Macronix yesterday announced that their consolidated revenue for 2016 Q4 was NT$6.766 billion, with a quarterly reduction of 5%, a gross margin of 32%, and earnings valued at NT$0.2 per share.

Taking aim at this year's NOR Flash market, Chih-Yuan Lu pointed out that for a number of demand drivers such as IoT, automotive electronics, and electric cars, NOR Flash is already in short supply with prices continually rising by 5% to 10% each quarter. Hence, the supply and demand situation is increasingly tense, and this situation is expected to continue throughout the year.

Regarding NAND Flash, Chih-Yuan Lu is optimistic about the development of automotive electronics and pointed out that all of the SLC NAND Flash that Macronix has rolled out has attained AEC-Q100 certification, which signifies that it can be used in automotive electronics. Therefore, the company's SLC NAND Flash is expected to experience positive growth this year.

In addition, regarding whether or not Macronix is considering taking over Micron Technology Inc.'s NOR Flash sales department, Chih-Yuan Lu said that Macronix will face the issue with an open attitude and evaluate the possibilities.

(TR/ Phil Sweeney)