Press Releases

SMIC Reports 2006 Second Quarter Results

28 Jul 2006

 
Shanghai, China  [2006-07-28]

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) ("SMIC" or the "Company"), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world, today announced its consolidated results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2006. Sales increased 2.9% in the second quarter of 2006 to $361.4 million from $351.1 million in the prior quarter. The Company reported an increase in capacity to 167,251 8-inch equivalent wafers per month and a utilization rate of 93.5% in the second quarter of 2006. Gross margins were 13.6% in the second quarter of 2006 compared to 12.4% in the first quarter of 2006. Net income was $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2006, compared to a net loss of $8.7 million in the first quarter of 2006. The Company recognized an income tax benefit of $18.9 million in the second quarter as a result of strategic tax planning based on US GAAP FAS 109 (Accounting for Income Taxes).

"We continue to improve on our manufacturing core competency as we saw an increase in our revenues from 0.13 micron and below technologies contributing 47.5% of total revenues in the second quarter," said Dr. Richard Chang, Chief Executive Officer of SMIC. "Revenues generated from 0.13 micron logic products as a percentage of our logic revenues significantly increased to 22.5% from 13.3% in the first quarter. We expect this trend to continue as more of our customers migrate to our 0.13 micron and 90 nanometer logic processes.

In the second quarter, we successfully qualified and commenced commercial production of our first 90nm logic product at our 300mm facility in Beijing. Also, we have successfully qualified Elpida's 512M-bit DDR2 SDRAM using a 90nm manufacturing process also at our 300mm facility in Beijing.

We have delivered the first engineering samples and are pleased to announce that Saifun's 90nm NROM Flash is functional. This marks an important achievement towards commencing production of this product in the fourth quarter of 2006.

We are cautiously optimistic on our outlook for the second half of 2006 as some customers have pushed out wafer orders due to an ongoing inventory correction. However, the postponement of these orders is offset by the growing strength in the China market as we see the emergence of Mainland China customers and overseas customers partnering with SMIC to help gain market share in China. We are pleased with the development of our Mainland China customers and expect that the percentage of revenues from these customers will continue to increase. In addition, we are observing a promising trend of global semiconductor companies choosing to work with SMIC to take advantage of our proximity to their China end-market customer.

As we continue to execute on our business plans, we are carefully laying down a solid foundation for future growth and development in the foundry industry and will expand our business in a financially disciplined manner."

SMIC Q2 earnings release


About SMIC
SMIC (NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China, providing integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing service at 0.35mm to 90nm and finer line technologies. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, SMIC operates three 200mm fabs in Shanghai and one in Tianjin, and one 300mm fab in Beijing, the first of its kind in Mainland China. SMIC has customer service and marketing offices in the U.S., Italy, and Japan as well as a representative office in Hong Kong. For additional information, please visit http://www.smics.com.

Safe Harbor Statements
(Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995)
This press release may contain, in addition to historical information, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, including statements concerning SMIC's expectations that revenues from 0.13 micron and below technologies as a percentage of total revenues and percentage of revenues from Mainland China customers would continue to increase, statements concerning the trend of global semiconductor companies choosing to work with SMIC, statements concerning the manner in which SMIC will execute its business plan and expand its business, and statements under "Capex Summary" and "Third Quarter 2006 Guidance" below, are based on SMIC's current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. SMIC uses words like "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.

These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of SMIC's senior management and involve significant risks, both known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors that may cause SMIC's actual performance, financial condition or results of operations to be materially different from those suggested by the forward-looking statements including, among others, risks associated with cyclicality and market conditions in the semiconductor industry, intense competition, timely wafer acceptance by SMIC's customers, timely introduction of new technologies, SMIC's ability to ramp new products into volume, supply and demand for semiconductor foundry services, industry overcapacity, shortages in equipment, components and raw materials, availability of manufacturing capacity and financial stability in end markets.

Investors should consider the information contained in SMIC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its annual report on Form 20-F, as amended, filed with the SEC on June 29, 2006, especially in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections, and its registration statement on Form A-1 as filed with the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) on March 8, 2004, and such other documents that SMIC may file with the SEC or SEHK from time to time, including on Form 6-K. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on SMIC's future results, performance or achievements. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release may not occur. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated, or if no date is stated, as of the date of this press release.

Except as required by law, SMIC undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


Investor Contacts:
Calvin Lau
Tel: 86-21-5080-2000, ext. 16693
calvin_lau@smics.com
Mobile: 852-9435-2603
Mobile: 86-13636468590

Douglas Hsiung
Tel: 86-21-5080-2000, ext. 12804
douglas_hsiung@smics.com
Mobile: 86-13795272240