.65% annual growth
in 2007.
2007 Taiwan Top 10 Semiconductor Companies
|
06
Rank |
07
Rank |
Company
|
07 revenue
|
06 Revenue
|
Y/Y Growth
|
Main Business
|
|
1
|
1
|
TSMC
|
9.926
|
9.658
|
2.79％
|
Foundry
|
|
2
|
2
|
UMC
|
3.285
|
3.203
|
2.56％
|
Foundry
|
|
3
|
3
|
ASE
|
3.113
|
3.090
|
0.74％
|
Assembly
|
|
9
|
4
|
MediaTek
|
2.452
|
1.629
|
50.52％
|
Fabless
|
|
4
|
5
|
Powerchip
|
2.385
|
2.834
|
△15.84％
|
DRAM
|
|
8
|
6
|
SPIL
|
1.988
|
1.734
|
14.65％
|
Assembly
|
|
6
|
7
|
Nanya
|
1.628
|
2.311
|
△29.55％
|
DRAM
|
|
7
|
8
|
ProMOS
|
1.464
|
1.848
|
△20.78％
|
DRAM
|
|
9
|
9
|
Inotera
|
1.411
|
1.255
|
12.43％
|
DRAM Foundry
|
|
11
|
10
|
Novatek
|
1.111
|
0.967
|
14.89％
|
Fabless
|
|
Unit： US$ Billion
|
PSC to Move to 60nm Process Node in Second Half of 2008
Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) schedules to switch to the 60nm processing node in the second half of the year to help balance its costs and profitability as it expects DRAM demand to outstrip supply in the fourth quarter this year, according to PSCﾕs chairman Frank Huang.
Huang said in order to advance processing technology, PSC needs to invest heavily in equipment. PSC already invested NT$30 billion (US$967.74 million at US$1:NT$31) to upgrade from 90nm to 70nm, and PSC will invest another several billion NT dollars to push technology from 70nm to 60nm in the future.
Currently, DRAM makers are all facing difficulties in securing funding for expansion from outside sources, while also trying to cope with the large spending challenges due to unstable DRAM prices. PSC completed its large investments in 2007 and does not have any scheduled for 2008, giving the company an advantage over its competitors, Huang pointed out.
70nm processing will be PSC's primary node for the first half of 2008, however it will switch to 60nm in the second half, allowing it to produce around 1,000 each chips per wafer. PSC will move into 50nm processing in 2009 and this can increase die volumes to around 1,400 dies per wafer.
Although 70nm processing is currently unable to deliver profits for PSC, once it upgrades to 60nm, PSC expects it profit and cost ratio to become more healthy.
Taiwan Memory Module Makers Suffer From Weak Market
Weakening demand for standard PC memory chips and NAND Flash memory chips has fueled fears that Taiwanese memory-module makers will work off inventory overhangs slower than expected and report poor results this year.
The spot price for effectively tested 512Mb DDRII DRAM chip has dropped to US$0.9 a piece while the price for 1G chip has contracted to around US$1.9, completely eroding the gains of the two markets in recent weeks.
For 8Gb MLC NAND Flash chip, contract price has declined to around US$3.1 while spot price has fallen under US$3. Quotation prices for both 4 Gb and 16 Gb chips have fallen over 3.45%, respectively, with 4Gb chip price plunging nearly 5%.
Anemic markets have inspired skepticisms over PSCﾕs bearish sales forecasts recently. Critics share the view that the normally shortened workdays in February and a downtime at PSCﾕs fabs for scheduled maintenance during the weeklong Chinese New Year holidays of this year have eroded the possibility for PSC to increase revenue this year. If DRAM chip unit price goes on declining, making money will become a hard goal for PSC to achieve.
Throughout last year, Transcend Information Inc. was the only profitable memory-module maker in Taiwan. A-Data Technology had net loss of NT$2.09 per share and gross loss ratio of 2.55% in the fourth quarter last year, its worst quarter since going public. The company had inventory pileup of as much as NT$3.68 billion (US$118.7 million) last quarter alone.
Retailers pointed out that DRAM prices once rebounded before the Chinese New Year holidays as a result of robust inventory procurements. The prices, they noted, have come down again after the procurement spree.
A-Data chairman Simon Chen has different view for the market prospect. Chen said that a recovery is coming in March.
