TECHNOLOGY
Computex online this year
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of Computex Taipei are canceling the on-site exhibition for the second year in a row. The trade show was originally scheduled to take place from June 1 to 4 at the Taipei World Trade Center. However, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (外貿協會) and the Taipei Computer Association (台北市電腦公會) said in a statement yesterday that it is difficult for international exhibitors, visitors and media to attend the event due to border controls, so they canceled it. However, to keep the global tech industry connected, Computex Taipei would be hosting a virtual exhibition from May 31 to June 30, they said.
AIRLINES
EVA receives certification
EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that it has obtained certification from the International Air Transport Association’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics. The certification is expected to help EVA gain orders from new clients and increase the airline’s pharmaceutical logistics business by more than 30 percent this year, more than its average growth over past few years, the airline said. While rival China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) received the certification in 2019, EVA said that it would have an advantage over China Airlines as some clients might have more requirements for ground operations, and because its affiliate, Evergreen Airline Services Co (長榮航勤), has also obtained the certification.
BATTERIES
ProLogium mulls IPO
Solid-state battery maker ProLogium Technology Co (輝能科技) is considering going public later this year, people with knowledge of the matter said. The company is holding talks with advisers about options, including listing in the US through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, the people said. While discussions are still at an early stage, any deal could give ProLogium a multibillion-dollar valuation, the people said. ProLogium last month formed a joint venture with Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup JSC to produce solid-state batteries in the Southeast Asian nation. The company last year launched a Singapore subsidiary, ProLogium Innovation Pte Ltd. State-owned automaker China FAW Group Co (中國一汽集團) and an arm of Bank of China Ltd (中國銀行) invested in ProLogium last year, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
TAXES
Phones can be used to file
This tax-filing season, people would be allowed to use their smartphones to file their taxes, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday. Those wanting to do so would be required to sign up for the ministry’s tax-filing Web site by entering three numbers: their smartphone number; their Republic of China identification card number or Alien Resident Certificate number; and their National Health Insurance card number, the ministry said in a news release. The smartphone filing system would enable people to confirm important tax information, such as their income, tax deductions and tax exemptions, it said. The ministry estimated that about 4 million taxpayers would use their smartphones or tablets to file their taxes this year. This year’s tax filing season is from May 1 to 31.
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
Elon Musk’s lieutenants have reached out to chip industry suppliers, including Applied Materials Inc, Tokyo Electron Ltd and Lam Research Corp, for his envisioned Terafab, early steps in an audacious and likely arduous attempt to break into the production of cutting-edge chips. Staff working for the joint venture between Tesla Inc and Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) have sought price quotes and delivery times for an array of chipmaking gear, people familiar with the matter said. In past weeks, they’ve contacted makers of photomasks, substrates, etchers, depositors, cleaning devices, testers and other tools, according to the people, who asked not to
Japan approved ￥631.5 billion (US$3.97 billion) in additional subsidies to hasten Rapidus Corp’s entry into the high-stakes artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaking arena, ramping up support for a project widely regarded as a long shot. The capital is intended to bankroll Rapidus’ work for information technology firm Fujitsu Ltd, one of the initial customers that Tokyo hopes would get the signature endeavor off the ground. The new money raises the fees and investments that the government is injecting into the start-up to ￥2.6 trillion by the end of the current fiscal year to March next year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and
The founder of Chinese property giant Evergrande Group (恆大集團) has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and bribery, a court said yesterday, the latest blow for what was once the country’s leading developer. Evergrande’s rise was propelled by decades of rapid urbanization and rising living standards, but in 2020, its access to credit dramatically narrowed when the government introduced curbs on excessive borrowing and speculation. The company defaulted in 2021 after struggling to repay creditors. Founder Xu Jiayin (許家印), 67, known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese, was reportedly held by police in 2023, with Evergrande saying he had been subjected to
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