Wafer foundry price cuts slow down downward pressure on first quarter of next year

Although global economic fears continued to soften in 2012, with the recent sales in Europe and the United States endorsed good news, the semiconductor industry chain inventory level has dropped to a very low level, with Taiwan-based wafer foundries to grasp customer orders, and drop wafers The OEM price is 5 to 15%, which has caused many domestic and foreign wafer suppliers to start covering up inventories. The visibility of order visibility in the first quarter of 2012 is expected to increase, and the utilization rate of 12-inch and 6-inch foundry capacity will lead the way. Effectively slow down the downward pressure on traditional off-season revenue in the first quarter of 2012.

IC design industry pointed out that recently, TSMC and other foundries have responded to the decline in cost, a modest price reduction of 5% to 15%, hoping to stimulate customers to buy gas, sales promotion actions in the fourth quarter of 2011 has gradually become slightly effective, with the end of the customer After the stock inventory is completed, it is expected that the first-line customers will start placing orders in the first quarter of 2012, which is expected to lift the global foundry market to buy gas.

Taiwan-based communication chip suppliers indicated that they would like to establish a good relationship with foundries. At this time, sending carbon in the snow would be better than icing on the cake. Therefore, in the first quarter of each year, the global semiconductor industry is mostly in the traditional off-season, but due to better prices, There are still many customers who are willing to place orders with foundries to establish a more stable and cooperative relationship. It is expected that this situation will still occur in the first quarter of 2012.

In fact, in the fourth quarter of 2011, from the mainland to the European and American terminal markets, all of them adopted a price reduction promotion strategy to allow the final product inventory level to go beyond the standard, plus the New Year in the first quarter of 2012 and the Chinese Lunar New Year to buy?臐A will also continue to use the hedonic impulse strategy. The global semi-conductive industry originally faced high inventory pressure at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter. Most of them have already become the driving force for inventory replenishment. But what are the various manufacturers considering? i line inventory replenishment action.

The IC design industry believes that it seems that the best time for customers to cover up inventory should fall in the first quarter of 2012, because they can place orders with the foundries on the one hand in the traditional low season of wafer foundry market. Talking about good prices, there is also meaning in the snow, and does not need to compete with other manufacturers in the second quarter of the pre-construction of the second half of the season season inventory, making domestic and foreign chip suppliers with chips have decided to grab the first quarter of 2012 This will effectively boost the capacity utilization of TSMC and other foundries.

Taiwan's consumer IC design industry said that since the 6-inch plant mainly manufactures voice ICs and LCD driver ICs, voice ICs mostly started to output in the second quarter, and customers usually place orders in advance in the first quarter. The recent global demand for TFT LCD panel market has shown signs of ups and downs, allowing LCD driver IC orders to warm up. It is estimated that in the first quarter of 2012, the capacity utilization rate of the 6-inch plant will be fully loaded ahead of schedule.