Hewlett-Packard Co and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd’s joint venture silicon wafer processing plant in Singapore is the latest to suffer from poor market conditions in the semiconductor industry, and is to be delayed until the year 2000, according to Semiconductor Business News. In April 1997 the two announced that they would be investing up to $1bn in the plant, which would have the capacity of making over 30,000 8 wafers a month, initially 0.35 micron but moving to 0.25 micron. It was due to be complete early next year, with production starting in mid-1999 (CI No 3,133). Called Chartered Semiconductor Partners Pte Ltd, the venture was expected to turn out parts for HP’s server, workstation, printer and calculator businesses. It will be delayed for one year, said the report. Chartered has a similar $1bn venture, called Silicon Manufacturing Partners Pte Ltd, with Lucent Technologies Inc (CI No 3,326).
