Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s top chipmaker, would not give the US Department of Commerce confidential customer information, majority stakeholder the National Development Fund (國發基金) said yesterday.
National Development Council (NDC) Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), who oversees the fund and is a TSMC board director, told legislators at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei that although the chipmaker could provide the industry more insight into chip shortages during its quarterly board meeting, it is bound by confidentiality agreements not to disclose sensitive details.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on Thursday last week said that her agency was asking chip suppliers to fill out questionnaires by Nov. 8 to help it alleviate chip supply bottlenecks and identify possible hoarding.
Photo: Reuters
Legislators were seeking to know if TSMC could be forced by the US to surrender confidential information, such as a customer list, chip inventory and production plans, which would compromise its technology and business.
Kung said he would seek to better understand the situation before forming an opinion on the nature of the US’ requests.
The council later released a statement saying that the requests are aimed at all companies in the semiconductor supply chain, not just TSMC, and that response is voluntary.
Companies can decide whether the questions encroach on confidential agreements, the council said, adding that TSMC has indicated it would not reveal any commercial secrets.
TSMC said the government has been supporting the company, adding that it would seek additional government help if needed.
As the world’s No. 1 pure foundry service provider, TSMC makes chips and builds capacity according to customers’ demands, meaning that it does not stack inventory.
To alleviate global chip shortages, TSMC said it has taken “unprecedented actions to address this challenge.”
The chipmaker has increased output of microcontroller units — key components in automotive semiconductor products — by 60 percent from last year, it said.
The company made the remarks after participating in a White House meeting last week aimed at tackling chip crunch.
“Increasing demand visibility in this complex supply chain should be the path to avoid such shortages from happening,” the company said.
The chipmaker also said it is confident that its capacity expansion plan including an advanced 5-nanometer semiconductor fab in Phoenix, Arizona, would enable it to support the industry in driving long-term stability in semiconductor supplies.
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV yesterday said that it has reached an agreement to acquire a subsidiary brewery of Taiwan’s Sanyo Whisbih Group (三洋維士比集團). Heineken is to assume majority ownership and management rights of the Long Chuan Zuan Co (龍泉鑽興業) brewery in Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔), the Dutch company said. It would become the first multinational brewing company to operate brewery in Taiwan once the acquisition is completed. The deal has been approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Investment Commission, but details of the financial transaction cannot be disclosed at this time, as terms of the settlement have not been completed,
LOOK WHO OWES: China’s exposure to Taiwanese banks was the second-largest, with Luxembourg third, followed by Hong Kong and Japan, the central bank said The US remained the largest debtor country to Taiwan’s banking sector for a 27th consecutive quarter in the first quarter of this year, with its exposure rising 8.3 percent from a quarter earlier on the back of an increase in US bonds, the central bank said on Friday. Data compiled by the central bank showed that outstanding international claims by Taiwanese banks on a direct risk basis to the US stood at US$125.38 billion as of the end of March. Department of Financial Inspection deputy head Pan Ya-hui (潘雅慧) said that the US Federal Reserve’s launch of a rate hike cycle in
GREEN CITY: The company is set to invest US$8 billion to make electric vehicles and batteries for a new city that would rely entirely on renewable energy sources Indonesia said that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) is considering investing in the country’s new capital city, a move that would bolster the US$34 billion construction project. Hon Hai, which is known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), is looking at setting up an electric bus system and an Internet of Things network at Nusantara, as Indonesia’s new capital is to be called, Indonesian Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia said in a statement yesterday. Hon Hai chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Saturday to discuss the company’s plan to invest US$8 billion to build a manufacturing plant
WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY: Costco Wholesale said it expected the purchase of the remaining 45 percent stake to add 1 to 1.5 percent to its earnings per share US-based Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday said that it had purchased the remaining 45 percent stake in Costco President Taiwan Inc (台灣好市多) for US$1.05 billion, making the local company a fully-owned unit. “We estimate that the purchase would add about 1 to 1.5 percent to [our] earnings per share,” Costco said in a statement. Costco President Taiwan was established as a joint venture with Kaohsiung-based President Group (大統集團), which held a 45 percent stake. Since the first Costco store opened in Kaohsiung in 1997, 14 outlets have been set up in Taiwan, company data showed. PROFITABLE Three Costco stores in Taiwan — in Taipei’s Neihu