China's chipmakers brace for delayed coronavirus blow

SMIC doubles 2020 capex but warns of delayed impact from supply chain disruptions

20181130 china semiconductor

SMIC supplies most of the top Chinese chip developers, including Huawei Technologies, UNISOC Communications, and fingerprint-chip maker Goodix. © Reuters

CHENG TING-FANG and LAULY LI, Nikkei staff writers

TAIPEI -- China's top contract chip manufacturer Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. said on Friday it will double its capital spending and expects revenue to grow more than 10% this year despite the coronavirus outbreak. But like other chip companies, SMIC also warned that the worst may be yet to come as disruptions from the deadly virus ripple through the supply chain.

"The effect of the virus on the end demand is still unfolding, and we are monitoring the situation closely," co-CEO Zhao Haijun said in an earnings briefing on Friday. He added that all of the company's factories, which are mainly located in Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, are still running at full capacity. "We believe the impact will slowly show up in the second quarter."

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