As a result, in the second quarter, IBM estimates that it will record a pre-tax charge between $1.3 billion and $1.7 billion, also expecting to realize benefits in the start of the second half of the year.

(May 06, 2005) San Jose, Calif. &#8212 In the first quarter of 2005, worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased less than 2% compared to the fourth quarter of 2004, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly silicon wafer industry analysis.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1,465 million sq. in. in first-quarter 2005, down from 1,486 million sq. in. shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are 4% below the same period one year ago.

“Coming off of a record year, we expected and experienced a slight drop in unit shipments during the first quarter of 2005,” says Makoto Tsukada, SEMI SMG chairman and general manager of Shin-Etsu Handotai Co. Ltd. “However, we continue to see strong sequential growth in 300-mm wafer shipments.”