Aiming to gain a larger slice of the domestic flash-memory market, Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) has selected a new local distributor of the chips used for easy and fast information storage in such devices as cellphones and digital cameras.
"As consumer demand for 3C products such as digital cameras, cellular phones and games consoles continues to rise, it stimulates the demand for flash memory," Joe Krystofik, an AMD vice president, said yesterday.
"We have chosen Kuen Chaang Uppertech Corp as our new flash memory distributor because of their professionalism," he said.
Krystofik was in Taipei to name Uppertech, a chip distributor, as AMD's fourth local distributor for flash-memory products.
AMD has 15 percent to 20 percent of the global flash-memory market, trailing its largest rival Intel Corp which has a 30 percent share.
One local analyst says AMD has a long way to go in Taiwan.
"Taiwan is very important for flash memory because it makes a lot of personal digital assistants [PDAs] and mobile-phone hand-sets," said George Wu (吳裕良), a chip industry analyst at Primasia Securities Co. "So far AMD's flash memory has not been very common in Taiwan," Wu said.
The last two years have been very bad for the flash-memory market, but next year will be a better year for all manufacturers as sales grow of devices that need the new memory standard, Wu said.
Krystofik said he was optimistic about his company's prospects next year in the local market, and with good reason.
According to the government-funded Market Intelligence Center, Taiwan will ship 27 million mobile-phone handsets this year, more than double last year's figure. And next year that figure is expected to be more than 40 million.
Manufacturers are also expected to pump out 10 million digital cameras next year, another device that relies on flash memory.
As for PDAs, local companies will ship out 3.15 million of the electronic devices this year, accounting for nearly 15 percent of global PDA production.
The major makers are constantly working to create more efficient chips to outdo the competition.
Last year AMD introduced a new flash-memory technology called MirrorBit that doubles the amount of data that can be stored on the same-sized chip. Last fall Intel introduced its newest technology -- called StrataFlash -- which layers memory on a chip to increase capacity.
So far, however, AMD has not been able to convince the market of the benefits of its new technology.
"AMD must convince customers that the technology is robust and announce significant design wins quickly to gain traction in the market," said Richard Gordon, memory analyst at international research firm Gartner Inc.
"The importance of MirrorBit to AMD's flash memory future cannot be overstated -- it is a critical technology if AMD is to have any chance of countering Intel's market share gains on the back of its StrataFlash technology," Gordon said.
After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia Corp proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence (AI) stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond the most-advanced chips TSMC makes for Nvidia. Subthemes from the deepening memory crunch to advances in robotics are also luring bids. At the same time, investment caps on single stocks are pushing funds to diversify, while retail investors long familiar with TSMC through its US depositary receipts are being offered a broader set of
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
TECH RELIANCE: Growth is increasingly reflecting an unequal K-shaped distribution, where technology sectors outperform and other industries struggle, an expert said Standard Chartered Bank has significantly raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth to 9.5 percent this year, up from 7.6 percent previously, citing surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand driving exports, semiconductor production and investment. The upgrade reflects a sustained AI supercycle that continues to fuel demand for advanced chips and technology infrastructure, which form the backbone of Taiwan’s exports, the bank said in a report this week. “We raise our 2026 growth forecast to reflect a much stronger-than-expected first-quarter GDP figure,” Standard Chartered senior economist for greater China and Asia Tommy Wu (胡東安) said in the report. Driven largely by a 35.3 percent
Two of Taiwan’s international carriers, Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空), have retained the five-star airline rating awarded by international airline review organization Skytrax. Starlux was awarded the distinction for a second consecutive year, while EVA Air received it for the 11th straight year, Skytrax said in statements released yesterday and on Thursday last week, respectively. The five-star rating is considered one of the airline industry's highest honors and is awarded following professional audits of airline product and frontline service standards, Skytrax said. The ratings are based on in-depth assessments using unified global quality standards rather than customer review scores
RSS