Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (“SMIC”; NYSE:  SMI; SEHK: 981), the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China, announces the laying of the foundation stone to mark the official launch of its capacity expansion project at SMIC’s TianJin facility. After the project’s completion, SMIC TianJin is expected to become the world’s largest integrated 8-inch IC production line.

SMIC TianJin is located in the Xiqing Economic Technological Development Area, Tianjin, and currently has a mature 8-inch IC production line with a capacity of 45,000 wafers/month. After completion of the expansion project, SMIC TianJin’s capacity will reach 150,000 8-inch wafers/month. The project’s progress and capacity arrangement will depend on customers’ needs. The main product applications supported by the project include IoT related IC’s, fingerprint identification, power management, mixed signal processing, and automotive electronics.

The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: “The launch of capacity expansion of our 8-inch production line is another milestone in the history of SMIC TianJin. SMIC TianJin has long been running at full capacity, and this expansion will significantly ease the balance of demand and supply and provide more high-quality capacity to our clients. Moreover, SMIC’s capacity distribution throughout mainland China will be further optimized.”

The TianJin Deputy Mayor, Mr. Shushan He, the Secretary of Xiqing Area, Mr. Xuewang Wang attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project.