July 8, 2004
Inotera Memories Inc., a 50-50 joint venture between Infineon Technologies of Germany and Taiwan's Nanya Technology Corp., expects to achieve a monthly production volume of 24,000 silicon wafers by the end of the year and then raise this volume to 50,000 wafers by the end of 2005 when full-scale production begins, making this single manufacturer account for ten percent of world DRAM production.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for Inotera's DRAM plant on June 30, President Chen Shui-bian praised Inotera for demonstrating its great confidence in Taiwan. Chen pointed out that, when the partners made their decision to invest in this semiconductor plant in 2002, Taiwan's economic growth rate had dropped to its lowest level of negative 4.42%. The growth rate has now climbed to the high level of positive 6.28% as of the first quarter of this year. Chen noted that Inotera's confidence allowed it to take advantage of lower construction costs during the economic slowdown.
The president was also delighted to observe that, with the economic growth rate forecast to reach 5.41% this year, many foreign investors and Taiwanese enterprises that have invested in China in recent years are returning to Taiwan to invest.
Infineon and Nanya Technology, the world's third and fifth largest makers of memory chips, have invested
NTD 80 billion in Inotera Memories. This is the largest foreign investment in Taiwan in the last five years. Nanya is a subsidiary of the Taiwan industrial giant Formosa Plastics Group.
Further highlighting the recovering investment climate in Taiwan, Chen cited International Institute for Management Development's report on global competitiveness released in May in which Taiwan's ranking jumped from 17th in 2003 to 12th this year. Chen also proudly noted that the Industrial Development Bureau's "006688" program has succeeded in luring 44 Taiwanese enterprises back to Taiwan to set up new operations in the island's industrial parks. (Economic Daily News)
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