LCD panel maker Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said it has teamed up with NEXT Biometrics Group ASA to produce the world’s first flexible fingerprint sensor.
The companies have already worked together in supplying rigid fingerprint sensors to PC and tablet vendors such as Dell Inc, and the new collaboration is expected to strengthen their partnership.
The new flexible fingerprint sensor will have more accuracy than the capacitive sensor used in Apple Inc’s iPhones and iPads, given its capacity to scan a larger area, Innolux said.
It will also be more affordable than the capacity sensors used in high-end smartphones, the company added.
Through flexible fingerprint sensors, Innolux plans to expand its business from handsets to smart cards, credit cards and debit cards.
About 100 million smart cards, credit cards or debit cards are in worldwide circulation each year, the Miaoli-based company said.
Innolux expects to enter mass production of the flexible fingerprint sensors in the second quarter of next year.
The two companies are expected to ship 2 million units per month next year and 10 million units per month in 2018, NEXT Biometrics forecast.
They did not release financial details of the deal.
Innolux shares yesterday surged 4.44 percent to NT$11.75, the highest level in about one year as prices of flat panels continued to rise.
Market researcher IHS Technology Inc’s data showed prices of mainstream 32-inch TV panels rose 9 percent monthly to US$62 per unit amid a supply constraint.
INVESTOR RESILIENCE? An analyst said that despite near-term pressures, foreign investors tend to view NT dollar strength as a positive signal for valuation multiples Morgan Stanley has flagged a potential 10 percent revenue decline for Taiwan’s tech hardware sector this year, as a sharp appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar begins to dent the earnings power of major exporters. In what appears to be the first such warning from a major foreign brokerage, the US investment bank said the currency’s strength — fueled by foreign capital inflows and expectations of US interest rate cuts — is compressing profit margins for manufacturers with heavy exposure to US dollar-denominated revenues. The local currency has surged about 10 percent against the greenback over the past quarter and yesterday breached
MARKET FACTORS: Navitas Semiconductor Inc said that Powerchip is to take over from TSMC as its supplier of high-voltage gallium nitride chips Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday in a statement said that it would phase out its compound semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) business over the next two years, citing market dynamics. The decision would not affect its financial targets announced previously, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker said. “We are working closely with our customers to ensure a smooth transition and remain committed to meeting their needs during this period,” it said. “Our focus continues to be on delivering sustained value to our partners and the market.” TSMC’s latest move came unexpectedly, as the chipmaker had said in its annual report that it has
Gudeng Precision Industrial Co (家登精密), the sole extreme ultraviolet pod supplier to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), yesterday said it has trimmed its revenue growth target for this year as US tariffs are likely to depress customer demand and weigh on the whole supply chain. Gudeng’s remarks came after the US on Monday notified 14 countries, including Japan and South Korea, of new tariff rates that are set to take effect on Aug. 1. Taiwan is still negotiating for a rate lower than the 32 percent “reciprocal” tariffs announced by the US in April, which it later postponed to today. The
ELECTRONICS: Strong growth in cloud services and smart consumer electronics offset computing declines, helping the company to maintain sales momentum, Hon Hai said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Saturday announced that its sales for last month rose 10 percent year-on-year, driven by strong growth in cloud and networking products amid the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The company, also known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), reported consolidated sales of NT$540.24 billion (US$18.67 billion) for the month, the highest ever for the period, and a 10.09 percent increase from a year earlier, although it was down 12.26 percent from the previous month. Hon Hai, which is Apple Inc’s primary iPhone assembler and makes servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s AI accelerators, said its cloud
RSS