After the explosion of new fab activity in the closing months of 2003, it is not surprising that new fab announcements have fallen. However, this quarter is remarkable in defining the Japanese renaissance in semiconductor manufacturing with a flurry of 300-mm fab announcements that now compete in number with Taiwan and the United States. Contrary to traditional scale and cost trends, Japanese IDM's have implemented the ‘mini fab' concept almost on mass.
 04 - 300mm activity report: Januray to April 2004