Chen projects that a recovery in the DRAM industry will be seen in late March as some companies have put a brake on their expansion with a noticeable cut in capital expenditure. The entire 2008 outlook should be better than 2007, Chen noted.
In light of the stiff business environment, Chen observed signs of consolidation among industry players, as a considerable amount of companies are forced to quit the market amid weak pricing. Despite posting a poor financial performance in 2007, Chen stressed that A-Data would flexibly adjust production between Taiwan and China to boost competitiveness.
Despite seeing a shaky cyclical trend in the DRAM industry over the past several years, PSC chairman Frank Huang reiterated that PSC houses sufficient cash flow to ensure smooth operation. While projecting a gradual recovery in the second half of 2008, Huang commented that industry players should place their focus or efforts to enhance production, rather than just hoping for a price rebound.
As DRAM pricing is poor, Huang noted that some industry players are experiencing a difficult time in obtaining sufficient funds to enhance production and fuel expansion. For PSC itself, the company has spent about NT$30 billion over its 90nm to 70nm transition, he added.
Winbond to Move to 58nm Process Node for Specialty and Commodity DRAM
Winbond Electronics is preparing to introduce 58nm process node into its specialty DRAM as well as commodity DRAM production in 2008 at its 300 mm fab according to company spokesman Wilson Wen. Winbond also use its 300 mm fab to provide specialty DRAM foundry services.
Since Winbond sold its 200mm fabs to Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS), Winbond will use its 300mm fab to service customers who are still looking for foundry services, Wen explained. Winbond currently fabricates specialty DRAM on 90nm node.
Wen said Winbond will move specialty DRAM directly to 58nm node for the next-phase of production in the third quarter of 2008. For commodity DRAM, he also updated that mass production on 70nm will be made during mid-2008 with pilot run of 58nm also slated to begin in the third quarter. Mass production of 58nm-made commodity DRAM is scheduled in 2009 at the earliest, he said.
Regarding recent speculation about Winbond failing to obtain sufficient funding from banks, the company stressed that it has not yet submitted its applications. Wen added in saying that Winbond has about NT$15 billion (US$48.4 million) of cash on hand, and a depreciation and amortization amount of NT$6-7 billion (US$19.35-22.58 million), implying that Winbond has sufficient cash to fund a planned capital expenditure (capex) of NT$14 billion (US$45.16 million).
Taiwan Hanset Chip Vendors Expects to Build More Relationship With Nokia
Following announcements by Nokia about a reshuffle in its chipset development strategy in 2007, industry observers expect that Taiwan-based IC design houses will benefit from the move.
Nokia announced in August 2007 a collaboration with STMicroelectronics, enabling STMicroelectronics to design and manufacture 3G chipsets based on Nokia's modem technologies, energy management and radio frequency (RF) technology and deliver complete solutions to Nokia and the open market.
Nokia had also announced in August a renewal of its chipset development strategy by introducing a licensing and multi-sourcing model. Under this new strategy, Nokia is now working with four chipset suppliers. Texas Instruments (TI) continues to be a broad scope supplier across all protocols, Broadcom is as a supplier for EDGE technology, Infineon Technologies is a supplier for GSM, and STMicroelectronics is a supplier for 3G.
Industry observers are positive about Nokia's reshuffle in chip development, as the reshuffle implies more business opportunities. Among Taiwanese different IC design sectors, LCD driver IC design houses, including Himax Technologies and Orise Technologies, are expected to see a big boost in their 2008 second-quarter sales amid orders from Nokia, according to industry sources.
Several other Taiwan IC design houses are making progress in potential deals with Nokia, including Elan Microelectronics, MediaTek(MTK) and Richtek Technology. Negotiations are underway with shipments expected to begin from the second half of 2008 at the earliest, the sources remarked.
Nokia is interested in Elan mainly because of the the attractive quotes the company offers for touch screen modules, the sources explained. Apple's iPhone touch panel costs about US$18, but a similar solution from Elan costs only US$10-12, they noted.
MTK is in talks with Nokia about partnering over baseband and RF platforms, while Richtek is likely to supply LED driver ICs and power management (PWM) ICs to Nokia, the sources detailed.
Silicon Touch Technology Incorporated (SiTI), Fitipower Integrated Technology and Weltrend Semiconductor are three design houses that are expected to supply Nokia with ICs for camera lens zoom via module makers, the sources added.
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