After 300mm fabs went online in 2004, semiconductor manufacturing capacity in Asia has continually grown, especially in Taiwan, and growth will continue for the next several years, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). With Taiwan building up foundry capacity, it has become the highest fab density area, the high-tech market research firm says.

?Capacity in China will also grow rapidly over the next several years,? says Prakash Vaswani, In-Stat analyst.
?Price advantages and emerging domestic fabless companies will allow China?s local foundries to survive.?

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Due to outsourcing trends catching up with IDM, dedicated foundry companies are benefiting from outsourcing orders both from IC design houses and IDMs.
  
• Because of 300mm wafer fab?s capital risk and a more competitive industry environment, we will find alliance and mergers becoming a common phenomenon in this industry.
  
• TSMC and UMC are the leading foundries in Asia, and will account for over 50% of Asian capacity through 2009.

Recent In-Stat research,
Semiconductor Manufacturing Capacity by Country in Asia, 2006 (#IN0602407ASM), covers the Asian semiconductor manufacturing industry, and includes capex and capacity by key accounts from 2004?2008, with the forecast segmented further by major geographic region. This research identifies and quantifies industry development within each major geographic region and recommends strategies for vendors to take advantage of these opportunities. It also discusses East Asia IDMs, foundry, and DRAM vendor development.

This research is part of In-Stat's Asia Semiconductor & Manufacturing Service, which tracks semiconductor consumption by application and by country. This service forecasts application segments in crucial Asian markets, including China, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Semiconductor manufacturing is also addressed by country, and an additional step in identifying the largest markets for semiconductor consumption is presented with a look at CEM and assembly capacity by country. This research is an invaluable tool in identifying business opportunities in the increasingly important Asian marketplace.