Another four Taiwanese companies are returning after the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) approved their applications yesterday to participate in a government program to encourage investment.
So far this year, 106 applications have been approved, with investment totaling NT$537 billion (US$17.12 billion) and 45,700 job opportunities created, the ministry said.
Printed circuit board maker Unimicron Technology Corp (欣興電子) is one of the four approved yesterday, the ministry said, adding that it plans to invest more than NT$26.5 billion by producing 2.5D advanced IC substrate at a plant in Taoyuan’s Guishan District (龜山).
The investment is to create an estimated 700 job opportunities, the ministry added.
Contract electronics maker Qisda Corp (佳世達) plans to invest NT$2.6 billion by setting up a smart production plant in Guishan, as well as adding production lines for display panel-related components and optoelectronics, the ministry said, adding that the plan is expected to provide more than 900 jobs.
Ta-i Technology Co (大毅), a manufacturer of surface-mount chip resistors, plans to invest NT$2 billion to expand its plant in Taoyuan’s Lujhu District (蘆竹), the ministry said.
The investment aims to increase production of automotive electronics, industrial precision resistors and electrical current sensors among other things, the ministry said, adding that it would generate 140 jobs.
Taiwan Semiconductor Co Ltd (台灣半導體), which specializes in discrete devices and power management ICs, is to invest NT$1.5 billion to expand its plant in Yilan County and purchase high-end machinery to improve its manufacturing process, it said, adding that it would provide 60 job opportunities.
The ministry also approved applications by two small or medium-sized enterprises to invest in the nation.
Tainan-based Hong Zong Biotechnology Co Ltd (鴻仲生技) plans to invest an estimated NT$300 million to establish a plant at the Hsinchi Industrial Park (新吉工業區) in Tainan and recruit about 20 local professionals, the ministry said.
Taoyuan-based eChem Solutions Corp (新應材), which specializes in chemical materials used in flat panels, is to invest more than NT$900 million to set up a plant in southern Taiwan while expanding an existing one in northern Taiwan, it said.
The company is to add 80 jobs, the ministry said.
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
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],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained