COMPUTERS
Asustek monthly sales fall
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday reported monthly sales of NT$29.1 billion (US$897.68 million) for last month, a decrease of 11.91 percent annually and 40.08 percent monthly. The company attributed the sales decline to fewer shipments of tablets and product transition. Asustek’s consolidated revenue totaled NT$148.35 billion in the first four months of this year, up by 2.37 percent from last year’s NT$144.92 billion. The company is tomorrow to release its earnings results for last quarter and shed light on the business outlook this quarter and beyond.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Hua Nan reports net income
State-run Hua Nan Financial Holding Co (華南金控) yesterday posted NT$1.29 billion in net income for last month, with its banking subsidiary generating 94.5 percent, the conglomerate said in a brief statement. The bank-focused financial service provider accumulated profits of NT$4.98 billion for the first four months, translating into earnings of NT$0.5 per share, the statement said. Hua Nan Commercial Bank (華南銀行) recorded net profit of NT$1.22 billion last month, while Hua Nan Securities Co (華南永昌證券) and South China Insurance Co (華南產險) contributed NT$40 million and NT$53 million respectively, the statement said.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
SinoPac net income rises
SinoPac Financial Holdings Co (永豐金控) yesterday reported net income last month gained 8.32 percent annually to NT$1.02 billion. However, net income in the first four months of this year dropped 19.83 percent to NT$3.68 billion, with earnings per share during the period of NT$0.36. Separately, CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) said that net income last month gained 26.14 percent annually to NT$2.22 billion, but the figure in the January-to-April period fell NT$8.78 billion, 23.85 percent lower than a year ago. Earnings per share in the first four months were NT$0.49.
TECHNOLOGY
Tripod dividend approved
Tripod Technology Corp (健鼎), a printed circuit board supplier, yesterday announced that its board of directors has approved the distribution of a cash dividend of NT$3.25 per share, translating to a yield rate of 5.74 percent based on the company’s current share price. The company also reported that sales last month rose 1.1 percent annually and 4.9 percent sequentially to NT$3.47 billion. Sales in the first four months dropped 0.1 percent to NT$13.42 billion. Tripod Technology shares yesterday closed flat at NT$56.6 in Taipei trading. Tripod Technology’s board also reported that net income in the first quarter reached NT$670 million, with earnings per share during the period of NT$1.28.
TECHNOLOGY
Aurora inks 3D printer deal
Office appliance sales agent Aurora Group (震旦) yesterday said that it has inked a deal to distribute J750 3D printers made by US-based Stratasys Ltd, one of the world’s leading developers. Compared with conventional methods, the J750 is capable of reducing development time for new products by 80 percent, and the 3D printer is suitable for applications in the medical, automotive, aerospace and electronics component manufacturing sectors, Stratysys said. Analysts said that Aurora’s 3D printing sales in Taiwan and China could grow by 75 percent annually this year and contribute NT$600 million in revenues.
INTERGRATION: Jensen Huang said that every Nvidia department and function of the company should be using AI, after reportedly saying staff were ‘insane’ not to Nvidia Corp is in a “unique” position in the market, despite facing intensifying competition, chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said during a brief visit to Taiwan yesterday amid a potentially growing challenge from Google for the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market. Huang told reporters that the AI market is “extremely large” and that while there is a lot of competition, Nvidia’s “condition is very strong and our position is very unique.” Huang, who arrived in Taipei on Thursday, was responding to questions about the possible threat posed by Google. According to a report in The Information on Tuesday, Meta has been in
Charming US President Donald Trump one week, angering China the next, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has had a busy start and is riding high in the polls, all on a few hours of sleep a night. However, the honeymoon might end soon for the Margaret Thatcher-admiring leader if a spat with China escalates further and she fails to keep inflation in check. “I believe Prime Minister Takaichi will surely do what she needs to do, so I trust her,” Kozue Otsuka, 50, told reporters at a festival this week for business owners seeking good fortune. While buying a lucky kumade rake featuring
INSULATED: The company said it is less exposed to global complications, as it has built a strong footprint worldwide, and has multiple sources of rare earths and raw minerals Merck Group yesterday said it would ramp up production next year at its new flagship facility in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) to satisfy growing demand for advanced semiconductor materials and specialty gases, and to address supply resilience issues amid mounting geopolitical risks. Merck made the remarks during a news conference before the inauguration of its 500 million euros (US$582.1 million) facility, which is also to supply other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. Merck executive board deputy chair and electronics CEO Kai Beckmann told reporters the company adopted a “local-for-local” strategy about seven years ago to address the cycle time of
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
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