Motech Industries Inc (茂迪), the nation's biggest solar cell maker, said yesterday it has expanded its research and development (R&D) unit into an R&D center this month to upgrade its core competence amid fierce competition in the dynamic industry.
The R&D center's aim is to develop second-generation solar cell manufacturing technology and improve the manufacturing process to enhance the energy conversion rate to 20 percent in three years, Motech said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.
The center is also tasked with advancing the efficiency of upstream semiconductor production, which should help to reduce Motech's material costs.
To reach these goals, Motech would seek strategic alliances with local or foreign enterprises or research institutions, the Taipei-based company said.
The center is headed by Lin Chih-tao (
Shares of Motech rose 3.06 percent to NT$371 (US$11.30) yesterday, while those of rival E-ton Solar Tech Co (益通光能) were up almost 7 percent to NT$374.50.
Shares of solar cell-related stocks continue to rise on the world trend to develop better renewable energy. The rebound in prices of solar panels this month also gave a boost to solar-cell related shares.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
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],”