■CHINA
Inflation, loans pose danger
Economic growth in China has mainly been pushed by government policy, with the “hidden danger” of inflation and bad loans, Tang Shuangning (唐雙寧), chairman of Everbright Bank (光大銀行), said in an e-mailed statement. “China’s government implemented the right stimulus policy and effectively fought against the impact of the financial crisis on China’s economy,” Tang said. “But if we can’t look beyond the phenomenon or the other side of such conflicts, it’ll be one-sided.” He did not elaborate. Tang spoke about the world economy and financial crisis at a conference in Beijing yesterday.
■TECHNOLOGY
Inventec monthly sales fall
Notebook computer maker Inventec Corp (英業達) said yesterday that sales last month fell 5.4 percent from June largely because of weakening demand from Europe. Inventec posted sales of NT$32.86 billion (US$1.04 billion) last month, down from sales of NT$34.73 billion in June. The figure for last month was also down 11.77 percent from a year earlier. For the first seven months of the year, the company recorded sales of NT$200.75 billion, down 10.53 percent year-on-year. Apart from the lingering impact of debt problems in the eurozone, demand in Europe also fell due to the ongoing summer vacations and because many orders to meet demand for the back-to-school season in September were shipped in June, said Hsu Hsin-chun (徐信群), the company’s senior vice president.
■TECHNOLOGY
FIC teams up with Tridium
First International Computer Inc (FIC, 大眾電腦) and US-based Tridium, a device-to enterprise application software and integration solution provider, signed a reseller agreement on Friday to jointly explore the worldwide equipment market. FIC will work with Tridium to develop reliable and user friendly platforms to manage the automation, security and energy saving systems of buildings, according to Chien Ming-jen (簡明仁), FIC’s chairman and president. An alliance with Tridium, FIC will provide customers with complete device-to-enterprise solutions for building management.
■AUTOMOBILES
Prius to be made in Thailand
Toyota Motor will start producing the Prius hybrid in Thailand this year, stepping up overseas output amid swelling global demand, reports said yesterday. Toyota, the front-runner in hybrid cars that use two power sources — a petrol engine and another source such as an electric motor — launched the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car, in 1997. It will make the latest model of the Prius in Thailand, the second hybrid car after the hybrid version of the Camry sedan, the Nikkei daily and Jiji Press reported without citing sources. Local subsidiary Toyota Motor Thailand Co will oversee production of the Prius, with the technology-sensitive hybrid system including batteries and engines to be supplied from Japan, the reports said.
■TECHNOLOGY
Google acquires Slide
Google on Friday announced that it has bought hot online networking application maker Slide as part of a drive to “make Google services socially aware.” Slide is the San Francisco-based startup behind such playful or practical applications as SuperPoke and FunSpace that have become hits on Facebook and other social-networking Web sites. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Max Levchin, a co-founder of the PayPal online financial transactions service, launched Slide in 2005.
SEMICONDUCTORS: The German laser and plasma generator company will expand its local services as its specialized offerings support Taiwan’s semiconductor industries Trumpf SE + Co KG, a global leader in supplying laser technology and plasma generators used in chip production, is expanding its investments in Taiwan in an effort to deeply integrate into the global semiconductor supply chain in the pursuit of growth. The company, headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, has invested significantly in a newly inaugurated regional technical center for plasma generators in Taoyuan, its latest expansion in Taiwan after being engaged in various industries for more than 25 years. The center, the first of its kind Trumpf built outside Germany, aims to serve customers from Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and South Korea,
Gasoline and diesel prices at domestic fuel stations are to fall NT$0.2 per liter this week, down for a second consecutive week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to drop to NT$26.4, NT$27.9 and NT$29.9 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements. The price of premium diesel is to fall to NT$24.8 per liter at CPC stations and NT$24.6 at Formosa pumps, they said. The price adjustments came even as international crude oil prices rose last week, as traders
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
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