IC backend service provider Winstek Semiconductor (formerly STATS ChipPAC Taiwan) is expected to see a surge in demand for blockchain-use AI chips in December, according to company president Richard Weng.

In addition to developing testing solutions for AI chips, Winstek will also expand its offerings to include those for silicon photonics ICs designed for related server applications, Weng said.

The development of advanced testing/packaging solutions for silicon photonics ICs is likely to help Winstek step into the quantum computer segment in the near future, Weng added.

The company is currently enjoying brisk sales for copper pillar bumping and other backend services for 5G-related power management (PWM) ICs, Weng said, adding that the company has decided to add more production lines to cope with increasing demand from these two sectors in 2021.

The company's future expansion projects will focus on ramping up its capacity for wafer-level packaging processes, such as for handset mobile ICs and AI chips, Weng said.

Its capital expenditure in the first three quarters of 2020 reached NT$270 million (US$9.46 million), and the company plans to invest an additional NT$480 million in fourth-quarter of 2020, including NT$270 million for the buildups of wafer-level packaging capacity and NT$210 million for ramping up testing capacity.

The company posted revenues of NT$1.154 billion for October, up 0.7% sequentially but down 21.84% on year.

Year-to-date revenues totaled NT$10.067 billion, up 22.13% on year. It posted revenues of NT$10.047 billion for all of 2019.