Radio Taiwan International
Date: Feb. 15, 2019
By: Chang Chien-chung and Evelyn Kao
TAIPEI (CNA) — Taiwan has maintained its global lead in wafer production capacity,
** FILE ** A UMC Group laboratory technician tests silicon wafers at Science-Based Industrial Park Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1999, in Hsinchu, 55 kilometers (34 miles) from Taipei. Taiwan is investigating chip giant United Microelectronics Corp. for allegedly making illegal investments in rival China, prosecutors said Wednesday, Feb.16, 2005. Taipei strictly controls chipmakers’ investments in mainland China, with companies required to apply for permission before going ahead with such deals. Prosecutors said they were investigating links between UMC and a Chinese chipmaker, He Jian Technology (Suzhou). He Jian was founded in 2001 by former UMC employees and began producing semiconductors in June 2003. (AP Photo/Wally Santana, File)
according to Semiconductor market research firm IC Insights.
As of December 2018, Taiwan led all regions/countries in wafer capacity with a 21.8 percent share, a slight increase from 21.3 percent in 2017, and continued its status as the world wafer capacity leader.
Taiwan’s capacity share was only slightly ahead of South Korea, which accounted for 21.3 percent of global wafer capacity in 2018, according to the recently released Global Wafer Capacity report by IC Insights.
Taiwan first became the global wafer capacity leader in 2015, according to the report.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip maker, and Samsung and SK Hynix of South Korea accounted for the vast share of wafer fab capacity in each country and were the top three capacity leaders worldwide. [FULL STORY]
