CHIPMAKERS
Epistar files lawsuit
Epistar Corp (晶電), the nation’s largest LED chipmaker, yesterday said it had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Adamax Inc. In its complaint to the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Epistar said that the LED lighting products and technology of Newhouse Lighting — trademark of Adamax — infringed on six Epistar patents. It said it is seeking injunctive relief to stop further sales of the Newhouse Lighting products. The lawsuit is to protect Epistar’s research and development, as well as its patent rights, it said.
SOLAR PRODUCTS
Eversol loan extended
Solar wafer supplier Eversol Corp (旭晶能源) yesterday said it had received the nod from its creditor banks to extend a NT$4.05 billion (US$127.6 million) syndicated loan by one year to August next year. Eversol has to change the payment terms, as its financial situation has deteriorated amid an industry slump, the company said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp. Eversol’s creditor banks include First Commercial Bank (第一銀行).
SHIPPING
Yang Ming offers help
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運) yesterday told customers that it would take all measures necessary to minimize the effects of possible service disruptions caused by financially distressed South Korean shipper Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd. South Korea’s biggest container liner on Wednesday applied for court protection after reporting debt of 6.1 trillion won (US$5.44 billion) at the end of June. Hanjin and Yang Ming are members of the CKYHE alliance. Shippers have been grappling with a slump in global trade since the 2008 global financial crisis and the slowdown in China’s economy. Yang Ming said that while it cannot ensure all shipments will be free from disruptions, it would provide all possible assistance.
GAME MAKERS
Deposit mechanism planned
The Financial Supervisory Commission on Wednesday suggested a deposit mechanism in a bid to guarantee that tender offers are honored, prevent defaults and protect investors. The proposal came after a tender offer for gaming software developer XPEC Entertainment Inc (樂陞科技) fell apart on Tuesday. XPEC shares extended losses again yesterday, falling by another daily maximum to close at NT$63.2 on the Taipei Exchange after chairman Aaron Hsu’s (許金龍) plan for XPEC to buy back its own shares from the open market failed to restore investor confidence. The commission is to propose measures by the end of this month for a deposit mechanism, commission Chairman Ding Kung-wha (丁克華) said.
SECURITY
KGI acquires PT stake
KGI Securities Co (凱基證券) has acquired a 99 percent stake in Indonesia’s PT Hasta Dana Securities Indonesia from PT HD Capital Tbk, after KGI completed a cash transaction on Wednesday. KGI Securities, an arm of China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控), said the transaction, which was conducted through its Hong Kong subsidiary, KGI Capital Asia, was valued at NT$200 million. The acquired Indonesian brokerage will be renamed PT KGI Sekuritas Indonesia, KGI said yesterday. HDSI owns brokering and underwriting licenses in Indonesia and is a member of the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
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
Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves fell below the US$600 billion mark at the end of last month, with the central bank reporting a total of US$596.89 billion — a decline of US$8.6 billion from February — ending a three-month streak of increases. The central bank attributed the drop to a combination of factors such as outflows by foreign institutional investors, currency fluctuations and its own market interventions. “The large-scale outflows disrupted the balance of supply and demand in the foreign exchange market, prompting the central bank to intervene repeatedly by selling US dollars to stabilize the local currency,” Department of Foreign
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 —
AI-FUELED DEMAND: The company has been benefiting from the skyrocketing prices for DRAM chips amid the AI frenzy, especially its core product — DDR4 DRAM chips DRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday reported that its revenue for the first quarter surged 582.91 percent to NT$49.09 billion (US$1.54 billion) from NT$7.19 billion a year earlier, as the supply crunch caused chip price spikes. Last quarter’s figure is the highest on record. On a quarterly basis, revenue jumped 63.14 percent from NT$30.09 billion, the company said. In January, Nanya Technology expected global DRAM supply scarcity to continue through the first half of 2028, thanks to strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) forecast prices of standard DRAM chips would rise between 58 percent and 63
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