SEMICONDUCTORS
Book-to-bill ratio increases
The book-to-bill ratio for North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers increased from 0.91 in October to 0.96 last month, statistics released by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) showed on Thursday. A ratio of 0.96 means that US$96 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of products billed in the month. A book-to-bill ratio of higher than 1 indicates that demand is higher than supply, while under 1 signals weakening demand. “As 2016 comes towards a close, equipment spending is stronger than expected at the start of the year,” SEMI senior director Dan Tracy said in a news release. “Spending has been driven by 3D NAND, leading-edge foundry and advanced packaging investments, and these segments are key for the expected spending growth in 2017.”
COMPUTERS
Advantech eyes smart cities
Advantech Co Ltd (研華), the nation’s biggest industrial computer maker, on Thursday said it is to partner with Japan’s Socionext Inc to launch 4K/8K imaging solutions. The Taiwanese company could use the cooperation to tap into smart-city opportunities related to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, local media reported yesterday. Capital Securities Corp (群益證券) said smart-city solutions is one of Advantech’s key growth drivers, as the global smart-city market would be valued at US$1.7 trillion in 2020, citing industry forecasts. However, the brokerage said the timing of the acceleration of materializing related business opportunities still requires further observation, a client note issued yesterday said.
AUTO PARTS
Takata to miss bid target
Takata Corp’s selection of a potential buyer is to miss its year-end target, as the shortlisted bidders need more time to review the air-bag maker pummeled by a record safety recall of its products, according to people familiar with the matter. The successful bidder could be named in the first quarter next year, the people said. Takata and its financial adviser Lazard Ltd have asked prospective buyers to complete due diligence in February, two of the people said. The Tokyo-based manufacturer had said last month it was working to find a buyer and finalize its restructuring plan by the end of the year. Takata is leaning toward bids from Autoliv Inc and Key Safety Systems Inc, people familiar with the matter have said.
GERMANY
Economy bounces back
The economy has rebounded more strongly than previously expected in the fourth quarter and the growth momentum is to carry through into next year, a leading forecasting group said yesterday. The projection, by the Ifo Institute, comes after the quarterly growth rate halved to 0.2 percent in the third quarter because exports to major trading partners weakened. The Ifo institute slightly raised its growth forecast for the economy to 1.5 percent next year and 1.7 percent in 2018. That was an extra 0.1 percentage point for each year.
TEXTILES
Lealea eyeing Indonesia
Lealea Enterprise Co (力麗), which produces polyester yarns, on Thursday said that its board of directors approved a plan to invest up to US$50 million to build a factory in Indonesia, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The company operates three plants in Taiwan with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes of polyester yarns, its Web site showed.
Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe, was once a silent observer in her home, excluded from financial and family decisionmaking in the deeply patriarchal society. Today, she is a driver of change in her village, thanks to an electric tricycle she owns. In many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa, women have long been excluded from mainstream economic activities such as operating public transportation. However, three-wheelers powered by green energy are reversing that trend, offering financial opportunities and a newfound sense of importance. “My husband now looks up to me to take care of a large chunk of expenses,
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday signed a letter of intent with Alaska Gasline Development Corp (AGDC), expressing an interest to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and invest in the latter’s Alaska LNG project, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement. Under the agreement, CPC is to participate in the project’s upstream gas investment to secure stable energy resources for Taiwan, the ministry said. The Alaska LNG project is jointly promoted by AGDC and major developer Glenfarne Group LLC, as Alaska plans to export up to 20 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2031. It involves constructing an 1,290km
NEXT GENERATION: The company also showcased automated machines, including a nursing robot called Nurabot, which is to enter service at a Taichung hospital this year Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) expects server revenue to exceed its iPhone revenue within two years, with the possibility of achieving this goal as early as this year, chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) said on Tuesday at Nvidia Corp’s annual technology conference in San Jose, California. AI would be the primary focus this year for the company, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), as rapidly advancing AI applications are driving up demand for AI servers, Liu said. The production and shipment of Nvidia’s GB200 chips and the anticipated launch of GB300 chips in the second half of the year would propel
‘MAKE OR BREAK’: Nvidia shares remain down more than 9 percent, but investors are hoping CEO Jensen Huang’s speech can stave off fears that the sales boom is peaking Shares in Nvidia Corp’s Taiwanese suppliers mostly closed higher yesterday on hopes that the US artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer would showcase next-generation technologies at its annual AI conference slated to open later in the day. The GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in California is to feature developers, engineers, researchers, inventors and information technology professionals, and would focus on AI, computer graphics, data science, machine learning and autonomous machines. The event comes at a make-or-break moment for the firm, as it heads into the next few quarters, with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s (黃仁勳) keynote speech today seen as having the ability to
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