瑞薩電子(Renesas Electronics)在日本3月11日地震之后損失了大約40%的芯片生產能力。該公司本周表示，其出貨量在10月底以前難以恢復震前水平。

?瑞薩(東京)公布，在截止于3月31日的2011財年凈虧損1150億日圓(約合14億美元)。虧損主要源于地震造成的破壞費用與生產損失。

?地震導致瑞薩的一些工廠停產，其中多數已在幾周前至少恢復部分生產。但受損最嚴重的工廠——位于茨城縣的Naka工廠仍在修復之中。該工廠生產汽車與通用微控制器，以及SoC。

?瑞薩目前計劃6月重啟Naka工廠的部分生產，希望該廠生產的部分器件8月開始出貨。到10月底，瑞薩希望使芯片出貨量完全恢復到地震前的水平。它采取的措施包括使用第三方代工伙伴臺積電和Globalfoundries，把一些生產業務轉移到瑞薩的其它工廠。Naka工廠的初制晶圓產量預計到7月底將恢復到震前水平。

?受地震影響而關閉的瑞薩工廠中，四家前端工廠和三家后端工廠此前已恢復生產。

?瑞薩在上述財年記錄了495億日圓(約合6.06億美元)與地震相關的特別損失，其中包括431億日圓(約合5.278億美元)廠房與設備修理費用。該公司表示，收到了160億日圓(約合1.959億美元)保險賠付，可以幫助抵消總計超過655億日圓(約合8.021億美元)修理與損失費用中的一部分。瑞薩表示，Naka工廠在總體損失金額中約占85%。

?瑞薩還記錄了地震后用于結構改革的大約670億日圓(約合8.203億美元)特殊費用。這些改革包括裁減大約2800名員工，其中有大約1500名通過提前退休計劃裁減，600人屬于上月出售的美國加州羅斯維爾芯片廠，大約700名員工轉移到了分銷商和主要持股公司。瑞薩表示，還有大約1000名員工在公司內部各部門之間調整，以優化運營。

?瑞薩公布全財年營業收入為1.14萬億日圓(約合140億美元)，營業利潤為1190億日圓(約合14.6億美元)。

?瑞薩沒有給出對當前財年的預測，該財年截止到2012年3月底。該公司提到了地震，它說地震“給市場情況帶來不確定性”。瑞薩說，將在7月發布關于本財年的預測。

?瑞薩還宣布，因美國子公司Renesas Electronics America Inc.的股價下跌而記錄了98億日圓(約合1.202億美元)的特別虧損。

另外據統計，瑞薩的 USB 3.0 主機控制器(μPD720200)之全球累計出貨量，自2009年5月推出以來，已于2011年5月19日達到3,000萬顆；該公司宣布，為進一步滿足客戶日益增加的訂單，預計自2011年6月起，其 USB 3.0 主機控制器的產量將提升一倍，達到每月600萬顆。

?瑞薩電子(當時為NEC電子公司)于2009年5月推出業界第一款USB 3.0 xHCI主機控制器，推出僅四個月之后，即成為全球第一家獲得USB-IF頒發“Certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) ”認證之企業，并同時開始大量生產μPD720200主機控制器。接下來的一年中，瑞薩又推出第二款USB 3.0 xHCI主機控制器 (μPD720200A)，并在僅僅兩個月內通過兼容性及認證測試。

?在推出上述組件后，2011年3月9日瑞薩電子再新增兩款USB 3.0主機控制器產品系列，其中一款為具有四個連接端口的新產品，提供了比該公司先前USB 3.0主機控制器更快的傳輸速度、更優異的電源效率及更小的尺寸。

?瑞薩電子是世界最大的USB 3.0主機控制器制造商，并提供了完整的USB 3.0解決方案，包括適用于Windows XP、Vista及 Windows 7 的裝置驅動程序。瑞薩電子亦授權主機端與裝置端的USB 3.0 IP ，并為希望設計及推銷自有USB 3.0集成電路的公司提供其自訂ASIC鏈接庫中的建構區塊。上述所有USB 3.0主機控制器均已量產供貨。

Dylan McGrath

SAN FRANCISCO—Renesas Electronics Corp.—which lost an estimated 40 percent of its chip production capacity in the immediate aftermath of the March 11 earthquake in northeastern Japan—said this week that its shipments won't return to pre-earthquake levels until the end of October.

?Renesas (Tokyo) reported a net loss of 115 billion yen ($1.4 billion) for its fiscal year 2011, which closed March 31. The loss was largely due to the cost of damages and loss of production following the earthquake.

?Most of the Renesas facilities that were knocked offline in the quake and its aftermath have been back in at least partial production for several weeks. But the most heavily damaged Renesas fab, the Naka fab located in Ibaraki prefecture, is still undergoing repairs. The facility produces automotive and general-purpose microcontrollers as well as SoCs.

?Renesas' current plan is to restart partial production at the Naka fab in June. The company hopes to begin shipping some parts made at the Naka fab again in August. By the end of October, Renesas hopes to have fully restored shipments of chips to pre-earthquake levels, partly through the use of third-party foundries Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and Globalfoundries Inc., and transfer of production to other Renesas fabs. Wafer starts at the Naka fab are expected to return to pre-earthquake levels by the end of July.

?Manufacturing was previously restarted at four other Renesas front-end fabs and three back-end facilities that were knocked offline by the earthquake and its aftermath.

?Renesas recorded a special loss of 49.5 billion yen ($606 million) for the fiscal year associated with damage inflicted in the earthquake. This figure includes 43.1 billion yen ($527.8 million) for repairs to facilities and equipment. The company said it received 16 billion yen ($195.9 million) in insurance money to help offset the total cost of repairs and losses, which totaled more than 65.5 billion yen ($802.1 million). Damage to the Naka fab accounted for about 85 percent of the total loss, Renesas said.

?Renesas also recorded another special loss of about 67 billion yen ($820.3 million) for structural reforms in the wake of the earthquake. These reforms included shedding about 2,800 employees, including nearly 1,500 through an early retirement program, 600 with the sale last month of its chip fab in Roseville, Calif., and the move of about 700 employees to distributors and major shareholder companies. Another roughly 1,000 employees were transferred between different divisions of the company to streamline operations, Renesas said.

?Renesas reported sales for the fiscal year of 1.14 trillion yen ($14 billion). The company reported an operating income for the fiscal year of 119 billion yen ($1.46 billion).

?Renesas did not give a forecast for the current fiscal year, which closes at the end of March 2012. The company cited the earthquake, which it said has "brought uncertainty to market conditions." Renesas said it would provide a forecast for the year in July.

?Renesas also announced that it recorded a special loss of 9.8 billion yen ($120.2 million) on the loss of valuation in shares of its U.S. subsidiary, Renesas Electronics America Inc.