联电将关闭旗下日本晶圆制造业务

台湾晶圆代业者联华电子周二(8月21日)表示，其董事会投票通过关闭其位于日本千叶县馆山的200mm晶圆厂UMC Japan（UMCJ)，以削减成本，应对目前困难的宏观经济形势和客户需求下降局面。 “由于国际经济景气及产业趋势快速变迁，日本客户需求衰退，加上2011年东日本大震灾后，能源供应不稳定，半导体上下游的相关产业纷纷以减产或关厂缩编因应，”联电(台湾新竹)在向台湾证交所提交的文件中表示，“UMC Japan之营运成本无法有效降低，整体经营绩效未能达到预期目标。为整合业务并提升制造资源使用效率、降低营运成本，联华电子董事会决议结束日本晶圆制造业务。” UMC Japan功成身退 对联电来说，虽然UMC Japan并未带来太大的效益，但仍为联电拿下几家日本大厂订单，随着日本IDM厂直接下单台湾，UMC Japan也算是功成身退。 日本半导体厂在过去20年中，一直坚守IDM厂的营运模式，一来是日本半导体厂都是由索尼、松下、富士通、三菱等日本大型系统业者所投资，二来是日本半导体厂的技术及产品，多半是为了提供给系统业者所使用。所以，在数码相机红透半边天的年代、在日本白色家电攻占全球客厅或厨房的年代，日本半导体厂可说是天之骄子。 只是时代的演进不止，消费市场的主流产品不断世代更迭，日本系统厂失去了最重要的舞台，如光驱的普及后，宣告了录像带的末日一样。为了让半导体事业得以存活，日本IDM厂也走出日本，开始与国际系统大厂做生意，的确也创造了一段丰功伟业。 但是，最近这10年中，日本系统厂的全球布局出现失焦，半导体厂也一再进行整并，包括NEC、三菱、日立等将存储器事业合并为尔必达，日立、三菱也将逻辑IC事业合并为瑞萨，瑞萨最后还合并了NEC半导体事业。 而2011年的日本311大地震，重创了日本半导体生产链，国际系统厂为了分散风险，将订单移转到台韩等其它国家供应商，订单当然是一去不复返。另外，欧债问题延烧，日圆因为是国际流通货币，热钱推升日圆不断升值，再度重创日本半导体厂，不仅尔必达在年初宣布破产重整，瑞萨也出现财务危机，富士通则想卖厂。 日本半导体厂的竞争力不再，当地产业生态系统也分崩离析，整个产业崩解后，委外释单成为降低成本的最佳方法，于是日本IDM厂今年来不断整并自有产能，并不断委外下单，台湾半导体厂受惠最大。 撤回台湾 联电表示，在完成最后的订单之后，将中止日本千叶县馆山市的日本晶圆制造业务。该公司表示，将在未来某一时间解散并清算UMC Japan。 联华电子于1998年取得新日铁半导体部分股权并负责经营，后来更名为UMC Japan；2009年联华电子公开收购UMC Japan全部流通在外股份。 联电表示，未来透过其它工厂将继续充分供应日本当地客户之晶圆专工需求。这些工厂几乎都位于台湾。 联电表示，UMC Japan的200mm晶圆月产能约为2万片，至今年6月30日止总资产为168亿日元(约合2.122亿美元)，负债为28亿日圆(约合3440万美元)。 联电表示，UMC Japan上半年营收为37亿日元(约合4680万美元)，净损16亿日元(约合2020万美元)。 联电上月表示，将向一家或多家战略伙伴出售10%的股份。联电在晶圆代工领域长期排名第二，位居台积电之后。据市场调研公司IC Insights Inc.，今年联电的晶圆代工营业收入排名可能降至第三，排在台积电与Globalfoundries Inc.后面。 编译：Luffy Liu 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：UMC to shutter Japanese fab

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{pagination} UMC to shutter Japanese fab Dylan McGrath SAN FRANCISCO—Taiwanese foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) said Tuesday (Aug. 21) its board of directors voted to close the company's 200-mm fab in Japan in an effort to cut costs amid difficult macroeconomic conditions and customer demand decline. "Owing to macroeconomic conditions, the industry’s fast-changing environment, customer demand decline and continued unstable energy supply caused by Japan’s 2011 earthquake, semiconductor vendors upstream and downstream have either reduced or eliminated capacity in Japan to save costs," UMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said in a regulatory filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. "In line with this trend, [UMC Japan] will be shut down to enable UMC to integrate business, improve resource use efficiency and lower operating costs as UMCJ was unable to effectively reduce costs and reach performance targets." UMC said it would suspend operations at the fab, located in Tateyama City in Japan's Chiba prefecture, after completing manufacture of its final orders. The company said it plans to dissolve the subsidiary and liquidate its assets at a future time. UMC Japan was acquired by UMC from Nippon Steel Semiconductor Corp. UMC originally bought a majority of Nippon Steel Semiconductor in 1998. The Taiwanese foundry acquired the remaining stake in the fab, since renamed UMC Japan, in 2009. UMC said it would continue to serve customers in Japan through its other fabs, nearly all of which are in Taiwan. UMC said the UMC Japan fab has a monthly capacity of approximately 20,000 200-mm wafers. Until June 30, total assets for the subsidiary were 16.8 billion yen (about $212.2 million) with liabilities of 2.8 billion yen (about $34.4 million), UMC said. The subsidiary had first half operating revenue of 3.7 billion yen (about $46.8 million) and a net loss of 1.6 billion yen (about $20.2 million), UMC said. UMC said last month it would sell up to 10 percent of the company to a strategic partner or partners. UMC, long the No. 2 player in the semiconductor foundry business behind rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), is expected to slip to third in foundry sales this year behind TSMC and Globalfoundries Inc., according to IC Insights Inc.