Global chip plant Q4 usage rate up 91.8 pc

TOKYO: The utilisation rate of the world's microchip factories rose to 91.8 percent in October-December from 90.1 percent in the previous quarter, a global semiconductor industry association said on Wednesday.

The utilisation rate rose for the third straight quarter after posting negative growth for three quarters in a row, underscoring a steady recovery in the global chip industry.

The data was published by the Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) group, which comprises 40 chipmakers, including Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Texas Instruments Inc.

Utilisation rates above 90 percent usually prompt chipmakers to start building new factories, a positive development for suppliers of tools used to make microchips such as Applied Materials Inc. and Tokyo Electron Ltd.