May 14, 2014

ChipMOS REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2014 RESULTS

1Q14 Highlights (as compared to 4Q13):

  • Net Revenue Increased 2.0% to US$163.8 Million from US$160.6 Million
  • Gross Profit Increased to US$32.4 Million from US$30.5 Million
  • Gross Margin Improved to 19.8% from 19.0%
  • Net Earnings on an IFRSs Consolidated Basis of US$0.37 Per Basic and US$0.36 Per Diluted Share Compared to US$0.19 Per Basic and US$0.18 Per Diluted Share
  • Generated US$12.0 Million of Free Cash Flow after US$18.7 Million of CapEx
  • Reduced Total Debt by an additional US$44.5 million to US$203.5 million
  • Retained Balance of Cash and Cash Equivalents at US$404.2 Million
  • Company's Majority Owned Subsidiary Commenced Trading on Taiwan's Main Stock Exchange on April 11, 2014

Hsinchu, Taiwan, May 14, 2014 - ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Bermuda) LTD. ("ChipMOS" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: IMOS), an industry leading provider of outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services ("OSAT"), today reported unaudited consolidated financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014. All U.S. dollar figures in this release are based on the exchange rate of NT$30.45 against US$1.00 as of March 31, 2014.

Net revenue for the first quarter of 2014 was NT$4,989.0 million or US$163.8 million, an increase of 2.0% from NT$4,890.1 million or US$160.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 and an increase of 12.9% from NT$4,420.7 million or US$145.2 million for the same period in 2013. This is at the high-end of the Company's guidance for first quarter of 2014 revenue to be flat to up in the low single digits as compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Net income for the first quarter of 2014 was NT$331.1 million or US$10.9 million, and NT$11.14 or US$0.37 per basic common share and NT$10.87 or US$0.36 per diluted common share, as compared to net income for the fourth quarter of 2013 of NT$170.8 million or US$5.6 million, and NT$5.77 or US$0.19 per basic common share and NT$5.63 or US$0.18 per diluted common share, and compared to net income in the first quarter of 2013 of NT$363.6 million or US$11.9 million, and NT$12.58 or US$0.41 per basic common share and NT$12.31 or US$0.40 per diluted common share.

The unaudited consolidated financial results of ChipMOS for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014 included the financial results of ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC. ("ChipMOS Taiwan"), ChipMOS U.S.A., Inc., ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp. and MODERN MIND TECHNOLOGY LIMITED and its wholly-owned subsidiary ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Shanghai) LTD.

S.J. Cheng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ChipMOS, said, "We started the year off with first quarter revenue growth in a normally seasonally lower quarter. Strength in our LCD driver and our memory markets helped us achieve first quarter 2014 revenue at the high-end of the Company's guidance. Revenue from DRAM, mainly niche DRAM, increased 16.3% in Q1'14 sequentially and our WLSCP revenue grew 20.8% in Q1 compared to Q4'13. Our overall capacity utilization rate improved to 77% compared to 76% in Q4'13 and 75% in the same period one year ago. We are optimistic about the future for ChipMOS given the Company's market leadership, optimized customer base and our financial strength. We are executing on our business strategy and have numerous catalysts for profitable growth. We expect to see continued momentum in 2014, led by robust demand in our LCD driver and memory demand in mobile applications and UHD TVs."

S.K. Chen, Chief Financial Officer of ChipMOS, said, "Our business mix and improved utilization allowed us to drive further improvements in gross margin to 19.8% in the first quarter. We expect to achieve further improvements in gross margin in the second quarter, led by our business momentum, improved utilization and overall conservative CapEx strategy. We exited the first quarter with a strong balance of cash and cash equivalents at US$404.2 million, with free cash flow of US$12.0 million in Q1 2014 after CapEx of US$18.7 million in the first quarter. Our total debt was reduced by another US$44.5 million to US$203.5 million, which in turn improved our net debt to equity ratio to -44.0% as of March 31, 2014. The increase in consolidated income taxes for the first quarter is due to the higher amount paid by ThaiLin for the gain recognized on the share sales related to the Company's efforts in enabling ChipMOS Taiwan to meet the listing eligibility requirements for Taiwan Stock Exchange ("TWSE") and our consolidated income tax rate will revert to a normalized level in the second quarter of 2014."

Taiwan Listing Update

Our subsidiary, ChipMOS Taiwan, commences trading on TWSE on April 11, 2014 under Stock Ticker 8150, with 864.6 million shares outstanding, of which the Company owns approximately 522.1 million or 60.4% of the shares outstanding. Shares that previously traded on the Gre Tai Securities Market now trade on the TWSE and ceased trading on the Gre Tai Securities Market.

Second Quarter 2014 Outlook

Led by expected demand from the LCD driver and memory market for both mobile applications and UHD TVs, the Company expects second quarter of 2014 revenue to increase approximately 8% to 12% as compared to the first quarter of 2014. The Company expects gross margin on a consolidated basis to be in the range of approximately 21% to 24% for the second quarter of 2014. The Company expects depreciation and amortization expenses for the second quarter of 2014 to be approximately US$24 million. Operating expenses are expected to be approximately 6% to 8% of revenues in the second quarter of 2014. The Company expects CapEx spending to be approximately US$24 million in the second quarter of 2014, with CapEx spending for the full year 2014 to be less than US$80 million. The total number of the Company's outstanding common shares at the end of the second quarter of 2014 is expected to be approximately 30 million.

Investor Conference Call / Webcast Details
ChipMOS will review detailed first quarter 2014 results on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 p.m. Taiwan time, Wednesday, May 14, 2014). The conference call-in number is +1-201-689-8562. A live webcast of the conference call will be available at ChipMOS' website at http://www.chipmos.com. The playback is scheduled to be available in 2 hours after the conclusion of the conference call and will be accessible by dialing +1-858-384-5517, with confirmation ID number 13580784.

About ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Bermuda) LTD.:
ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Bermuda) LTD. ("ChipMOS" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: IMOS) (http://www.chipmos.com) is an industry leading provider of semiconductor assembly and testing services. With advanced facilities in Hsinchu and Southern Taiwan Science Parks in Taiwan and Shanghai, ChipMOS and its subsidiaries provide testing and assembly services to a broad range of customers, including leading fabless semiconductor companies, integrated device manufacturers and independent semiconductor foundries. The Company's majority-owned subsidiary, ChipMOS Taiwan, is listed on TWSE under Stock Ticker 8150.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this announcement may be viewed as "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual performance, financial condition or results of operations of the Company to be materially different from any future performance, financial condition or results of operations implied by such forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties and other factors are included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and in the Company's other filings with the SEC.

- FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW BELOW -

Contacts:
In Taiwan
Dr. S.K. Chen
ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Bermuda) LTD.
+886-6-507-7712
s.k._chen@chipmos.com

In the U.S.
David Pasquale
Global IR Partners
+1-914-337-8801
dpasquale@globalirpartners.com