SOLAR PANELS
EU hopes to solve dispute
The EU’s trade chief yesterday expressed confidence that Brussels and Beijing could reach agreement in a trade dispute on tariffs the union imposed on Chinese solar panels. “I trust that we can come to a solution in the coming days or coming weeks,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said at a press conference after talks with Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng (高虎城). The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, this month imposed an average tariff of 11.8 percent on solar panel imports from China — rising to 47.6 percent on Aug. 6 if there are no negotiations based on a Chinese commitment to address the problem.
TELECOMS
Softbank wants to be No. 1
The flamboyant founder of Japanese telco Softbank, which is close to a US$21.6 billion takeover of US firm Sprint Nextel, yesterday added a new goal to his lofty agenda: creating the world’s biggest company. Masayoshi Son told Softbank’s upbeat annual meeting that he is aiming to turn what is now Japan’s third-largest telecom company into a global behemoth that outpaces the likes of ExxonMobil, JPMorgan and Apple. “We will become the world’s No. 1 company at any cost — in terms of profit, cashflows and stock value,” the 55-year-old telecom billionaire said. Softbank ranks 113th in the world, according to Son’s PowerPoint charts.
INTERNET
Yahoo acquires Tumblr
Yahoo said on Thursday it had completed a billion-dollar deal taking over the popular blogging platform Tumblr, a move aimed at bringing more youthful users into the company’s orbit. “We’re excited to announce that our deal to acquire Tumblr has closed — it’s official,” Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer said. “As promised, Tumblr will continue to operate as a separate business, led by David Karp as CEO. Their product roadmap, their team and tone will all remain the same, as will their mission to empower creators and curators alike to do what they love best: create.” With the takeover, Yahoo redesigned its corporate blog, which is integrated in Tumblr.
INTERNET
Video added to Instagram
Facebook is adding a video service to its popular photo-sharing app Instagram, following in the heels of Twitter’s growing video-sharing app, Vine. Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom says users will be able to record 15-second clips by tapping a video icon on the app. They can also apply filters to the videos to add contrast, make them black-and-white, or different hues. Vine, which launched in January, has 13 million users. Instagram has 100 million users, up from 20 million when Facebook bought the company more than a year ago. If users like it, Facebook’s move could propel mobile video sharing into the mainstream.
TECHNOLOGY
Oracle results found wanting
Oracle is still having trouble closing enough business software deals to keep Wall Street happy. The quarterly results announced on Thursday could escalate investors’ fears about Oracle’s ability to adapt to the changing demands of its customers. The stock fell nearly 3 percent after the release of results. The company earned US$3.8 billion, or US$0.80 per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter. That represented a 10 percent increase from income of US$3.5 billion, or US$0.69 per share, at the same time last year. However, revenue remained unchanged from the same time last year at US$10.9 billion.
purpose: Tesla’s CEO sought to meet senior Chinese officials to discuss the rollout of its ‘full self-driving’ software in China and approval to transfer data they had collected Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing yesterday on an unannounced visit, where he is expected to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of "full self-driving" (FSD) software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Chinese state media reported that he met Premier Li Qiang (李強) in Beijing, during which Li told Musk that Tesla's development in China could be regarded as a successful example of US-China economic and trade cooperation. Musk confirmed his meeting with the premier yesterday with a post on social media platform X. "Honored to meet with Premier Li
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The chipmaker last month raised its capital spending by 28 percent for this year to NT$32 billion from a previous estimate of NT$25 billion Contract chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電子) yesterday launched a new 12-inch fab, tapping into advanced chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology to support rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) devices. Powerchip is to offer interposers, one of three parts in CoWoS packaging technology, with shipments scheduled for the second half of this year, Powerchip chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) told reporters on the sidelines of a fab inauguration ceremony in the Tongluo Science Park (銅鑼科學園區) in Miaoli County yesterday. “We are working with customers to supply CoWoS-related business, utilizing part of this new fab’s capacity,” Huang said, adding that Powerchip intended to bridge
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV on Friday announced an investment of NT$13.5 billion (US$414.62 million) over the next five years in Taiwan. The first multinational brewing company to operate in Taiwan, Heineken made the statement at a ceremony held at its brewery in Pingtung County. It also outlined its efforts to make the brewery “net zero” by 2030. Heineken has been in the Taiwanese market for 20 years, Heineken Taiwan managing director Jeff Wu (吳建甫) said. With strong support from local consumers, the Dutch brewery decided to transition from sales to manufacturing in the country, Wu said. Heineken assumed majority ownership and management rights
Microsoft Corp yesterday said that it would create Thailand’s first data center region to boost cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, promising AI training to more than 100,000 people to develop tech. Bangkok is a key economic player in Southeast Asia, but it has lagged behind Indonesia and Singapore when it comes to the tech industry. Thailand has an “incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future,” Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangkok. Data center regions are physical locations that store computing infrastructure, allowing secure and reliable access to cloud platforms. The global embrace of AI