Chi Mei Optoelectronics Co (奇美電子), the nation’s second-biggest liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panel maker, yesterday posted its strongest monthly revenues in nine months as recovering demand boosted panel prices.
Revenues increased 24 percent to NT$28.7 billion (US$874 million) last month, compared with NT$23.2 billion in the same period last year, making it the highest level since the economic slump hit electronics consumption last September.
It also represented about 7.4 percent monthly growth from NT$26.7 billion. Shipments of PC and TV panels dropped slightly to 7.1 million units from 7.2 million units in June.
On July 30, the Tainan-based company said prices for PC and TV panels would rebound by between 10 percent and 15 percent in the current quarter, compared with last quarter’s average price of US$106.
Shipments of PC and TV panels are expected to grow by 15 percent to 20 percent this quarter, from a record high of 19 million units in the second quarter, boosting equipment loading rates to as high as 95 percent.
Shares of Chi Mei dropped 1.69 percent to NT$17.4 yesterday, while rival AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) shares fell 2.87 percent to NT$33.9.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) reported consolidated net sales of approximately NT$31.17 billion for last month, representing month-on-month growth of 17.6 percent, the company said in a statement released yesterday.
The figure represented an 11-month high, thanks to increasing demand for personal computers, mobile phones and other consumer electronics products.
The world’s biggest contract chipmaker garnered NT$144.89 billion in revenues on a consolidated basis in the first seven months of the year, a figure that represented, however, a drop of 30.2 percent compared with the same period of last year, the statement said.
TSMC anticipated that its sales would see a decline this month and next month based on an earlier assessment that put its net sales in the third quarter at between NT$88 billion and NT$90 billion.
The company projected that its products would generate a gross margin of between 46.5 percent and 48.5 percent in the third quarter, marking growth of between 0.3 percent points and 2.3 percentage points, compared with those in the second quarter.
Its operating margin is expected to stand at between 35 percent and 37 percent in the third quarter, also marking an increase from the 33.9 percent in the previous quarter, the company said.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
RSS