First quarter chip production value drops 3.2 percent, says ITIS

The Industrial Technology Intelligence Service (ITIS) announced that semiconductor production in the first quarter decreased by 3.2 percent year-on-year.

According to ITIS, total production value achieved during that period amounted to NT$235 billion ($7.48 billion at NT$31.39:$1) with majority of chip segments lowering their output, except for the test and packaging sectors. The report says increased inventory from the first half of last year significantly affected the production value, with manufacturers deciding to hold capacity expansions until after inventory eases.

The packaging sector increased its production value by 2.1 percent to NT$34.1 billion ($1.08 billion) and the test sector likewise improved by 30.1 percent to NT$16 billion ($509 million). On the other hand, manufacturing and design has lowered its production value by 6.7 and 4.8 percent to NT$127.7 billion ($4.06 billion) and NT$57.5 billion ($1.8 billion), respectively.