February 6, 2004 – China’s CSMC Tech, partly owned by Singapore foundry Chartered Semiconductor, is planning to build a 200mm fab in 2004, according to a Reuters report. The facility would open with capacity of 30,000 wafers/month, and possibly quadrupling that amount to 120,000 wafers/month.

Chartered owns about 1/10 of CSMC Tech, which reportedly has the funds to build the estimated $1 billion facility this year, but is also looking to raise about $200 million in a floating of shares this year.