■ Semiconductors
Equipment sales soaring
Worldwide sales of equip-ment for semiconductor-manufacturing rose 10 percent last year and will surge 40 percent this year as chipmakers upgrade plants and buy tools for new production techniques, researcher Gartner Inc said. Sales increased to US$22.8 billion last year from US$20.7 billion, Gartner said in a statement. Sales at Applied Materials Inc, the No. 1 supplier, dropped 12 percent. Advantest Corp had the fastest growth of the top companies, with sales more than doubling, Gartner said. Semicon-ductor makers including Intel Corp and Texas Instruments have been adding tools that build chips with thinner wires and filling factories with gear that uses larger, 300mm silicon wafers. "Spending is ramping up as semiconduc-tor manufacturers adjust to meet rising demand," Klaus Rinnen, a Gartner analyst, said in the statement.
■ Semiconductors
Intel R&D center for China
Intel will set up a research and development center in Shanghai with an invest-ment of US$39 million, Chinese state press reported yesterday. The 28,000m2 facility to be built in the Pudong area adds to Intel's existing production plant in Shanghai and high-lights the increasingly central role China is playing in the production of elec-tronics. The Shanghai center will focus on the development of chip-related products and on customer services, Xinhua news said, citing Intel Corp vice presi-dent Siew Hai Wong. Since 1997, the company has pumped some US$500 million into its semicon-ductor plant in Shanghai.
■ Investment
Chinese fund looks abroad
China has freed its national pension fund to invest abroad, bringing a massive new player into the world's financial markets in a move the government hopes will pay for social programs and retirement for its population of 1.3 billion. The National Social Security Fund Council announced the approval yesterday, but didn't say when the invest-ments would begin or how large they might be. The fund's assets total 132.5 billion yuan (US$16 billion), according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Separate plans are believed to call for the fund to begin investing in Hong Kong. Proposals for "overseas investments" were approved by the Cabinet on Feb. 9, the fund council's statement said. The fund plans to raise the proportion of its assets invested in China's stock markets to 25 percent this year, up from 5.1 percent last year, state media reported last month.
■ Judiciary
Tougher penalties sought
The US Sentencing Com-mission voted on Thursday to make it harder for com-panies that break the law to get lighter penalties. In the past, companies were rewarded for having com-pliance programs to prevent wrongdoing, even if those programs failed. The com-mission, which sets guide-lines for US federal judges, approved changes in that credit system. High-level company executives would have to be involved in com-pliance and promote a cul-ture that encourages the reporting of crimes. "This is trying to tell companies that what is expected in today's world is an effective pro-gram that is supported by the leader-ship," Commis-sioner Michael Horowitz said. The commission had started discussing changes before investigations were begun into the finances of companies such as Enron and WorldCom.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source