Taiwan's Epistar Unveils Two LED Chip Investment Plans in China
December 25, 2009
Taiwanese LED (Light Emitting Diode) chipmaker Epistar plans to conduct two investment plans in China, EE Times reported on December 23, adding that the total investment is valued at around US$128 million. In Changzhou, Jiangsu, Epistar will set up a plant to manufacture LED chips for use in various areas, including LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) backlighting, for US$120 million, with the first phase of construction projected to begin in the first quarter of 2010, chinabyte.com reported on December 22. In addition, Epistar plans to initially install 30 MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) machines and the Jiangsu government will provide a 10 million RMB (US$1.47 million; US$1 = 6.8 RMB) subsidy for each machine installed.
Meanwhile, Epistar also plans to team up with Taiwanese chipmaker UMC (United Microelectronics Corp.) for US$120 million, with Epistar and UMC each holding 50% stake in the JV, Taiwan's Economic Daily reported on December 22. Through the JV, they will collaborate in the production of LED chips, according to the same source. Further details of the investment, however, were not yet disclosed.