Recently-formed Pacific Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, whose shareholders include IBM Corp and several of Taiwan’s top companies, has announced plans to invest NT$80bn ($2.5bn) in two new plants for fabricating 8 and 12 wafers. IBM will transfer necessary technologies in exchange for royalties, according to a report in Taiwan’s Commercial Times which said the 8 plant will come online in the second half of next year. PSMC will be the third local chip maker IBM has transferred technology to after TSMC-Acer Semiconductor and Nan Ya Technology Corp. IBM will transfer process technologies for 0.25-micron to 0.15 micron wafers and copper interconnection, the report said.
