taipei, dec. 31 cna taiwan semiconductor manufacturing co. tsmc, the world&39s largest contract chip maker, is expected to unveil three dimensional integrated circuit packaging and testing technology in 2015, a research group said wednesday.citing a research report, the market intelligence & consulting institute mic, a division of the governmentsponsored institute for information industry, said that after years of development, tsmc is expected to launch the advanced 3d integrated fan out info technology next year.the info technology is a waferlevel packaging technology that allows chips to be packaged more densely and provide more inputoutput connections that standard packaging methods, in line with the trend toward smaller size and lower cost chipsets.the mic said that the info technology will help tsmc cut operating costs when it replaces the chip maker&39s current 2.5d ic packaging and testing technology.it is expected to cater to chip suppliers that hope to capitalize on the growing internet of things and rising popularity of wearable devices.the iot refers to devices of all types, such as security monitors, vacuum cleaners and mobile phones, connected to the internet and to each other, to create a more interconnected user experience.tsmc has made the jump into ic packaging and testing services in recent years to provide total solutions to its customers, though the business still only accounts for a small fraction of the company&39s sales.analysts have voiced concerns that tsmc&39s efforts to develop ic packaging and testing services on its own will increase competition in the industry.but major ic packaging and testing firms, such as advanced semiconductor engineering inc., ase and siliconware precision industries co., said they will still cooperate with tsmc, which is a big client of theirs.ase is the world&39s largest ic packaging and testing firm, and siliconware ranks as the third largest.in addition to tsmc, the mic said other ic producers, such as u.s.based memory supplier micron technology inc. and south korean semiconductor firms samsung electronics co. and sk hynix inc., will launch their own ic packaging and testing technology next year. 
