Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), China’s biggest chipmaker, said it aims to post a sales increase of as much as 20 percent this year as it attracts orders for more advanced products.
The firm is expected to post “strong” growth in the second quarter after a sales drop in the three months to March 31, chief executive David Wang (王寧國) said in a conference call yesterday.
Semiconductor Manufacturing yesterday posted its first annual profit since 2004 as the global economic recovery boosted demand for chips used in mobile phones and computers. The Shanghai-based company plans to increase capital spending to US$1 billion this year to upgrade technology and catch up with bigger rivals, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電).
The company is getting more orders for products used in wireless connectivity devices, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as mobile phones, Wang said.
Fourth-quarter profits were US$68.6 million, compared with a US$617.7 million loss a year earlier, Semiconductor Manufacturing said in a statement released on Thursday. The company recorded an annual profit last year after five straight years of losses, it said.
First-quarter sales would fall between 6 percent and 9 percent from the US$411.8 million posted over the previous three months, the company said.
Semiconductor Manufacturing will seek “alternative funding” as the it seeks to “strengthen its equity structure,” CFO Gary Tseng (曾宗琳) said during the call.
The firm can meet its planned US$1 billion capital spending this year without additional funding, he said.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
RSS