Demand stimulated by orders shifting from Taiwan to China has pushed testing and packaging houses to raise their budgets for equipment procurements. Production in China on processes of 0.18-micron and below is growing quickly, and leading foundries are reporting that they are ramping capacity on advanced processes, which will attract even more orders. The global share of wafer capacity from China foundries will grow to 9% in 2007, up from 4% last year, according to research from iSuppli.

(September 24, 2004) Sunnyvale, Calif.&#8212 The current semiconductor cycle has hit its peak in 2004, and 2005 will be the first year of a two-year downturn, according to the most recent forecast by analyst firm IC Insights. The firm delivered its forecast and analysis at a forum here.