http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150310000345
South Korea, one of the world's most tech-advanced countries, trumped
its rivals in wafer capacity last year, market data showed Tuesday,
reflecting its solid footing in the semiconductor business.
The
monthly share of Asia's fourth-largest economy in terms of wafer
capacity stood at 21.1 percent at the end of December, outrunning Taiwan
by a slim margin of 1.7 percentage points, according to the latest data
compiled by U.S.-based IC Insights Inc. The figures are based on the
producers' capacity for 200mm wafers.
Japan was behind the two nations with 18.3 percent in the tallied month.
South
Korea beat its rivals in just four years. It ranked third at the end of
2010 with a 15.2 percent share, and Japan and Taiwan held 22 percent
and 21.5 percent, respectively.
A wafer refers to a thin slice of
semiconductor fabricated with integrated circuits that is used as the
base material for memory chips. The wafer capacity is considered a gauge
of chip production by a manufacturer.
The market researcher, in
its five-year forecast, said South Korea will keep its top ranking in
wafer capacity in 2019, with an estimated 21.9 percent share. Taiwan
will likely trail closely behind with 20.7 percent, followed by Japan at
16.2 percent.
China is expected to increase its wafer capacity over the next five years to 10.9 percent from 9.2 percent, it said.
IC Insights projected that the four Asian countries will account for about 70 percent of the global wafer production. (Yonhap)
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