Ceitec expands to Latin America

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Ceitec SA, the chip manufacturer aided by the Brazilian government, has kick started a new IC design center, which is being termed Latin America's first IC design facility.

The new facility that has come up in Rio Grande do Sul will churn out RFID, digital media and wireless communication chips. The company aims at adding close to 60 engineers at the new facility.

Significantly, the new IC design center would make RFID, digital media and wireless communication chips for its delayed fab at Porto Alegre.

The 6-inch Porto Alegre facility, which was expected to start operations last year, had hit the speed breaker with snags in equipping the facility taking centre stage. The facility might now go on stream during the the first half of the next fiscal, it is expected.

The new Ceitec IC center is being seen by the Latin American semiconductor industry as a right move by the Brazilian government which has already unveiled a slew of initiatives to establish IC design centers, fabs and assembly plants in the country.

Ceitec had earlier been in the news back in 2007 when it had licensed a 0.6-micron manufacturing technology from Germany-based X-Fab Semiconductor Foundries.

With the facility on stream, the company has recruited former Virage Logic and Soitec executive Eduard Weichselbaumer to serve as president. According to Weichselbaumer, Over the years, many world-class semiconductor professionals have been trained by Brazil's Ministry of Science and Technology and it provides Ceitec with a highly-qualified workforce”.