Big bond sale on the way
The central government is planning to sell NT$110 billion (US$3.3 billion) in bonds in the first quarter next year to help finance spending.
The planned amount is 27 percent lower than the NT$150 billion the government auctioned in the first quarter of this year, according to a Ministry of Finance statement yesterday.
The ministry's Department of National Treasury is planning to auction NT$40 billion in five-year bonds on Jan. 3, NT$30 billion in 20-year bonds on Feb. 21 and then NT$40 billion in 10-year bonds on March 28, the statement added.
Chanel in a hangar
China Airlines Ltd (華航), the nation's largest carrier, and Chanel, a world famous haute-couture brand, will jointly hold a fashion show for Chanel's 2006 spring-summer collection next month, a China Airlines spokesman said yesterday.
The show will be held on Jan. 13 at the air carrier's maintenance plant, and is especially designed to attract customers to Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.
The event is also expected to attract a large number of fashion celebrities from around the world, the spokesman said.
Most firms hold down pay
More than 73 percent of local companies will maintain salaries for workers at current levels, while only 12 percent said that they would consider raising starting salaries for new workers, according to the results of a recent survey by the 104 Job Bank (104人力銀行).
Some 55 percent of companies surveyed think business conditions next year will be about the same as this year.
Another 16 percent are pessimistic about the economic situation, the survey showed.
About 34 percent of companies said they have plans to recruit new blood next year, with those in the media and publishing sectors and those in the information and daily consumer products industries were displaying greater demand.
Job opportunities in the manufacturing, real estate and pharmaceutical and biotech sectors have increased over the past year.
Employment in the insurance and securities sectors, however, has fallen slightly, according to the results of the survey.
`Solar' chips could benefit all
If the chipmaking industry is able to integrate solar energy to produce highly efficient solar cells, then this would assist the nation in reducing its dependence on imported energy, Chang Chien-yi (張建一), a departmental director at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said yesterday.
Chang said the production process involved in developing low-cost solar cells has many features in common with semiconductor production.
Some solar cell manufacturers are studying how to use new chips and related technology to lower production costs, he said.
If the chipmaking industry can work well with the "green" energy sector, it would not only open up a new horizon for the industry but also create great benefits for the nation, which is 99 percent reliant on imported crude oil, he said.
NT dollar rises
The New Taiwan dollar rose yesterday on year-end demand from exporters and continued capital inflows, dealers said.
But there was little impact from the central bank's widely expected rate hike, they said.
A firmer Japanese yen also buoyed the NT dollar, which closed NT$0.083 higher at NT$33.178 on the Taipei foreign exchange market. Turnover was US$745 million.
Contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Polar Semiconductor LLC to collaborate on the production of 8-inch wafers in the US. The collaboration aims to strengthen 8-inch wafer manufacturing in the US amid Washington’s efforts to increase onshore manufacturing of semiconductors, contribute to supply chain resilience against shifting geopolitical dynamics, and ensure a secure domestic supply of power semiconductors critical to automotive, electric grids, robotic manufacturing and data centers, the companies said in a joint statement. Under the MOU, Polar and UMC will identify devices for Polar to manufacture at
TECH TITANS: Amazon’s latest chip joins Google in competing for the 90 percent market share held by Nvidia, which claims it is ‘a generation ahead of the industry’ Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday launched its in-house-built Trainium3 artificial intelligence (AI) chip, marking a significant push to compete with Nvidia Corp in the lucrative market for AI computing power. The move intensifies competition in the AI chip market, where Nvidia dominates with an estimated 80 to 90 percent market share for products used in training large language models that power the likes of ChatGPT. Google last week caused tremors in the industry when it was reported that Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc would employ Google AI chips in data centers, signaling new competition for Nvidia. This followed the release last month of
TARIFF TALKS: The US secretary of commerce is eyeing more than US$300 billion in investments and said Taiwan would train US workers, but Taipei has denied the latter US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the US is expecting a large investment pledge from Taiwan in trade talks, while President William Lai (賴清德) listed areas that need improvement in order for projects to be completed. “We’re in the midst of discussions,” Lutnick said on Wednesday. “But the fact is, this administration’s goal is to bring semiconductor manufacturing to America.” Lai on Wednesday said Taiwan is supportive of US President Donald Trump’s goal of reindustrializing the US, including efforts to ramp up semiconductor production. Such a goal would require the US to reduce its reliance on Taiwan as a key source
Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) and Luxshare Precision Industry Co (立訊精密) plan to add millions of gaming devices to Vietnam’s annual output, according to documents they submitted to local authorities, reinforcing the country’s role in the global supply of game consoles. Vietnam assembles a variety of electronic products destined for foreign markets, including smartphones, computers and tablets. Information on its production of consoles is not public, but Foxconn EV Energy & Component (Vietnam) Co, a subsidiary of the Taiwanese manufacturer, has capacity to produce up to 4 million gaming devices in a factory in Northern Vietnam, according to a company document from
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