LED chipmaker Epistar Corp (晶元光電) is to invest NT$5.4 billion (US$179.28 million) into production of mini-LEDs in Taiwan as it seeks to prioritize production here to cope with demand.
In light of growing pressure from rivals in China, Epistar is to focus on the development of new applications for mini, micro, ultraviolet and infrared LEDs.
The company plans to set up automated mini-LED production lines at a plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) in Taichung and establish a high-standard clean room at a plant at the Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) in Tainan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The investment came after the ministry approved Epistar’s application to join a three-year government program, the ministry said.
The investment would provide 150 job opportunities, it said.
The ministry yesterday also approved Ardentec Corp’s (欣銓) plan to invest NT$6.2 billion to expand production and purchase machinery equipment in Taiwan, as the provider of wafer testing for semiconductor firms is seeking to expand capacity at a plant at the Hsinchu Industrial Park (新竹工業區) amid order transfers from China amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ardentec’s investment would provide up to 80 jobs, the ministry said.
Ardentec’s wholly owned subsidiary Giga Solution Tech Co Ltd (全智科技) plans to invest NT$4.9 billion to expand its manufacturing facilities at the Hsinchu park, the ministry said.
Through the new investment, Giga, which provides testing services for wireless communication applications, is to focus on automated production while developing multiple applications for smartphones, data centers, base stations, end devices, wearable devices, radar detectors and telematics, the ministry said.
The investment is expected to provide 115 jobs, it said.
Test-Serv Inc (誠遠科技), a chip testing subsidiary of Sigurd Microelectronics Corp (矽格), is to invest NT$600 million to upgrade equipment at its Hsinchu plant as it faces uncertainty over its production in China, the ministry said, adding that the investment would provide 69 jobs.
Separately yesterday, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said that preliminary reviews of companies applying for a recently announced program aimed at subsidizing wages would begin next week.
Following a meeting with service-sector companies, Shen said that the pandemic has led to an 80 to 90 percent drop in sales for businesses operating in Taiwan’s shopping districts.
Local dry cleaners and wedding planners are also facing heavy setbacks, with sales declining 60 percent on average, he said.
“The Department of Commerce would go over applications very soon,” Shen said. “We need to act fast so that businesses can pay their employees.”
Capped at NT$20,000 per employee, the ministry would subsidize up to 40 percent of the payroll of companies that report a 50 percent year-on-year drop in revenue, while offering a one-time overhead subsidy of NT$10,000 per employee.
The ministry is also providing assistance to local businesses via a reduction in utility rates, as well as a credit guarantee fund.
Sweeping policy changes under US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr are having a chilling effect on vaccine makers as anti-vaccine rhetoric has turned into concrete changes in inoculation schedules and recommendations, investors and executives said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has in the past year upended vaccine recommendations, with the country last month ending its longstanding guidance that all children receive inoculations against flu, hepatitis A and other diseases. The unprecedented changes have led to diminished vaccine usage, hurt the investment case for some biotechs, and created a drag that would likely dent revenues and
Macronix International Co (旺宏), the world’s biggest NOR flash memory supplier, yesterday said it would spend NT$22 billion (US$699.1 million) on capacity expansion this year to increase its production of mid-to-low-density memory chips as the world’s major memorychip suppliers are phasing out the market. The company said its planned capital expenditures are about 11 times higher than the NT$1.8 billion it spent on new facilities and equipment last year. A majority of this year’s outlay would be allocated to step up capacity of multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chips, which are used in embedded multimedia cards (eMMC), a managed
CULPRITS: Factors that affected the slip included falling global crude oil prices, wait-and-see consumer attitudes due to US tariffs and a different Lunar New Year holiday schedule Taiwan’s retail sales ended a nine-year growth streak last year, slipping 0.2 percent from a year earlier as uncertainty over US tariff policies affected demand for durable goods, data released on Friday by the Ministry of Economic Affairs showed. Last year’s retail sales totaled NT$4.84 trillion (US$153.27 billion), down about NT$9.5 billion, or 0.2 percent, from 2024. Despite the decline, the figure was still the second-highest annual sales total on record. Ministry statistics department deputy head Chen Yu-fang (陳玉芳) said sales of cars, motorcycles and related products, which accounted for 17.4 percent of total retail rales last year, fell NT$68.1 billion, or
In the wake of strong global demand for AI applications, Taiwan’s export-oriented economy accelerated with the composite index of economic indicators flashing the first “red” light in December for one year, indicating the economy is in booming mode, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Moreover, the index of leading indicators, which gauges the potential state of the economy over the next six months, also moved higher in December amid growing optimism over the outlook, the NDC said. In December, the index of economic indicators rose one point from a month earlier to 38, at the lower end of the “red” light.
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