May 15, 2012 – PRNewswire-Asia — China-based semiconductor foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC; NYSE:SMI; SEHK:0981.HK) signed a cooperation framework document between its subsidiary SMIC Beijing and the Beijing municipal government, forming a joint venture for SMIC Beijing’s expansion adjacent to its 12” mega-fab.
Beijing officials attended the signing ceremony along with SMIC’s Chairman Zhang Wenyi. The semiconductor industry is an innovation-driven high-tech industry and is a priority for the Beijing municipal government. SMIC Beijing praised the “considerable technology, talent, customer relationships, and operational experience” it has gained in this location.
SMIC Beijing was registered in 2002 in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA), and commenced operation in September 2004 as mainland China’s first 12” wafer fab. It is also SMIC’s largest 12” wafer manufacturing base. SMIC Beijing achieved 90nm volume production in 2006, 65nm volume production in 2009, and 55nm volume production in 2011.
The SMIC Beijing second phase expansion project will be constructed with support from the Beijing municipal government. It will be located adjacent to SMIC Beijing’s current 12” mega-fab, and will operate at the 45/40nm and 32/28nm technology nodes. After the second phase expansion, SMIC Beijing will have a larger manufacturing base capable of producing at more advanced technology nodes and at a lower cost, thus achieving improved efficiency and economies of scale.
Solid order momentum, improved outlook from its chip customers, and better fab utilization led SMIC to raise its Q1 2012 revenue guidance last month.
SMIC has a 300mm fab and 3 200mm wafer fabs in its Shanghai mega-fab, two 300mm wafer fabs in its Beijing mega-fab, a 200mm wafer fab in Tianjin, and a 200mm fab under construction in Shenzhen. It also recently formed a new IC research program with Brite Semiconductor (Shanghai) Corporation and Zhejiang University IC and Basic Software Research Institute.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China. For more information, visit http://www.smics.com/