ELECTRONICS
Apple Watches to come early
Apple Inc said some customers would be receiving the new Apple Watch sooner than expected. Many who ordered the new smartwatch online earlier this month were told that delivery could take a month or longer, although Apple has promised to begin deliveries today to those who were among the first to place orders. However, Apple is now contacting some customers who were originally told to expect a lengthy wait time to say their watches could arrive sooner. The company is currently selling the watch online only.
AUTOMAKERS
Tesla touts new batteries
Tesla Motors Inc is to announce a home battery and a “very large” utility-scale battery on Thursday next week, according to an e-mail sent to investors and analysts. The e-mail on Tuesday from Tesla head of investor relations Jeffrey Evanson said that the company would “explain the advantages of our solutions and why past battery options were not compelling.” Tesla spokeswoman Khobi Brooklyn said that the firm would “share more information next week,” without confirming the e-mail.
TELECOMS
Asia Pacific cuts 4G price
Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) yesterday said it was cutting 4G service prices, after three larger rivals last week lowered their rates to compete for market share. The lowest flat rate of Asia Pacific’s 4G services now stands at NT$898 a month, compared with rivals’ lowest 4G flat rate of NT$988 a month. The new rate package includes unlimited data use and free voice calls to other Asia Pacific Telecom mobile users. It is available only to new users subscribing for new numbers.
CHIPMAKERS
MediaTek subsidiary sued
Handset chip supplier MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said Synaptics Inc’s patent lawsuit against its touch-panel controller chipmaking subsidiary Goodix Technology Inc (匯頂) does not have significant impact on the company. On Tuesday, Synaptics said it had filed complaints against two Goodix entities in the US District Court of the Northern District of California for breaching its touch sensor patents.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Board OKs Win dividend
Win Semiconductors Corp (穩懋半導體) on Wednesday said the company’s board approved a proposal for a 20 percent capital reduction program, allowing it to deliver an extra cash dividend of NT$0.2 per share. If the capital reduction scheme gains approval from shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on June 3, it would allow Win to slash its capital by NT$1.49 billion (US$47.86 million) to NT$5.97 billion. The company said canceling outstanding shares would reduce the company’s cost of capital and improve return on equity. The company would pay shareholders total cash dividend of NT$2.2 per share this year.
DEBT SECURITIES
Fertilizer firm faces payment
A Chinese fertilizer maker facing a bond repayment next month is among four borrowers flagged as China’s riskiest by Haitong Securities Co (海通證券) after Baoding Tianwei Group Co (保定天威集團), a power-equipment maker, became China’s first state-owned enterprise to default on domestic debt earlier this week. Inner Mongolia Nailun Group Inc (內蒙古奈倫集團) must pay 540 million yuan (US$87 million) in principal and interest on an 8 percent note on May 20, according to Haitong.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”