HTC denies reshuffle report
HTC Corp (宏達電), the smartphone vendor that turned profitable last quarter after three straight quarters of operating losses, yesterday denied a media report that it had reshuffled its senior management, which had been led by chief executive Peter Chou (周永明) for 10 years.
According to news Web site TechNews.tw, HTC had appointed financial officer Chang Chia-lin (張嘉臨) as chief executive and head of product research and development David Chen (陳文俊) as chief operating officer after shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting last month expressed their dissatisfaction over the performance of the management team.
In response, HTC said in an e-mailed statement that “Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, has full and final decisionmaking responsibilities. HTC’s board and broad employee base remain committed to Peter Chou’s leadership.”
AUO consolidated sales dip
AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) yesterday reported consolidated sales of NT$34.096 billion (US$1.14 billion) for last month, down 2.6 percent from May and 7.9 percent from the previous year.
Sales in the second quarter were NT$102.042 billion, up 8.8 percent quarter-on-quarter, but down 9.2 percent year-on-year, the company said in a statement.
AUO said its shipments of large-sized panels totaled 28.85 million units in the second quarter, down 1.1 percent from the first quarter and 5.5 percent from the previous year, while those of small and medium-sized panels were more than 46.3 million units, representing a 38.4 percent increase from the previous quarter and 26.6 percent growth from the same period of last year.
Primax forecasts rosy quarter
Computer and handset peripherals maker Primax Electronics Ltd (致伸) yesterday said its sales for this quarter could hit another record level, driven by camera modules for mobile devices and digital audio electronics for home appliances.
The company’s forecast came after it released its sales for last quarter, which rose 17 percent quarter-on-quarter and 32 percent year-on-year to NT$13.58 billion, the highest level since the company relisted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in the third quarter of 2012, Primax said in a statement.
In the first six months of the year, cumulative sales totaled NT$25.18 billion, up 20 percent from the previous year, it said.
Powertech posts mixed results
Powertech Technology Inc (力成), which provides packaging and testing services for memorychip makers, yesterday said its consolidated revenue for last month reached NT$3.52 billion, down 3.8 percent month-on-month, but up 10.2 percent year-on-year.
Revenue in the second quarter totaled NT$10.58 billion, up 14.67 percent from the first quarter, the highest level in the past seven quarters.
In the first half of the year, cumulative revenue totaled NT$19.81 billion, up 6.13 percent year-on-year.
Firms eye Ghost Month boost
E-commerce businesses are looking to boost summer sales this year, particularly during Ghost Month, which this year runs from July 27 to Aug. 24, when food for ritualistic offerings is usually in high demand.
PChome Store Inc (商店街市集), a popular shopping platform, said it is starting a campaign to promote more than 35,000 different types of food and drinks ahead of the festival and is expecting a 30 percent annual increase in the sale of such items.
Other online shopping sites, such as Yahoo Kimo Inc (雅虎奇摩) and Go Happy (快樂購物網), are also planning special promotions.
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