May 14, 2008 – Regional press reports analyzing the impact of the May 12 major earthquake in China’s Sichuan province, say that most tech firms didn’t suffer significant damage or losses — with one big exception.

Intel seems to be most affected, with its packaging/test facility in Chengdu reportedly running on backup power with no water service, noted Digitimes, citing a PC World story.

The PC World report indicates evacuations and production stoppages occurred at Intel and SMIC, though no injuries were reported. Local power and water were disconnected to the Intel site “pending a full seismic assessment,” according to a company spokesperson in Singapore. The ultimate impact on production is still unknown, but he stressed that Intel has various other assembly/test facilities across the globe.

SMIC’s “AT2” 200mm backend site in Chengdu (a JV with UTAC) was “not being affected” by the quake, according to Digitimes, though AT2 did suspend operations automatically. The company noted that the city’s electrical supply is “normal.” SMIIC also runs a 200mm operation in Chengdu for Cension Semiconductor Manufacturing, but that operation is 300 miles from the quake epicenter and was not affected, reported Digitimes, citing local Chinese media. SMIC’s 300mm fab in Wuhan also was not affected.

Taiwan’s ProMOS Technologies has a 200mm fab in the Sichuan region, but the company says the operation was not impacted, and still has water and electricity services, noted Digitimes.

Among Japanese companies listed by the Nikkei daily:

– Inspection equipment maker Ulvac’s plant in the area is “fully operational,” though workers were sent home for a day to be with family.

– Hitachi’s JV in Chengdu that makes inverters halted production when part of the building was damaged but the site resumed normal operations.

– Fujitsu’s semiconductor development JV in Chengdu, Chengdu West Star Chips Co., was closed with uncertainty whether it would reopen later this week.

– A Motorola facility in Chengdu sustained minor damage with two employees slightly injured during evacuations, but operations have not been affected.

– A water line and several lights were broken at Micron’s assembly/test facility in Xi’an, but repairs are being made and operations are ongoing, the Japan paper noted.