Qualcomm, Foxlink to open mirasol fab

SAN DIEGO & TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., and Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co. Ltd -- “Foxlink”, a leading developer and manufacturer of communications devices, computers and consumer electronics, announced an agreement to bring a new, dedicated fabrication plant to Lungtan's Science Park in Taoyuan, Taiwan to manufacture Qualcomm's next-generation mirasol displays. The fab is likely to be fully operational in 2009.

The collaboration solidifies Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' strategy to support volume demands for future mirasol displays. It will be now able to offer a more varied selection of display products, while reducing their time to market. The capabilities of the dedicated plant will increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve agility.

On its part, Foxlink has created a new business unit to support the production of Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' mirasol displays. Foxlink currently employs a workforce of over 43,000 employees and operates more than 15 design manufacturing and sales sites globally.

Qualcomm's mirasol displays constitute a technology breakthrough that promises substantial performance benefits over competing display technologies. Based on a reflective technology called interferometric modulation (IMOD), mirasol displays harness ambient light and require no backlighting, thereby consuming significantly less power.

The reflective mirasol display automatically scales to the surrounding lighting conditions, allowing users to see their content in almost every environment, even bright sunlight.