UMC Breaks into 14nm

Alan Patterson, EETimes
7/27/2017 11:01 AM EDT

TAIPEI — United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), Taiwan’s second largest foundry, has started its first production of 14nm products, narrowing a technology gap with its larger competitors such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung.

UMC said that, during the second quarter this year, 14nm accounted for 1 percent of its total revenue for the first time.

In the meantime, the company slashed its 2017 capital expenditure budget to $1.7 billion from the $2 billion it had earmarked earlier this year. UMC’s capex for 2016 was $2.8 billion.

“Operational efficiency will be the focus,” said Jason Wang, the newly appointed co-president of UMC, at an event to announce the company’s second-quarter results. “We are aligning to the current demand outlook.”

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