SEMICONDUCTORS
Book-to-bill continues to fall
The book-to-bill ratio for North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers declined for a third straight month to 0.98 last month, the lowest level in eight months, according to tallies released by international trade association SEMI on Tuesday. SEMI said the three-month average of worldwide bookings last month was US$1.51 billion, while the three-month average of worldwide billings was US$1.54 billion. A ratio of more than one implies a more optimistic outlook, while a ratio of less than one suggests weakness.
ENERGY
Key firms welcome: MOEA
International firms that own key technologies for power generation, electronics and other industries are welcome to set up research centers, factories or even headquarters in Taiwan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said on Tuesday. The ministry has identified the industries and technologies that are in great demand in Taiwan, which include offshore wind power, electric vehicles, semiconductor production equipment, power plant air pollution control equipment and liquefied natural gas terminals. Investment in these sectors is expected to reach NT$1.5 trillion (US$47.8 billion) over the next five years, the ministry said.
PC MAKERS
Acer to supply Yilan schools
Acer Inc (宏碁) has won a bid to provide 3,300 Chromebook and 350 Chromebox PCs to Yilan County’s public elementary and junior-high schools in September, the company said yesterday. Shipments of Chromebooks in Taiwan are expected to increase from last year’s 2,000 units to more than 10,000 this year, Acer said. Apart from the educational market, the company said it is also in talks to provide Chromebox systems to some supermarket chain operators, without elaborating. The company said it is also hoping to expand the reach of Chromebooks into the retail sector. Global Chromebook sales are expected to reach 7.3 million this year, Gartner Inc said in May.
MACHINERY
Global Pmx eyes sales rise
Global Pmx Co Ltd (智伸科), a provider of precision machinery processing services, yesterday said sales this year are expected to increase by 15 percent from last year’s NT$2.79 billion, thanks to capacity expansion in China and increased investment in automation. Higher contribution from medical equipment revenue is expected to become the company’s new revenue driver in the coming years, chairman Lin En-tao (林恩道) said at a pre-initial public offering news conference in Taipei. The company, founded in 1987, is expected to debut its shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Aug. 10. The company reported earnings per share of NT$0.65 in the first quarter of this year, compared with last year’s NT$4.27.
CHIPMAKERS
GlobalWafers to list on TPEx
GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), a semiconductor foundry that mainly manufactures silicon-based semiconductors, yesterday obtained regulatory approval for its share debut on the nation’s over-the-counter market. The subsidiary of Sino-American Silicon Products Inc (中美矽晶) is expected to trade its shares on the Taipei Exchange (TPEx, 櫃檯買賣中心) at some point this quarter, GlobalWafers underwriter Yuanta Securities Corp (元大證券) said. With capital of NT$3.49 billion, the company reported net profit of NT$2.095 billion last year, or NT$6.57 per share, on revenue of NT$15.92 billion.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last