Local car makers see decline
The Taiwan Industrial Economics and Knowledge Research Center (IEK) yesterday forecast that the revenue from completed cars manufactured in the second quarter of this year will decrease by 18 percent to NT$35.92 billion (US$1.24 billion) compared with the first quarter. The group cited recession and domestic oil and car price increases for the downturn.
Overall, domestic manufacturers will produce 326,000 cars this year, down 5 percent from 343,000 units last year, while total revenue will reach about NT$178.1 billion, according to the Industry and Technology Intelligence Services’ (ITIS) research center.
In the first three months of this year, Taiwan produced 82,000 completed cars, down 5.7 percent year-on-year and down 12.8 percent quarter-on-quarter, the ITIS said.
Boost projected for IC sector
Taiwan’s integrated circuit (IC) industry is expected to see a significant increase in its output value in the second quarter, driven by strong sales of smartphones, robust demand for LCD TVs and the recovery of the semiconductor industry, according to a report that was released yesterday.
Total output is projected to reach NT$411.5 billion, up 14.3 percent from the first quarter, said the report compiled by ITIS.
Of the IC industry’s four main sub-sectors, IC manufacturing will grow the most, with revenue set to rise 16.3 percent to NT$210.3 billion, the report predicted.
IC design output is expected to grow 12.5 percent to NT$100.7 billion, IC packaging output should grow 12.1 percent to NT$69.5 billion and IC testing value is expected to gain 11.9 percent to NT$31 billion, the report indicated.
In the first quarter, the IC industry’s revenue dropped by 3.1 percent from the previous quarter to NT$360.1 billion because of the low season effect.
IC manufacturing saw its output fall 0.6 percent to NT$180.9 billion, and IC design revenue was down 5.4 percent to NT$89.5 billion.
IC packaging output declined 5.6 percent to NT$62 billion, and IC testing output lost 5.8 percent to NT$27.7 billion, according to the report.
Taiwan, Netherlands sign deal
The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) yesterday to cooperate on green energy research.
The two institutes will collaborate on energy research and personnel exchanges, according to the ITRI.
The Netherlands is one of the world’s most advanced countries in terms of energy research, and the ECN is the largest energy research center in the Netherlands, the ITRI said.
The ECN conducts research into wind power, solar energy, biofuel, fuel cells and energy efficiency and is known for its role in merging energy knowledge with market trends, its Web site says.
Share dumping hits NT value
The New Taiwan dollar fell against the US dollar yesterday, declining NT$0.121 to close at NT$29.635 as foreign institutional investors kept dumping local shares while moving funds out of Taiwan amid rising concerns over the eurozone debt crisis, dealers said.
On the local foreign exchange market, foreign banks stood on the “sell” side, putting downward pressure on NT dollar, as foreign institutional investors were reluctant to take risks in the domestic stock market, they said.
Turnover totaled US$1.48 billion during the trading session.
Shiina Ito has had fewer Chinese customers at her Tokyo jewelry shop since Beijing issued a travel warning in the wake of a diplomatic spat, but she said she was not concerned. A souring of Tokyo-Beijing relations this month, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan, has fueled concerns about the impact on the ritzy boutiques, noodle joints and hotels where holidaymakers spend their cash. However, businesses in Tokyo largely shrugged off any anxiety. “Since there are fewer Chinese customers, it’s become a bit easier for Japanese shoppers to visit, so our sales haven’t really dropped,” Ito
The number of Taiwanese working in the US rose to a record high of 137,000 last year, driven largely by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) rapid overseas expansion, according to government data released yesterday. A total of 666,000 Taiwanese nationals were employed abroad last year, an increase of 45,000 from 2023 and the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed. Overseas employment had steadily increased between 2009 and 2019, peaking at 739,000, before plunging to 319,000 in 2021 amid US-China trade tensions, global supply chain shifts, reshoring by Taiwanese companies and
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) received about NT$147 billion (US$4.71 billion) in subsidies from the US, Japanese, German and Chinese governments over the past two years for its global expansion. Financial data compiled by the world’s largest contract chipmaker showed the company secured NT$4.77 billion in subsidies from the governments in the third quarter, bringing the total for the first three quarters of the year to about NT$71.9 billion. Along with the NT$75.16 billion in financial aid TSMC received last year, the chipmaker obtained NT$147 billion in subsidies in almost two years, the data showed. The subsidies received by its subsidiaries —
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) and the company’s former chairman, Mark Liu (劉德音), both received the Robert N. Noyce Award -- the semiconductor industry’s highest honor -- in San Jose, California, on Thursday (local time). Speaking at the award event, Liu, who retired last year, expressed gratitude to his wife, his dissertation advisor at the University of California, Berkeley, his supervisors at AT&T Bell Laboratories -- where he worked on optical fiber communication systems before joining TSMC, TSMC partners, and industry colleagues. Liu said that working alongside TSMC
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