SOLAR CELLS
Neo Solar, ministry ink deal
Neo Solar Power Corp (新日光能源) yesterday said it has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Labor to build a solar power station on the roof of the Workforce Development Agency in Tainan. The rooftop solar power station is to be equipped with double glass photovoltaic modules made by Neo Solar, the company said in a statement. Neo Solar said it is to supply 6,500 double glass PV modules to the ministry for the construction of the solar station, it said. The solar modules can generate about two times the electricity of traditional solar modules, it said. The solar power station is to have 2 megawatts of installed capacity when the construction is due to finish in December.
IT SERVICES
IBM promotes Lisa Kao
IBM yesterday said it has promoted Lisa Kao (高璐華) to country general manager Taiwan, replacing her retiring predecessor, Jennifer Hwang (黃慧珠). Kao is to be in charge of all IBM Taiwan’s businesses, including sales, marketing, research and development and procurement, a company statement said. Kao joined IBM in 1993 and has accumulated extensive experience in various areas, including sales, marketing, operational and strategic planning, the company said. In January last year, Kao was appointed general manager of the company’s hardware system business for Greater China. Before that, she was relocated to Beijing and served as a general manager of IBM’s financial services business, responsible for IBM’s business development with Agricultural Development Bank of China Ltd (中國農業發展銀行). Hwang, whose term began in July 2012, is to retire at the end of this month, IBM said.
KEYPAD MAKERS
Ichia sales jump 20 percent
Handset keypad maker Ichia Technologies Inc (毅嘉科技) yesterday reported sales of NT$632 million (US$20.77 million) for last month, a jump of 20 percent from NT$527 million in the same period last year and 5 percent growth from the previous month’s NT$602 million, according to company filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Last month’s result marked the best revenue in 21 months. Ichia’s revenue totaled NT$3.23 billion in the first six months of the year, up 14.55 percent from NT$2.82 billion in the same period last year, the filing showed.
PHARMACEUTICALS
Drug application submitted
Gongwin Biopharm Co Ltd (共信醫藥) yesterday announced that the company has submitted a new drug application to the Chinese Food and Drug Administration for PTS302, a lung cancer drug. The Chinese health authority has confirmed that its review is underway and that the new drug could begin sales in the country in the first half of next year, the company said. PTS302 is a type of low-invasive targeted chemo-ablation treatment for malignant tumors that impedes breathing for some lung cancer patients. The firm said that it has readied production capacity in China in anticipation of the launch.
EQUITIES
TAIEX rallies after losses
The TAIEX lost ground early, but rebounded to finish in positive territory yesterday, despite fears of further volatility among high-tech stocks on Wall Street, dealers said. The electronics sector remained sluggish, but contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) edged higher, while old economy and financial stocks also lent support, they said. The TAIEX closed up 0.17 percent at 10,412.79 on turnover of NT$83.19 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