Bitmain has reportedly placed DRAM orders mainly for low-capacity DDR3 chips with Taiwan-based memory design specialists Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology (ESMT) and Etron Technology, according to a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

The new orders from Bitmain total over 10 million 1Gb DDR3 equivalent chips, the report quoted industry sources as saying. In addition, AP Memory is likely to become the third supplier after ESMT and Etron in the third quarter, the report indicated.

ESMT, Etron and AP Memory all partner with Powerchip Technology to manufacture chips for Bitmain's orders, the report noted.

Powerchip founder and CEO Frank Huang disclosed recently the company's plan to build a new 12-inch wafer plant in the Tongluo campus of Hsinchu Science Park (HSP) in Miaoli, northern Taiwan with total investment estimated at nearly NT$300 billion (US$10.1 billion). The new plant, designed for an installed capacity of 100,000 wafers a month, will be built in four phases with construction of the first phase to kick off in 2020.