China Update: SEMI, Carsem, ChipMOS

08/01/2002

SHANGHAI - In an indication of the increased activity of the semiconductor industry in China, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) established a SEMI China regional office. SEMI president and CEO Stanley Myers said, "SEMI is pleased to announce a direct presence to better support the needs of our members and the swiftly accelerating Chinese semiconductor industry."

The Ministry of Industry Information of the People's Republic of China expects approximately $30 to 40 billion in semiconductor capital equipment to be purchased in China by 2010 for the 14 to 20 new fabs being planned there.

Packaging subcontractors also have been active with expansions in China. Carsem formed Carsem Semiconductor-Suzhou Ltd. to handle its business in China. The Shanghai-based company recently purchased 40,000 sq. m. of land, with an option to increase that by 50 percent in two years. Plans are underway for building a 16,000 sq. m. facility there.

ChipMOS Technologies (Bermuda) Ltd. broke ground on a new assembly and test facility in Shanghai. The 25,000 sq. m. facility initially will focus on memory chips, LCD driver ICs, and module and subsystems. ChipMOS originally was the back-end portion of Taiwan's Mosel Vitelic and was spun out in 1997.