SHANGHAI -- In a major move to upgrade its silicon foundry business, China's Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (ASMC) here today announced that it will begin construction on its initial 8-inch wafer fab here, according to a news report from Reuters.
ASMC plans break ground on the 200-mm (eight-inch) fab in Shanghai this month, with a goal of moving into production in 2003, according to the report. ASMC is a joint venture between the Chinese government and Royal Philips Electronics N.V. of the Netherlands.
The Shanghai-based foundry specialist is also one of the older chip makers in China. For years, the company has operated two wafer fabs--one fabricating bipolar devices on 5-inch substrates, and the other a CMOS line running 6-inch wafers. Together, the two fab lines have a monthly capacity of 480,000 wafers.
Now, it is the latest chip maker in China to announce an 8-inch plant. But ASMC officials indicated that it will not compete against the foundry giants from Singapore and Taiwan. Instead, it will focus on making analog chips, power ICs and other products.
ASMC mainly builds chips for Philips. But recently, ASMC signed a major foundry alliance with California Micro Devices Corp. Under the terms, ASMC will build will produce analog semiconductors and "Application Specific Integrated Passive" (ASIP) products for the U.S.-based company (see March 7 story ).
