Aug. 17, 2001 – Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwan’s top five DRAM makers (ProMos Technologies, PowerChip Semiconductor, Winbond Electronics, Nanya Technology and Vanguard International Semiconductor) said they will proceed with plans to build 300mm fabs.

According to reports in the Financial Times, PowerChip chairman Frank Huang noted recently that 300mm wafer fabs are much more efficient than their 200mm counterparts, adding that DRAM production at a 300mm fab costs half of what it does at a 200mm plant. Domestic DRAM makers will lose ground to rivals with 300mm fabs if they continue to depend on 200mm fabs, he warned.

Huang estimated that his company will spend NT$60 billion (US$1.76 billion) in two phases to construct its first 300mm wafer fab. PowerChip’s 300mm wafer fab is designed to have a monthly production capacity of 15,000 wafers of 256Mb DRAM chips made with 0.15-micron processes.

Winbond said it will begin construction of its 300mm wafer facility by June next year and complete the project in 2004. The facility will use 0.11-micron processes in the initial stage

Nanya plans to tool up its 300mm wafer fab in the second quarter next year and begin volume production by the end of the same year. The plant will also adopt 0.11-micron process technology.

ProMos has earmarked US$1.1 billion to build its first 300mm wafer fab, with US$500 million to be invested this year. The company will begin pilot production on Aug. 23, making it the second chipmaker to launch production following Infineon Technologies AG of Germany. Vanguard will work with its parent Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to carry out its 300mm wafer fab plan, with TSMC supplying part of its 300mm fab capacity for foundry production.