June 4, 2001 — HSIN-CHU, Taiwan — Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company recently opened the doors of its $1.2 billion wafer production fab.
SSMC, a joint venture between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Philips Semiconductors and Economic development Board Investments of Singapore, opened last month.
“Singapore in the ideal location for the fab, enabling us to exploit the potential growth in this dynamic market,” said Tony Lear, CEO of SSMC. “With it’s world-class infrastructure, well-educated workforce and the enthusiastic support of the government to companies investing in the IT and electronics industries, Singapore is poised to become the high-tech hub of Asia.”
The fab produced its first yielding silicon 90 days after the first process equipment was installed. Officials say the production cycle time and yields are comparable with the best achieved by fabs run by Philips Semiconductors and TSMC.