With light emitting diode (LED) backlights soon to replace traditional cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlights in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), the nation's major flat-panel makers are looking for partnership opportunities with LED manufacturers.
Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (
The report coincided with the resignation of four directors on FOREPI's board last Thursday.
The one remaining vacancy is expected to be filled by CID Investment (華威創投), also an investor of FOREPI.
As Quanta Computer lnc (廣達電腦) is one investor of CID Investment, the deal could also benefit the world's biggest contract laptop computer maker.
Chi Mei said that as of last Friday, it held a 2 percent stake in FOREPI, or 2.295 million common shares, plus NT$46.784 million (US$1.46 million) in convertible bonds.
"The investment is positive for Chi Mei," Lin Yi-chen (林宜蓁), an analyst at Capital Securities Corp (群益證券), said yesterday.
Chi Mei recently revealed its ambition to make inroads into the LED sector by announcing plans to mass produce 32-inch LED-backlit flat panels for TVs starting in the fourth quarter of the year, with FOREPI among the list of companies with which it plans to work.
Chi Mei is lagging behind in LED technology, and FOREPI, which is known for its edge in high power green LED, will make up the shortage, Lin said.
Moves by larger rival AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電), the world's third-biggest maker of LCDs, also prompted Chi Mei to aggressively seek mergers and acquisitions to boost its product lines and margins, Lin said.
AU Optronics announced last month that it would take over smaller rival Quanta Display Inc (廣輝電子) for US$2.2 billion in stock, widening its lead over Chi Mei.
AUO is reportedly shopping for LED companies to buy and potential candidates include Tekcore Co (泰谷光電) and Uni Light Technology (洲磊科技).
Shares of FOREPI rose by the 7 percent daily limit to close at NT$29.7 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.
Chi Mei's shares rose NT$0.15 to NT$45.5, while AU Optronics advanced NT$0.2 to NT$52.5
According to the latest report by DisplaySearch Inc, LED backlights will begin to replace CCFL backlights in LCDs starting in the second half of this year.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
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