Macronix International has said that capacity at its newly-opened 12-inch fab has almost all shifted to NOR flash production to meet demand for new orders. The capacity was originally expected to mainly target production for mask ROM products used in handheld games consoles.
Speaking at a recent investors meeting, Macronix president Chih-Yuan Lu pointed out that the company has enhanced its NOR chip solutions targeted at feature phones. Sales of handset-use NOR flash now account for about 9% of Macronix' total NOR flash revenues, and the proportion will continue to grow, Lu indicated.
The 0.11-micron node is currently Macronix' major production node for NOR flash. The next technology node is moving to 75nm, and then 55nm, according to Lu.
Macronix reportedly has cut into the supply chain of brand-name handset vendors and major handset chipset producers, such as MediaTek, with its NOR chip solutions. The boost in NOR flash orders has mitigated the impact of lower ROM order volumes than expected.
Macronix posted lower-than-expected revenues in the second quarter of 2011, citing weaker-than-expected demand for its ROM products resulting from the impact of Japan's earthquake.
Macronix reportedly has been a key memory supplier for Nintendo's game consoles.
In other news, Macronix noted that monthly capacity at its 12-inch facility will climb to 20,000 wafers by the end of 2011 from the current 17,000 units. The company budgeted NT$16 billion in capex for 2011, mainly to buy and upgrade 12-inch equipment for new technologies.
Macronix in late 2010 acquired the 12-inch fab from ProMOS Technologies, and has commenced production at the facility since early 2011.