SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY

UPDATE

 

November 2016

 

McIlvaine Company

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Avalanche Technology to Start Volume Production of STT-MRAM on 300mm Wafers

SMIC TianJin Launches Capacity Expansion Project

SMIC Shanghai Starts Construction of a New 12-inch Wafer Fab

 

 

 

Avalanche Technology to Start Volume Production of STT-MRAM on 300mm Wafers

Avalanche Technology, Inc., has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation to begin production of its Spin Transfer Torque Magnetic RAM (STT-MRAM) on 300mm wafers at various advanced geometry nodes.  Volume production is expected in early 2017 at Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation in Japan to address a wide range of applications for this disruptive non-volatile memory technology.

 

This partnership with Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation will help the adoption of perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction (pMTJ)-based STT-MRAM and further validate the widely accepted industry belief that STT-MRAM is the memory technology of choice for a broad spectrum of applications.

 

“Avalanche is working on breakthrough memory products.  As a result, we are able to address a very large non-volatile memory market with a wide range of requirements.  STT-MRAM is an ideal solution for markets such as Storage, Automotive, IoT and embedded applications,” said Petro Estakhri, founder and CEO of Avalanche Technology.

 

“We are pleased to partner with Avalanche Technology on the production of pMTJ based STT-MRAM,” said Toshiyuki Yanase, Representative of Yamagata Technology Center of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation.  “Working with Avalanche Technology, we look forward to manufacturing MRAM products that meet current and future demands in the memory market.”

 

SMIC TianJin Launches Capacity Expansion Project

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China, announces the laying of the foundation stone to mark the official launch of its capacity expansion project at SMIC’s TianJin facility. After the project’s completion, SMIC TianJin is expected to become the world’s largest integrated 8-inch IC production line.

 

SMIC TianJin is located in the Xiqing Economic Technological Development Area, Tianjin, and currently has a mature 8-inch IC production line with a capacity of 45,000 wafers/month. After completion of the expansion project, SMIC TianJin’s capacity will reach 150,000 8-inch wafers/month. The project’s progress and capacity arrangement will depend on customers’ needs. The main product applications supported by the project include IoT related IC’s, fingerprint identification, power management, mixed signal processing, and automotive electronics.

 

The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: “The launch of capacity expansion of our 8-inch production line is another milestone in the history of SMIC TianJin. SMIC TianJin has long been running at full capacity, and this expansion will significantly ease the balance of demand and supply and provide more high-quality capacity to our clients. Moreover, SMIC’s capacity distribution throughout mainland China will be further optimized.”

 

The TianJin Deputy Mayor, Mr. Shushan He, the Secretary of Xiqing Area, Mr. Xuewang Wang attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project

 

SMIC Shanghai Starts Construction of a New 12-inch Wafer Fab

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China, held the groundbreaking ceremony of a new 12-inch wafer fab in Shanghai to meet SMIC Shanghai’s increasing production and development needs.

 

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Shanghai Government have placed a high value on and provided strong support for the new project. Guests and leaders from the IC industry and investment funds attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project.

 

SMIC has 8-inch and 12-inch wafer fabs in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Italy, and the company’s revenue has continued to hit record highs recently. SMIC booked record revenue of US $1.3245 billion in the first half of 2016 (a year-on-year increase of 25.4%). SMIC has achieved 17 consecutive quarters of profit and is close to full production capacity. Revenue is expected to maintain rapid growth of 20% annually over the next three to four years. SMIC will manage production capacity and arrange facility expansions based on customer and market demand.

 

The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: “The start of our new 12-inch wafer fab in SMIC Shanghai will not only help to meet our growing customer demand for advanced production, but also further strengthen and expand SMIC itself.”

 

 

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