Taiwan Powerchip sees rebound in DRAM prices in H2

HSINCHU, Taiwan, April 8 (Reuters) - Powerchip Semiconductor Corp (5346.TWO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Taiwan's biggest DRAM maker, expects DRAM prices to rebound in the second half and sees bit growth up by at least 55 percent in 2008 and 2009, a senior executive said on Tuesday. "Chip prices are hovering at the bottom now, so there is a chance for prices to rebound in the second half," Powerchip President Brian Shieh told Reuters.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a groundbreaking ceremony of Powerchip's new chip factories, which use advanced technology to make chips for personal computers.

Powerchip, which makes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips mainly for personal computers, booked its third straight quarterly loss in the fourth quarter of last year. (US$1=T$30.4) (Reporting by Baker Li; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)