With its technology partner Infineon Technologies maintaining a positive DDR2 outlook, Winbond Electronics has revised its 2006 monthly 12-inch capacity expansion plans upward by 4,000 12-inch wafers, with all the extra capacity set to be assigned to DDR2 production for Infineon, according to Winbond chairman Arthur Chiao at yesterday’s loan signing ceremony.

Under the original schedule, Winbond expected to use the newly secured loan to finance its capacity expansion to 16,000 12-inch equivalent by the end of 2006 and 24,000 by the end of 2007. Chiao, however, introduced a more aggressive ramp, with capacity scheduled to reach 20,000 by the end of 2006.

The additionally scheduled capacity will all be reserved for producing 512Mbit DDR2 for Infineon, Chiao noted. Winbond stressed that Infineon does not expect to see DDR2 oversupply or weak demand for next year and Chiao emphasized that the expansion will not pose any excess capacity threat.

With its first 12-inch wafer pilot runs started in September, Winbond has formally begun 12-inch production and the company expects capacity to reach 2,000 wafers this December. Winbond will focus on supplying DDR2 for Infineon through this year and extend to own production starting in 2006.

Along with the 12-inch wafer production expansion, Winbond also expects to migrate all logic IC production from its 6-inch fab to its 8-inch fabs. The migration should be completed by 2008, Chiao pointed out. For commodity DRAM and DRAM foundry services, Winbond will migrate all related production to its 12-inch fab in Taichung.

By: DocMemory
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