Revenue was NT$31.69 billion, with gross margin at 18.6 percent and operating margin at 3.0 percent. Net income attributable to the stockholders of the parent was NT$1.18 billion, with earnings per ordinary share of NT$0.09.

Yen Po-wen, CEO of UMC, said“In the first quarter of 2014, UMC recorded NT$28.71 billion in revenue from the foundry segment, with operating margin from foundry operations of 4.0 percent. Wafer shipments reached 1.258 million 8-inch equivalent wafers.”

CEO Yen added,“In a seasonally quiet quarter, UMC's first quarter of 2014 foundry performance exceeded guidance, driven by continuous chip demand that brought overall capacity utilization to 81 percent. Growth was led by the computing sector.”

“As a result, contribution from 65nm and below technologies represented 51 percent of sales, including 20 percent from 40nm. For 28nm, our communication and consumer customers continue to be encouraged by our sustained yield improvement. While the average 28nm yields have shown stable performance, the continuous rise in our peak wafer yields will be a convincing factor for customers to enter pilot production in the coming months.” he added.

He stated that UMC also continues to focus on capturing fast growing opportunities and further expanding the market share in China. Recently, UMC hosted its 2014 China Technology Forum in Shanghai to demonstrate its manufacturing excellence and comprehensive coverage of semiconductor applications.

CEO Yen continued, “For the second quarter of 2014, UMC will benefit from the continued growth in customer demand, especially from the communication segment. We expect increased wafer shipments and higher capacity utiliztion rates to drive better profitability.”

He also said that at the leading-edge, 40nm demand continues to show strength while 28nm business is gaining momentum. He is confident that their engineering team's steady progress in 28nm yield enhancement activities will help UMC to capture key business and achieve strategic goals in the near future.