Adata buyback boosts stock
Adata Technology Co (威剛科技), the nation’s top DRAM module maker, yesterday saw its shares close up 6.9 percent at NT$54.2 after the company initiated a 9 million share buyback — with a range of NT$35.49 to NT$93.08 a share — that is to run to Dec. 19 in a bid to shore up its stock price.
The stock also rallied amid market speculation that product prices will rebound this quarter, after statistics released by TrendForce Corp’s (集邦科技) DRAMexchange Technology Inc showed that the price of mainstream 4GB DRAM modules rose 2.34 percent to US$32.75 early this month compared with late last month. During this period, the price of 8GB DRAM modules increased 2.34 percent to US$65.5, according to DRAMexchange.
Adata last week said it planned to spend up to NT$6.4 billion on the buyback and would transfer the shares to employees in an effort to boost worker morale.
TWSE reveals new index
Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (TWSE) yesterday made public the constituent stocks of a new index tracking the performance of the 100 highest-paying companies that investors can use as a reference.
However, since Cosmos Bank (萬泰銀行) was acquired by China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控) last month and both are among the constituent stocks, the new index is now composed of 99 stocks, the TWSE said in a statement. The stock exchange is to add another stock in June next year when it reviews the composition of the index.
The index is compiled by the TWSE and Research Affiliates LLC (銳聯資產管理), with electronics companies accounting for 48.75 percent of the total weighting and financial firms representing 30.32 percent in weighting.
Parade joins Apple chain
Parade Technologies Ltd (譜瑞), a leading video display and interface IC supplier, is being included in Apple Inc’s supply chain for the production of the US giant’s latest iMac computer, according to a report by California-based gadget-repair firm iFixit last week.
According to a teardown of the newest iMac model with a 27-inch retina display, the computer will use Parade’s LCD timing controller display port, iFixit said on its Web site.
Parade’s consolidated sales hit NT$1.77 billion (US$589 million) last quarter, the highest in the company’s history and up 25.5 percent from the previous quarter, the company reported earlier this month.
Asustek conquering Asia-Pacific
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) gained more ground in the Asia-Pacific PC market in the third quarter on the back of its entry-level notebooks, research firm International Data Corp said in a report yesterday.
The Taiwanese firm saw its market share rise by 1 percentage point sequentially to hit 7.7 percent in the July-to-September quarter, tying it in fourth place with local rival Acer Inc (宏碁), whose market share increased by only 0.2 percentage points.
The two vendors had good third-quarter runs in markets like the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as in their home market, due to their entry-level notebooks, International Data Corp said.
China’s Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) extended its market share by 0.9 percentage points to 27.4 percent to retain top spot in the region, while Dell Inc ranked second with an 11.1 percent share of the PC market, followed by Hewlett-Packard Co in third with a 10.1 percent share.
Chunghwa sees 13% 4G rate
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s largest telecom operator, estimated yesterday that the national penetration rate of 4G users could reach 13 percent, or about 3 million users, by the end of the year.
Speaking at a technology forum, Chunghwa Telecom chairman Rick Tsai (蔡力行) said the penetration rate can reach that level even though Taiwan only launched 4G broadband services in late May, which would make the nation’s adoption of the technology much faster than South Korea’s when 4G was introduced there.
In South Korea, 4G broadband only had a penetration rate of between 2 and 3 percent in the first six months after it was launched in 2012, Tsai said.
Tesla takes China orders online
Tesla Motors Inc yesterday began taking online orders for its Model S electric sedan in China via a virtual shopping mall operated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴).
Buyers can place a 50,000 yuan (US$8,200) deposit for the electric car on Alibaba’s Tmall.com (天貓), Tesla China spokeswoman Peggy Yang (楊淑婷) said. A total of 18 preconfigured cars are being offered through the marketplace, she added.
Buyers who place their orders through Tmall will receive their cars five days at the earliest after full payment is made, Yang said.
Those who order their Model S on Nov. 11 will also receive free installation of the home-charging unit by the company, she added.
Microsoft smartwatch reported
Microsoft Corp is preparing to launch a smartwatch within the next few weeks that is to passively track a user’s heart rate and work across different mobile platforms, Forbes reported on Sunday.
The wearable gadget’s battery life is to exceed two days of regular use, Forbes said, citing unnamed sources close to the project.
The device is to arrive in stores soon after being unveiled in an effort to capture the holiday season, the magazine reported.
Microsoft declined to comment on the report.
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