2005 SEMICON China

As SEMI China President Mark Ding said last year in an interview with Semiconductor International, "China is the fastest growing semiconductor market in terms of the consumption, and is expected to grow two or three times faster than the world average over the next several years." Currently, at least four 200 mm fabs are being constructed in China, and Ding said he is continually seeing announcements on new fab developments.

SEMICON China will take place March 15-17 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The convention will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the first two days, with the final day ending at 4 p.m.

Exhibitor space for the 2005 show has been sold out for several months, as has been the case in previous years. Attendance records for SEMICON China, which continue to soar, accurately reflect this statement. Last year, SEMICON China had its largest show ever with 17,420 attendants. This year's Semiconductor Industry Week is expected to top that record with an expected 20,000+ visitors lined up to view the 1480 booths from 880 contributing companies.

A highlight to the SEMICON China show is the addition of a third hall that will house an IC Manufacturing and Design Automation Pavilion. In the past, the show has been confined to two halls, but this new pavilion will have about 100 local foundries, test/packaging houses, EDA, design services and IP house exhibitors displaying their products. Ding expects the pavilion to attract IC design houses from not only China, but also the rest of the area to view the compatibility of Chinese manufacturing.

Two symposiums are scheduled during the convention: SEMI-ECS (Electrochemical Society) International Semiconductor Technology Conference (ISTC) and SEMI Technology Symposium (STS). The STS will feature only two sessions this year: Test Technology and Packaging Technology. The reason for this change is the ISTC will feature a more in-depth look at each front-end subject matter, taking one day for each session. Ding hopes the new format will allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the latest technologies in China. The STS, on the other hand, will be completely devoted to back-end technology.

Another option for visitors is the business seminar, which will discuss second-hand equipment and high-tech financing in the Chinese market. In the past, China has been unable to effectively utilize second-hand equipment, but now more and more leaders coming to China are trained in the know-how of the equipment. Moreover, they are teaching Chinese engineers how to select proper equipment, ways of obtaining this equipment, and potential issues that may arise from using the equipment. Once the ability to effectively use second-hand equipment is in place in China, costs will lower as the market increases.

(Photo Source: China National Tourist Organization)