United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), the second largest contract chip maker in Taiwan, is planning to initiate trial production of chips on the 14 nanometer process in the first half of 2015. UMC has not clarified when mass production using the new advanced process will start, but the trial production could help the company compete with larger rivals, Chief Financial Officer Chitung Liu said during the company's annual general meeting on Wednesday.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the largest contract chip maker in the world, launched commercial production of chips on the 20nm process in January this year and is expected to start mass production of chips on the 16nm process in January of next year.

UMC lags behind as it currently mass produces chips is the 28nm process, and the technology accounted for less than 1 percent of UMC's total sales durign the first quarter of 2014.

UMC's production capacity utilization rate for the second quarter came closer to 90 percent, and is expected to further increase in the third quarter, according to Liu.