LONDON — Worldwide fab manufacturing capacity utilization turned down in the third quarter of 2004, as IC capacity was added but production at the foundries and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) increased by just 0.7 percent compared with the previous quarter and by 13.6 percent compare with the same quarter in 2003, according to Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) figures.
A 10.6 percent sequential increase in 300-mm manufacturing capacity was partly responsible and capacity utilization of 300-mm wafer production turned down below 90 percent in the third quarter. But foundries remained strongly loaded and for them capacity utilization turned down on slightly to of 97.7 percent in the third quarter from 99.4 percent in the second quarter of 2004.
Overall, worldwide wafer capacity increased by 3.6 percent sequentially to 1,456.9 thousand wafer starts per week (kwspw), up 8.8 percent on the same quarter a year before, according to the report. Actual wafer starts increased by 0.7 percent sequentially to 1,350.0-kwspw, up 13.6 percent on the same quarter a year before.
Total capacity utilization was 92.7 percent in the third quarter of 2004, compared to 95.4 percent in the previous period, 93.4 percent in the first quarter of 2004 and 85.9 percent in third quarter of 2003.
Foundry manufacturers increased manufacturing capacity by 10 percent sequentially in the third quarter of 2004 to 207.6-kwspw measured in eight-inch equivalent wafers, and by 33.7 percent over their manufacturing capacity in the third quarter of 2003, the report said. This was the second quarter of 10 percent sequential growth.
For the foundries, actual production was 202.8-kwspw, up 8.2 percent sequentially and up 41.9 percent on the third quarter of 2003. This gave a Q2 2004 manufacturing capacity utilization figure of 97.7 percent in the third quarter, down from 99.4 percent in the second quarter of 2004 and from 98.7 percent in the first quarter of 2004. The figure compared with 92.0 percent capacity utilization in the third quarter of 2003.
Large wafer manufacturing capacity continues to grow apace, and faster than actual production, with the 300-mm capacity figure at 135.7-kwspw in 8-inch equivalents and 60.3-kwspw in absolute wafers. This 60.3-kwspw is up from 51.2-kwspw in Q2 and up from 26.6-kwspw in Q1. Third quarter 300-mm manufacturing grew by 10.6 percent sequentially to 122.0-kwspw in terms of 8-inch equivalents or 54.2-kwspw in absolute terms.
As a result third quarter 300-mm manufacturing capacity utilization turned down to 89.9 percent from 95.7 percent in the second quarter, up from 92.1 percent in Q1.
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