INTERNET
Phone Web searches rise
While most netizens in Taiwan still search the Internet using personal computers, the number of searches done on mobile devices has increased rapidly, according to data released yesterday by Yahoo-Kimo Inc (雅虎奇摩), the Taiwanese unit of Yahoo Inc. The Web portal found that 89 percent of Taiwanese Internet users conduct daily online searches using PCs and laptops, while 47 percent search the Internet using smartphones and 23 percent do so from tablet computers. Young netizens favor smartphones, with Web users aged 13 to 19 making up the majority of searches from phones, while users aged between 50 and 65 tend to prefer devices with larger screens, Yahoo-Kimo said.
TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft announces tablet
Microsoft Corp on Sunday announced the arrival of its Surface tablet computers in Taiwan, with the 32-gigabyte Surface RT running the Windows RT operating system priced at NT$10,888 (US$364), while the 64GB version sells for NT$13,888. Microsoft’s flagship model, the Surface Pro, is priced at NT$24,888 for the 64GB version and NT$27,888 for the 128GB version. The Pro devices run a full version of Windows 8 and are equipped with a 1920 by 1080 full-HD screen. Both models went on sale at noon on Sunday at 100 Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co (燦坤) and Fayaque Co (法雅客) stores.
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 is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
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
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