Yens Ho

Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS)

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS) is a leading specialty IC foundry service provider. Since its founding in December 5th, 1994 in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan, VIS has been achieving continuous success in its technology development and production efficiency improvement. VIS has also been consistently offering its customers cost-effective solutions and high value-added services. VIS has four 8-inch fabs with a monthly capacity of approximately 240 thousand wafers in Y2020.

VIS is a spin-off of the Sub-Micron Project, sponsored by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Original investors include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) and 13 other institutional investors. VIS was founded with the primary focuses on the production and development of DRAM and other memory IC. In March 1998, VIS became a listed company on the Taiwan Over-The-Counter Stock Exchange (OTC). Its main shareholders include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), National Development Fund and other institutional investors.

In 1999, VIS started to work as a subcontractor for TSMC for the manufacturing of logic and mixed signal products. In Y2000, VIS officially announced its plan to transform from a DRAM manufacturer into a foundry service provider. After that, VIS offers a various foundry process technologies, including High Voltage, and 0.18um flash and entered into mass production. In July 2004, VIS completely terminated its DRAM production and became a pure-play foundry company. In Y2007, VIS announced the procurement of 8” fabs from Winbond. With this acquisition, VIS unleashed the growth momentum, accommodated customers’ demands in capacity and technology, and provided a more comprehensive solution portfolio for our customers. In 2014, VIS acquired Nanya Technology’s 8-inch fab located in Taoyuan County and machineries and equipment from Sumpro Electronic. In January 2019, VIS announced the acquisition of GF’s Fab 3E in
Tampines, Singapore. The transaction includes buildings, facilities, and equipment, as well as IP associated with GF’s MEMS business has been completed by end of 2019. The above mentioned transactions not only granted VIS the opportunity to expand its production capacity, but also enabled VIS to grow continually and earn profits steadily.

VIS has continued its investment in the product development and process technology for the market needs. VIS offers a wide range of process technologies, including High Voltage, Ultra High Voltage, Bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCD), Silicon on Insulator (SOI), Discrete, Logic, Mixed-Signal, Analog, High Precision Analog, Embedded Memory, and MEMS to further help increase its foundry customers’ global competitiveness.

In order to enhance its IP service capability, VIS has continued its IP development by strengthening strategic relationship with its IP provision partners. Currently available IPs are standard cell library, SRAM, one-time programmable, multiple-time programmable, electrical fuse, power phantom cell, etc. Furthermore, we’re accelerating the set-up of non-volatile flash IP. With the help from strategic IP partners, VIS can also provide IPs that are required by specialty ICs.

VIS has total about 6 thousand employees. We are committed to adhere to our customer-oriented business philosophy to provide our customers with continuously improved and enhanced specialty IC foundry services. To better serve its worldwide customers, VIS has established sales offices in Taiwan and sales representatives in worldwide main IC clusters.

With our display driver IC, power management and discrete power devices all exhibiting distinctive operational performances, and in order to diversify product and market centralization, reduce operating risks and extend its reaches in the high-margin market. In addition to our existing high-voltage analog, BCD, and ultra-high-voltage processes, the company will continue to accelerate the development projects relating to sensing devices, fingerprint sensor ICs, high current power management ICs, and embedded flash, to adapt to the energy saving and carbon reduction era and to satisfy market demand for automobile electronics and Internet of Things applications. We believe those efforts will be beneficial toward enhancing our business operations and forge long-lasting partnerships with customers to secure our leading position among specialty IC foundry industries, and ultimately to become one of the world’s leading companies in HV, PMIC and discrete power in foundry industry.