The utilisation rate of the world's microchip plants fell to 88.6 percent in July-September, an industry group said on November 21, according to Jiji news agency.
The data is compiled by the Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) group, made up of about 40 major chip makers including Intel Corp, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Texas Instruments Inc.
The utilisation rate would represent a fall from the 91.2 percent in April-June announced by SICAS in August.