TRADE
Computex visitors increase
This year’s Computex Taipei trade show attracted 42,495 visitors from 171 nations, a slight increase on 42,284 visitors from 168 nations last year, according to data on the Computex Web site. The five-day computer and technology expo, held from May 28 to Saturday, invited 76 “heavyweight” buyers to participate in 470 one-on-one talks with exhibitors, the Web site said, adding that the top 10 buyers this year were from China, the US, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia and India.
ELECTRONICS
Lite-On approves offer
Electronic components supplier Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday said its board of directors approved acquiring all the outstanding shares of Lite-On Japan Ltd through a tender offer on the Japanese high tech-oriented stock exchange JASDAQ. The offer period begins today and is to close on July 16, the company said, adding that it aims to make Lite-On Japan a wholly-owned unit. The company currently owns a 49.49 percent stake in the Japanese unit, while its two affiliates Silitech Technology Corp (閎暉實業) and Lite-On Semiconductor Corp (敦南科技) both hold 7.87 percent stakes respectively.
ELECTRONICS
Ichia revenue falls
Handset keypad maker Ichia Technologies Inc (毅嘉科技) yesterday posted revenue of NT$515 million (US$16.35 million) for last month, down 20 percent from a year earlier and 1 percent from April, as orders from clients continued to lose steam. Last month’s revenue included about NT$403 million in sales of flexible printed circuit integrated components and about NT$119 million from mechanical integrated components, Ichia said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
CHIPMAKERS
Global Unichip shares fall
Global Unichip Corp (創意電子) shares yesterday declined 1.79 percent to close at NT$219.5 in Taipei trading after going ex-dividend with a reference opening price of NT$223.5. The IC designer paid a NT$5 cash dividend per share from last year’s earnings. Dealers said the stock’s reference opening price attracted buying soon after the local bourse opened. However, the shares started to fall in the middle of trading session following a brief upside, as the market faced sell-off pressure amid US-China trade tensions, they said.
AUTOMAKERS
New vehicle sales rise
Sales of new vehicles last month rose 9.1 percent month-on-month and 6 percent year-on-year to 37,829 units, according to data compiled by the Directorate-General of Highways. Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車) continued to lead the market, selling 12,008 Toyota and Lexus vehicles last month, a market share of 31.7 percent, the data showed. In the first five months, total vehicle sales decreased 8.5 percent from a year earlier to 168,683 units, the data showed.
ENERGY
Taipower plans Cigu facility
State-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) plans to build a large solar energy power facility on the salt flats of Tainan’s Cigu District (七股). The firm is to invest about NT$7.4 billion to build a solar power facility with a capacity of 150,000 kilowatts, making it the largest solar energy generation facility in the nation. Taipower has installed 430 electricity feed lines in Tainan and by the end of 2025 the number is expected to increase by 630.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday said that its research institute has launched its first advanced artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) using traditional Chinese, with technology assistance from Nvidia Corp. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), said the LLM, FoxBrain, is expected to improve its data analysis capabilities for smart manufacturing, and electric vehicle and smart city development. An LLM is a type of AI trained on vast amounts of text data and uses deep learning techniques, particularly neural networks, to process and generate language. They are essential for building and improving AI-powered servers. Nvidia provided assistance
STILL HOPEFUL: Delayed payment of NT$5.35 billion from an Indian server client sent its earnings plunging last year, but the firm expects a gradual pickup ahead Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), the world’s No. 5 PC vendor, yesterday reported an 87 percent slump in net profit for last year, dragged by a massive overdue payment from an Indian cloud service provider. The Indian customer has delayed payment totaling NT$5.35 billion (US$162.7 million), Asustek chief financial officer Nick Wu (吳長榮) told an online earnings conference. Asustek shipped servers to India between April and June last year. The customer told Asustek that it is launching multiple fundraising projects and expected to repay the debt in the short term, Wu said. The Indian customer accounted for less than 10 percent to Asustek’s
‘DECENT RESULTS’: The company said it is confident thanks to an improving world economy and uptakes in new wireless and AI technologies, despite US uncertainty Pegatron Corp (和碩) yesterday said it plans to build a new server manufacturing factory in the US this year to address US President Donald Trump’s new tariff policy. That would be the second server production base for Pegatron in addition to the existing facilities in Taoyuan, the iPhone assembler said. Servers are one of the new businesses Pegatron has explored in recent years to develop a more balanced product lineup. “We aim to provide our services from a location in the vicinity of our customers,” Pegatron president and chief executive officer Gary Cheng (鄭光治) told an online earnings conference yesterday. “We
LEAK SOURCE? There would be concern over the possibility of tech leaks if TSMC were to form a joint venture to operate Intel’s factories, an analyst said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday stayed mum after a report said that the chipmaker has pitched chip designers Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc and Broadcom Inc about taking a stake in a joint venture to operate Intel Corp’s factories. Industry sources told the Central News Agency (CNA) that the possibility of TSMC proposing to operate Intel’s wafer fabs is low, as the Taiwanese chipmaker has always focused on its core business. There is also concern over possible technology leaks if TSMC were to form a joint venture to operate Intel’s factories, Concord Securities Co (康和證券) analyst Kerry Huang (黃志祺)
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