Memory suppliers account for more than 60% of 300 mm wafer capacity

Memory suppliers account for more than 60% of 300 mm wafer capacity, according to IC Insights.

The industry’s largest IC manufacturers in terms of installed 300 mm wafer to start capacity in 2014 include four companies from North America, four from Taiwan, two companies from South Korea, two from Taiwan and one from Japan (two companies tied for the #10 position).

Collectively, the top 11 suppliers held 93.2% of worldwide 300 mm wafer start capacity in 2014 with the top eight companies having 300 mm wafer start capacity of more than 100,000 wafers per month. For comparison, the top 300 mm capacity leaders held 85% share of 300 mm capacity in 2010. The top five suppliers saw the biggest gain in 300 mm capacity share. At the end of 2014, the top five 300 mm wafer capacity holders represented 73% of worldwide capacity, 15 points more than the 58% they held in 2010.

As of December 2014, Samsung had the most 300 mm wafer capacity at nearly 1.0 million wafers per month, which represented 23.5% of the world’s total 300 mm wafer capacity. Samsung uses most of its 300 mm capacity to fabricate DRAM and flash memory devices although a significant share is dedicated to manufacturing cellphone and tablet computer processors for itself and others.

Three other memory suppliers were next in line in the ranking. Micron quickly moved into the number two position after acquiring Elpida and its 300 mm wafer fab facilities. Micron’s 300 mm wafer capacity includes its share of capacity from joint ventures with Intel (IMFT) and Nanya (Inotera). Toshiba/SanDisk and SK Hynix were ranked #3 and #4 respectively in the list with both having opened and/or expanded 300 mm wafer fabs within the past few years.  Collectively, these four memory suppliers accounted for 62% of global 300 mm wafer fab capacity at the end of 2014.

Three foundries - TSMC, UMC and GlobalFoundries - appeared in the ranking. TSMC, the largest pure-play foundry in the world, had installed 300 mm capacity of 430,000 wafers per month at the end of 2014, which represented 10.3% of total worldwide 300 mm capacity. For TSMC, 300 mm capacity accounts for 44% of its total wafer fab capacity, with 200 mm wafers accounting for 47% and 150 mm wafers, 9%. GlobalFoundries’ capacity is split 51% for 300 mm wafers and 49% for 200 mm wafers. For UMC, 300 mm wafers represent 26% of its total capacity with 200 mm wafers accounting for 65%, and 150 mm wafers accounting for 9%. Foundry suppliers shown on this list held 18% of worldwide 300 mm wafer fab capacity at the end of 2014.