United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) is very much hopeful about the demand for chips used in consumer electronics in the second half of 2010.

The above statement was released by the UMC Chief Executive Shih-Wei Sun, during the company’s first quarter analysts’ meeting in late April.

UMC, the world’s second-biggest contract semiconductor maker after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, had announced in April that it expected wafer shipments to increase in the high single digits in the second quarter after they record high of 1.03 million sight-inch-equivalent wafer in the first three months of this year.

The company also demands to improve the consumer sector, which would offer growth momentum.

While talking to reporters at an event in Tainan, southern Taiwan, to mark the company's 30th anniversary, Sun said, “I don’t see a significant impact on the company's operations from the euro zone's debt problems or the euro's weakness against the U.S. dollar because most of UMC's customers use U.S. dollars to settle their purchases.”

Further, Sun added that they welcome United States dollar appreciations.