The total revenues of companies at the three main science parks fell by more than 38 percent in the first half of this year as a result of the global recession, the National Science Council (NSC) said.
Turnover at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) in northern Taiwan, the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) and the Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) amounted to NT$631.4 billion (US$19.13 billion), representing a year-on-year decline of 38.2 percent, NSC Vice Chairman Chen Li-chun (陳力俊) said at a news conference on Wednesday.
A chart of the three science parks’ revenues between January last year and June showed that revenues bottomed out last January, then began a gradual rise, Chen said.
Revenues totaled NT$377.2 billion in the second quarter of this year, representing an increase of 48.3 percent from the first quarter.
“Judging from that trend, the revenues of the three science parks will continue to rise in July and August,” Chen said.
Integrated-circuit makers were the mainstay of the three parks, contributing NT$316.3 billion, or 50.1 percent, to revenues in the first half of the year. This was a decline of 34.9 percent from the same period last year, NSC figures showed.
Optoelectronics firms were the second-largest contributor, generating NT$254.7 billion, or 40.3 percent of the three parks’ revenues.
The figure was a year-on-year drop of 43.7 percent.
The third-largest group, computer and peripheral companies, contributed NT$27.7 billion in revenues, a drop of 34.3 percent, the tallies showed.
As of the end of June, 689 companies had been approved to operate in the three parks, with 446 to be located in the Hsinchu Science Park, 151 in the Southern Taiwan Science Park and 92 in the Central Taiwan Science Park, NSC tallies showed.
Meanwhile, the production value of the semiconductor sector was expected to amount to NT$1.14 trillion (US$34.55 billion) this year, down 13 percent from last year, the Institute for Information Industry said yesterday.
Supply and demand in the sector returned to normal in the second quarter of the year following rapid inventory adjustments in the first quarter, when the sector bottomed out, the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute said.
The output of the contract chipmaking industry, which was estimated at NT$52.5 billion in the first quarter, is projected to reach NT$100 billion in the second quarter and increase further to NT$115.2 billion in the third quarter, the MIC said.
It said the industry’s total production value was likely to reach NT$375.5 billion for the whole year.
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