Memorychip maker Winbond Electronics Corp (華邦電子) yesterday reported that net profit last year increased 3.17 percent thanks to strong demand for chips as telecommuters and distance learners required notebook computers and networking equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Net profit increased to NT$1.3 billion (US$45.89 million) from NT$1.26 billion in 2019, a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed.
Earnings per share edged up to NT$0.33 from NT$0.32 in 2019, while gross margin improved to 28.08 percent from 26.47 percent, it said.
Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei Times
Revenue expanded 24.24 percent to NT$60.68 billion from NT$48.77 billion in 2019, the company said, adding that about 56 percent of total revenue came from NOR and NAND flash memory chips, while 44 percent came from DRAM chips.
Winbond president James Chen (陳沛銘) told investors in July last year that demand for notebook computers — mostly Chromebooks for students — would continue to drive the chip market.
In a separate filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday, Winbond said that its board of directors approved capital expenditure of NT$1.19 billion. The chipmaker planned to spend NT$1 billion on new facilities and equipment last year.
The construction of a 12-inch fab in Kaohsiung is proceeding on schedule, the company said, adding that next year, it plans to have the equipment to produce 25-nanometer DRAM chips.
Winbond reported consolidated revenue of NT$6.9 billion for last month, up 87.45 percent year-on-year and 1.32 percent month-on-month.
The company is to release more financial details and offer its business outlook for the year at a biannual shareholders’ meeting today.
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