SINGAPORE--Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. here today reported revenues fell 21% sequentially to $79.2 million in the third quarter from $100.7 million in Q2, resulting in a net loss of $118.3 million in the Q3 period.
The world's third largest pure-play silicon foundry said its fab capacity utilization rate dropped to just 22% in the third quarter compared to 31% in Q2 and 103% in the same period last year.
"The extended process of bringing inventories into balance throughout the supply chain, coupled with dampened consumer sentiment resulting from a further weakening global economy, caused many customers to once again reduce their order rates," said Barry Waite, president and chief executive officer of Chartered. "Declines were most pronounced in the communications segment, reflecting ongoing inventory reductions, while the computer segment was essentially flat."
Chartered said it now plans to lower its 2001 capital expenditures for 200-mm equipment by $150 million, bringing the company's full-year total to just $550 million. In July, Chartered announced it was cutting 2001 investments from $1 billion to $700 million and it pushed back the start of its planned 300-mm wafer fab until 2003 (see July 19 story).
The Singapore foundry company today said it continues to work closely with its fab equipment vendors and remains "fully committed to 300-mm process development."
The company said it now expects revenues to be flat to sequentially down 5% in the fourth quarter from Q3. Chartered said it is forecasting fab capacity utilization to be in the low-to-mid-20 percent range in Q4. Chartered is also predicting a loss of $0.95-to-$0.97 per American Depositary Share (ADS) compared to $0.86 per ADS in the third quarter.
Chartered said it shipped 64,400 eight-inch equivalent processed wafers in the third quarter, a decline of 73.8% from 246,000 in Q3 of 2000 and 26.6% lower than 87,800 in the second quarter. Average selling prices for processed wafers dropped 0.9% to $1,231 in the third quarter compared to $1,242 in the same period last year, said the company. In Q2, the ASP was $1,192 per wafer, excluding a $3.9 million adjustment for a specific customer. Without that adjustment, ASPs in the second quarter were $1,147 per wafer.
RSS
Digital
10 emerging technologies to watch:
EE Times has compiled a list of emerging technologies that we think will be worth watching out for in 2010. Biofeedback or thought-control of electronics are among the contenders.
Hot applications in 2010:
We've compiled a list of 10 technology applications you should watch for in 2010, ranging from e-book readers to 3-D TVs. We examine the features that make these apps so compelling as well unresolved issues.
Top 25 predictions for semis in 2010:
2010 is just beginning to unfold in the electronics industry. Looking into our crystal ball, we have released our own chip forecasts--and other predictions--for 2010.
Seven things to fix in 2010:
The editors of EE Times came up with their own informal list of things we hope engineers fix in 2010, spanning everything from nano-lithography to space travel. What do you want to see get done this year?
'09 moves that are shaping the future:
This was a brutal year, but the industry gets a nod for showing grace under fire. Here's our Top 10 guide to the coming year, illustrating what to expect in 2010.
10 CEOs out in 2009:
It's been a tough year for the global electronics industry and CEOs. We survey the dismissal of 10 industry CEOs during the first three quarters of 2009 and what's ahead for the rest of the year.
Notable women in microelectronics:
There is no better time than a global economic recession to examine the keys to successful corporate governance. So, EE Times has compiled an international list that celebrates women who are business and technology leaders in semis.
EE Times updates Silicon 60:
Seventeen companies have been added to the lastest version of our Silicon 60 list of emerging startups. Forty-three companies survived as emerging companies that are still worth watching.
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
