ELECTRONICS
HTC revenue dives
HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday reported revenue of NT$3.4 billion (US$115.7 million) for last month, a 27.03 percent plunge from NT$4.66 billion in the same period last year. The result represented the company’s lowest monthly sales in the past six months, HTC’s filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange said. The company launched its all-in-one Vive Focus virtual reality headset last month, which has not yet significantly contributed to the company’s revenue performance, market analysts said.
ELECTRONICS
Delta launches 8k projector
Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), the nation’s leading power and thermal management solutions provider, yesterday launched the world’s first 8K-resolution 25,000 lumen projector along with Digital Projection International Ltd, an associate of Delta and a provider of high-caliber display solutions. “The development of the 8K projector strengthens Delta’s technological leadership in the display industry and cements our partnership with Digital Projection,” Delta’s display solutions business unit general manger Jeff Fu (傅潔) said in a statement.
CHIPMAKERs
Vanguard approves payout
Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), which commands a 30 percent share of the global LCD panel controller chip market, said its board on Monday approved a cash dividend of NT$3 per common share. The distribution is similar to the previous year’s payout and equivalent to a dividend yield of 4.98 percent, compared with the stock’s closing price of NT$60.2 yesterday.
MANUFACTURING
Tight market benefits suppliers
Several passive components suppliers saw their revenues for last month exceed market expectations amid higher customer demand and a tight market supply. Yageo Corp (國巨) on Monday reported that revenue grew 44.77 percent year-on-year to NT$3.54 billion last month, up for the seventh consecutive month, and Walsin Technology Corp’s (華新科) revenue rose 44.1 percent annually to NT$2.22 billion, exceeding expectations and hitting a record high. Viking Tech Corp (光頡) posted record revenue of NT$208.88 million, up 52.33 percent from a year earlier, companies’ filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed.
ENERGY
CPC blast probe released
Preliminary investigations suggested that a malfunctioning altitude control valve led to a gas explosion at state-run CPC Corp, Taiwan’s (CPC, 台灣中油) refinery in Taoyuan last week, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement yesterday. CPC failed to suspend the operation of the heating furnace immediately after the malfunction, the ministry said, adding that human error resulted in damage to furnace pipelines.
CHIPMAKERs
Nanya posts monthly growth
DRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday posted 3.03 percent monthly growth in revenue for last month to NT$6.15 billion, compared with NT$6 billion in December last year. The figure, an 11-year-high since January 2007, was helped by the constant increase in chip prices. The chipmaker’s revenue soared 51.14 percent from NT$4.07 billion a year earlier. Nanya expects DRAM chip prices to increase mildly this quarter, extending its gains. That could help boost the company’s gross margin from last quarter, the company said.
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
Taiwan will prioritize the development of silicon photonics by taking advantage of its strength in the semiconductor industry to build another shield to protect the local economy, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Liu said Taiwan already has the artificial intelligence (AI) industry as a shield, after the semiconductor industry, to safeguard the country, and is looking at new unique fields to build more economic shields. While Taiwan will further strengthen its existing shields, over the longer term, the country is determined to focus on such potential segments as
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced
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