September 24, 2003 – China’s Grace Semiconductor has begun production of 4000 8-in. wafers/month at its fab in Shanghai, with plans to ramp up to 10,000 wafers/month by the end of the year.
Grace says it expects to produce 27,000 wafers/month by the end of 2004, and 100,000 by 2006. The lines will produce 8-in. wafers, rather than the 12-in. wafers for which they were designed, according to company chairman Zou Shichang.
By comparison, SMIC, which operates China’s largest chip fab, generates 40,000 wafers/month. TSMC plans to begin production at its new plant in Shanghai by the end of 2004.