Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) yesterday said it would hire at least 1,000 workers in Taiwan this year to expand research and development in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and self-driving technologies.
“We foresee growing business opportunities in the fields next year and the year after, and we would like to be ready by inviting more people to join Quanta,” vice chairman C.C. Leung (梁次震) told a news conference at Quanta’s headquarters in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口).
The hiring plan is expected to increase Quanta’s workforce in Taiwan to more than 6,000 by the end of this year, he said.
“The hiring of 1,000 workers is just for this year. We might hire more next year, as clients want tailor-made services and solutions from Quanta,” Leung said.
Chief financial officer Elton Yang (楊俊烈) forecast that annual revenue from the cloud-computing segment will climb by a double-digit percentage this year as clients continue to develop new applications that rely on server infrastructure.
The firm’s cloud-computing technologies can be leveraged in developing AI, chairman Barry Lam (林百里) said, adding that the firm aims to provide hardware and integrated AI solutions to clients.
Quanta’s wearable device business is expected to grow significantly later this year after a client launches a new product, Leung said.
The company did not specify the client nor the product, but sources have pointed to Apple Inc and the Apple Watch. Quanta is the main assembler for the Apple Watch.
“The client’s new product features better functions compared with the previous generation. We believe the new product will lend significant support to Quanta’s overall performance this year,” Leung said.
In the second quarter of this year, Quanta reported net income of NT$3.97 billion (US$131 million), up 13.6 percent year-on-year and 42.2 percent quarterly.
The company attributed the increase to better-than-expected notebook computer shipments, which last quarter rose 15.2 percent to 10.6 million units.
However, quarterly gross margin fell from 4.73 percent to 4.53 percent due to an adjustment to the product portfolio and a strong New Taiwan dollar, the firm said.
Operating margin last quarter dropped from 2.05 percent to 1.69 percent because of higher research and development costs, Quanta said.
Revenue last month rose 20 percent annually to NT$85.95 billion, with cumulative revenue in the first seven months of the year jumping 15.09 percent to NT$549.24 billion, it added.
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