United Microelectronics Corp. (Hsinchu, Taiwan) the smaller of two Taiwan-based logic foundries has continued to outperform its bigger rival in March which larger percentage increases in sales on a sequential and year-on-year basis.
However, the numbers from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Hsinchu, Taiwan) were also notable and as TSMC is five times the size of UMC are likely to be taken as the measure of a healthy semiconductor market. UMC is likely to be benefiting in part from business that TSMC is unable to satisfy.
TSMC was able to push past its raised revenue guidance for the first quarter of 2014 when it announced March sales of NT$49,956 million (about $1.66 billion).
TSMC's March sales were up 6.7 percent from February 2014 and up 13.2 percent over March 2013. The 1Q14 revenues were NT$148,215 million (about $4.94 billion) an increase of 11.7 percent compared to 1Q13. Alongside its 4Q13 finanical results TSMC posted guidance for 1Q14 of NT$136 billion to NT$138 billion but revised this up to NT$148 billion in March.
March sales at foundry were NT$11,289 million (about $376 million), up sequentially from February by 9.2 percent and up 17.6 percent from March 2013 UMC' first quarter 2014 sales were NT$31,694 million (about $1.06 billion) up 14.1 percent on 1Q13.
UMC's guidance had been for a marginal sequential increase in wafer shipments tempered by a decrease in average selling price for wafers of 4 percent.
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Foundries Strong Sales Continue
