LDK Solar awards $220mn contract to Applied

XINYU CITY, CHINA & SUNNYVALE, USA: LDK Solar Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of solar wafers, awarded a US$220 million contract to Applied Materials Inc. to provide precision wafering systems to support its next phase of production expansion.

The systems are scheduled to begin shipping to LDK Solar's facility in Xinyu, PRC, in early 2009, and will support LDK Solar's previously announced plans to expand to 3.2GW annualized wafer capacity in 2010.

"We believe that Applied's state-of-the-art wafering systems, including its HCT wire saws and squarers, are the best choice to help us scale up capacity to meet the expanding global demand for wafers," stated Xiaofeng Peng, Chairman and CEO of LDK Solar. "We have used HCT wire saws since the beginning of our manufacturing operations in 2006, and they have continued to demonstrate the performance necessary to deliver high-quality, cost-effective wafers to our customers."

"We are very pleased to be selected by LDK Solar for this milestone agreement, the largest contract ever awarded for wafering systems," said Stefan Schneeberger, vice president and general manager of Applied's Precision Wafer Systems division. "LDK Solar is known for its advanced wafer production capability and Applied Materials is committed to providing LDK Solar with the leading-edge technology to meet its most critical performance requirements."