TSMC's Chang: IC downturn will be 'tough'

Mark LaPedus, EE Times
(11/21/2008 12:28 PM EST)

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- At the Semiconductor Industry Association's forecast dinner this week, it was time to roll out the annual crystal ball. And the consensus: The IC industry is in for some tough sledding.

With regard to the IC downturn, Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), was blunt during a speech after being presented with an award from the SIA. He was named recipient of the 2008 Robert N. Noyce Award, the highest honor given by the SIA.

''Things are tough,'' Chang said. The current IC ''downturn will be longer and deeper than the ones we've been through.''

Chang also said that it could be some time before the chip industry returns to growth, but the down cycle ''shall pass.'' When that event occurs, ''the industry will grow and it will be stronger than ever,'' he added.

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