INDUSTRY NEWS
September 7th
Brazil announced its plans to establish a semiconductor industry in
the state of Minas Gerais. COMPANHIA BRASILERA de SEMICONDUCTORES is
planning an analog and mixed-signal semiconductor wafer fabrication facility
that will run high-voltage, CMOS, bipolar BiCMOS and other processes
with a target completion date of early 2007.
UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP. the words second largest contact
microchip maker said August sales fell 30% from a year ago but extended
a recovery from second quarter lows. It was up 13.3% as compared in July
which was its forth consecutive month-to-month rise. Business is picking
up as clients clear unwanted inventory in the second quarter.
INTEL announced that it is on track for quarter three sales in
its mid-quarter update. The target is a 73% increase quarter-over-quarter
performance.
SEMICO RESEARCH CORP. believes the industry will experience good
growth in 2008 with the next downturn being pushed out to the end of
2008 and in to 2009.
September 8th
ADVANCED FORECASTING said that a turning point and the beginning
of the next chip industry cycle will occur in the first half of next
year. It predicts an increase in the first half of 2006, as well as double
digit annual growth for 2006 over 2005 as revenue shipments catch up
with forecast demand. Increased consumption of IC’s by several
industries was cited. Fab utilization reached 89% in the second quarter
vs. 86% in quarter one.
iSUPPLi CORP. said rapid rising global energy prices combined
with a growing excess of manufacturing capacity, the forecast for this
years semiconductor sales was trimmed. They are predicting a 2.4% increase
over 2004 and at 4.3% increase for 2006. That is a drop of the 5.9% prediction
stated earlier. Chip sales are expected to go up by double digit percentages
in 2007, ’08, and ’09. A trouble sign for the industry is
increased production despite slow growth and weakening prices. Capacity
is expected to go up 3.1% in quarter three vs. quarter two while manufacturing
capacity utilization will increase to 86% in quarter three vs. quarter
two.
September 9th
INTEL CFO confirmed that the company is experiencing a chipset
shortage for notebooks stating that INTEL is “sold out”.
The shortage is expected to last until 2006, which also said it will
continue to see double-digit year-to-year growth thanks to notebook demand.
It narrowed its Third quarter revenue guidance yesterday to be between
$9.8-$10 billion
BRIEFS
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS expects their earnings per
share to be between $0.36-$0.38 per share and stated it has positive
demand and bookings momentum.
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