Tablet chipset solution vendors including MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor, Elan Microelectronics as well as China-based Allwinner Technology and Rockchip Electronics reportedly are ready to increase their orders for wafer starts as demand for tablets in China and other emerging markets has kept growing at a rapid pace, according to industry sources.

Demand for tablets in China alone stood at 10 million units a month in early 2013, but the amount has since then expanded to 15 million units in March-April, the sources indicated.

With improving prospects, some IC suppliers have revised upward their target shipments of entry-level and midrange tablets for China and other emerging markets combined in 2013 to 200 million units from 120-150 million units set previously, the sources noted.

As a result, second-quarter production capacity of 28nm process at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been fully booked, revealed the sources.