Zhongxin Wafer Launches 12-inch Wafer Capacity Expansion Plan
Source: China Electronics News 2021-03-24
Recently, Hangzhou Zhongxin Wafer Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhongxin Wafer) launched an expansion plan for 12-inch large silicon wafers, which will continue to expand to 70,000 wafers on the basis of 30,000 wafers per month. At the end of the year, it will reach the scale of 100,000 pieces per month. 100,000 wafers are only the initial goal of Zhongxin Wafer. Next year, it will continue to actively seek capacity expansion and eventually form a monthly production capacity of 200,000 to 300,000.
According to TrendForce's forecasts, storage devices are facing serious shortages and rising prices. The contract price of server storage in the second quarter will increase from the original increase of 8%-13% to 10%-15%, not ruled out Some transactions rose by as much as 20%. As the cornerstone of storage devices, the importance of 12-inch silicon wafers is self-evident.
It is reported that the Qiantang New Area project of Zhongxin Wafer 12-inch was officially settled in 2017, and construction started in February 2018, with a registered capital of 2.9 billion yuan, covering an area of more than 133,400 square meters, and a plant area of about 150,000 square meters. The total investment of the project is USD 1 billion, and there are three 8-inch (200mm) and two 12-inch (300mm) production lines. In June 2019, Hangzhou Zhongxin Wafer's first batch of 8-inch (200mm) semiconductor silicon polished wafers rolled off the assembly line smoothly. In November of the same year, the Hangzhou Zhongxin wafer project held a completion and commissioning ceremony.
Silicon wafer is the starting point of the semiconductor industry chain, which runs through the front and back processes of the entire chip manufacturing, and is the key material for manufacturing chips. With the continuous development of the integrated circuit industry, the demand for silicon wafers continues to increase. At the same time, the size of mainstream silicon wafers has also developed from the initial 2 inches to the current 12 inches, and it may develop to 18 inches in the future. As the diameter of the silicon wafer increases, the proportion of the available area of the silicon wafer increases, which can effectively reduce the production cost of the chip.
According to data from the International Semiconductor Industry Association, from 2010 to 2019, the revenue of the global semiconductor wafer industry has shown a trend of first decline and then rise. Since 2014, the demand for applications in the fields of communications, computers, the automotive industry, and consumer electronics has been driven by demand and labor. With the rise of emerging industries such as intelligence and the Internet of Things, the global semiconductor wafer market has shown an upward trend. In 2019, the global semiconductor wafer industry revenue was 11.2 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 1.75%. In the face of today's increasing demand for silicon wafers, it is worth looking forward to whether Zhongxin Wafer can seize the opportunity to achieve breakthroughs.
Recently, Hangzhou Zhongxin Wafer Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhongxin Wafer) launched an expansion plan for 12-inch large silicon wafers, which will continue to expand to 70,000 wafers on the basis of 30,000 wafers per month. At the end of the year, it will reach the scale of 100,000 pieces per month. 100,000 wafers are only the initial goal of Zhongxin Wafer. Next year, it will continue to actively seek capacity expansion and eventually form a monthly production capacity of 200,000 to 300,000.
According to TrendForce's forecasts, storage devices are facing serious shortages and rising prices. The contract price of server storage in the second quarter will increase from the original increase of 8%-13% to 10%-15%, not ruled out Some transactions rose by as much as 20%. As the cornerstone of storage devices, the importance of 12-inch silicon wafers is self-evident.
It is reported that the Qiantang New Area project of Zhongxin Wafer 12-inch was officially settled in 2017, and construction started in February 2018, with a registered capital of 2.9 billion yuan, covering an area of more than 133,400 square meters, and a plant area of about 150,000 square meters. The total investment of the project is USD 1 billion, and there are three 8-inch (200mm) and two 12-inch (300mm) production lines. In June 2019, Hangzhou Zhongxin Wafer's first batch of 8-inch (200mm) semiconductor silicon polished wafers rolled off the assembly line smoothly. In November of the same year, the Hangzhou Zhongxin wafer project held a completion and commissioning ceremony.
Silicon wafer is the starting point of the semiconductor industry chain, which runs through the front and back processes of the entire chip manufacturing, and is the key material for manufacturing chips. With the continuous development of the integrated circuit industry, the demand for silicon wafers continues to increase. At the same time, the size of mainstream silicon wafers has also developed from the initial 2 inches to the current 12 inches, and it may develop to 18 inches in the future. As the diameter of the silicon wafer increases, the proportion of the available area of the silicon wafer increases, which can effectively reduce the production cost of the chip.
According to data from the International Semiconductor Industry Association, from 2010 to 2019, the revenue of the global semiconductor wafer industry has shown a trend of first decline and then rise. Since 2014, the demand for applications in the fields of communications, computers, the automotive industry, and consumer electronics has been driven by demand and labor. With the rise of emerging industries such as intelligence and the Internet of Things, the global semiconductor wafer market has shown an upward trend. In 2019, the global semiconductor wafer industry revenue was 11.2 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 1.75%. In the face of today's increasing demand for silicon wafers, it is worth looking forward to whether Zhongxin Wafer can seize the opportunity to achieve breakthroughs.