[News] PSMC Reportedly Secures Intel EMIB Certification for Silicon Capacitors, Eyes 10K 12-inch Wafer Capacity by 2027
Amid soaring legacy memory prices and improving margins, Taiwanese chipmaker PSMC is making further progress in collaborations with global semiconductor leaders. According to Central News Agency and Commercial Times, PSMC has achieved key milestones in silicon interposers and silicon capacitors, with its 12-inch high-density IPD (integrated passive device) silicon capacitors securing Intel EMIB certification and entering stable production.
Central News Agency, citing President Martin Chu, reports that PSMC offers both 8-inch and 12-inch silicon capacitors, with 12-inch capacity targeted to exceed 10,000 wafers per month by 2027 and 8-inch capacity expected to reach several thousand wafers.
The company is also gaining momentum in silicon interposers, which are used in TSMC’s CoWoS-S and CoWoS-L advanced packaging platforms, TechNews reports, adding that PSMC is benefiting from spillover demand as TSMC’s ongoing CoWoS capacity expansion continues to fall short of market demand.
Against this backdrop, Commercial Times adds that while PSMC’s 3D AI Foundry business currently accounts for about 5% of revenue, it aims to raise the share to 20% within three years, making it a key future growth driver.
Chairman Frank Huang also highlighted that PSMC has indirectly entered NVIDIA’s supply chain through power management IC and gallium nitride (GaN) products, according to Central News Agency.
Micron Collaboration in Focus
Following Micron’s completion of its acquisition of PSMC’s Tongluo fab, attention is now turning to the companies’ next phase of collaboration, as the two companies are set to leverage PSMC’s Hsinchu site for HBM/PWF foundry services and advanced memory process development. According to Central News Agency, the PWF pilot production line is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with mass production targeted for Q4 2027.
Meanwhile, PSMC’s 1P DRAM process, co-developed with Micron, is on track to complete equipment installation in Q1 2027, with mass production targeted for mid-2028, Anue reports.
July DRAM Price Hike Boosts Growth Outlook
DRAM remains PSMC’s key revenue driver, with memory accounting for more than 50% of Q2 sales, according to Central News Agency. Fueled by rising average selling prices (ASPs) and slightly higher shipments, Q2 revenue jumped 27% QoQ to NT$17.29 billion, while gross margin expanded to 28% from 10% in Q1. Net profit reached NT$3.29 billion, with EPS of NT$0.76.
Citing President Martin Chu, the report said PSMC raised DRAM wafer pricing by 45% in July amid tightening supply, with the impact expected to begin boosting revenue from November as new output comes online.
Anue, citing Chu, highlights that surging AI computing demand has driven major cloud service providers (CSPs) to lock in DRAM capacity years ahead. Alongside strong earnings from leading memory suppliers, the trend points to a DRAM shortage that could extend through 2027, Chu noted.
Notably, PSMC also flags strong foundry momentum, noting that it has also raised 8-inch and 12-inch wafer foundry prices by around 10%–15% in July, with AI servers, automotive electronics, and power management ICs emerging as the strongest demand drivers, Anue reports.
Given the ongoing supply shortage, Chairman Frank Huang said not only PSMC, but also Taiwanese mature-node foundries such as UMC and Vanguard, are well positioned to achieve gross margins above 40% in 2027, per Commercial Times.
Read more
- [News] PSMC Joins Intel, SAIMEMORY to Demo 9-Layer Via-in-One Architecture for High Bandwidth 3D Memory
- [News] PSMC Raises DRAM and NAND Prices in Mar–Apr; Micron and Intel EMIB Programs Reported to Advance
(Photo credit: I Domain Industrial)
