ELECTRONICS
Wistron to buy KOE shares
Contract electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp (緯創) yesterday signed a share purchase agreement with JDI Taiwan Inc (台灣晶端顯示) to acquire all the common shares of Kaohsiung Opto-Electronics Inc (KOE, 高雄晶傑達光電科技), a subsidiary of JDI Taiwan, for ￥8.58 billion (US$77.16 million). Wistron made the announcement in a regulatory filing on behalf of its subsidiary Wise Cap Ltd (鼎創), whose board of directors on July 8 approved the acquisition to reinforce its partnership with Tokyo-based Japan Display Inc. “Based on the KOE’s net value of NT$1.346 billion on March 31, and taking into account other relevant pricing factors, the transaction price is set at ￥8.58 billion,” the filing said.
SILICON WAFERS
GlobalWafers clears hurdle
GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s No. 3 silicon wafer supplier, yesterday said that it has unconditionally cleared the requirements of the US’ Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 regarding its all-cash tender offer for Siltronic AG. The approval followed clearances already received from competition watchdogs in Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, South Korea and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US. GlobalWafers still needs approval from the competition agencies in China and Japan. The firm expects to complete the deal by the end of this year.
ELECTRONICS
Supply constraints hit Elan
Elan Microelectronics Corp (義隆電子), which supplies touchpad controller and fingerprint sensors, yesterday reported revenue of NT$1.65 billion (US$59.12 million) for last month, 0.29 percent lower than the previous month and 3.78 percent less than a year earlier, due to semiconductor supply constraints. Touchpad modules accounted for 47 percent of last month’s revenue, followed by touchscreen controllers at 26 percent, fingerprint sensors at 14 percent, pointing stick devices at 6 percent and microcontrollers at 5 percent, the firm said in a statement. In the first nine months of the year, cumulative revenue surged 35.53 percent year-on-year to NT$14.17 billion, driven by growth in the global notebook computer market, it said.
CERTIFICATION
Sporton posts record income
Sporton International Inc (耕興), which provides professional product testing and certification services, yesterday reported that its revenue last month increased 0.75 percent month-on-month and rose 31.19 percent year-on-year to a record of NT$408.24 million. The increase was due to robust demand in Taiwan, China, Japan and North America, as the markets continue to migrate to 5G technology, Sporton said in a statement. Revenue in the third quarter rose 11.82 percent from the previous quarter to a record NT$1.16 billion. From January to last month, cumulative revenue totaled NT$3.21 billion, up 24.7 percent from a year earlier, it said.
REAL ESTATE
Hiyes revenue up 16.99%
Hiyes International Co Ltd (海悅國際開發), the nation’s largest housing broker, yesterday reported that revenue last month grew 16.99 percent year-on-year to NT$405.8 million. Its revenue for the third quarter increased 2.78 percent annually to NT$1.09 billion. The firm attributed the growth to steady launches of new housing projects by developers, despite the impact of a COVID-19 outbreak, it said in a statement. In the first three quarters of the year, cumulative revenue surged 48.4 percent from a year earlier to NT$3.43 billion, the firm said.
UNPRECEDENTED PACE: Micron Technology has announced plans to expand manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of a new chip plant in Miaoli Micron Technology Inc unveiled a newly acquired chip plant in Miaoli County yesterday, as the company expands capacity to meet growing demand for advanced DRAM chips, including high-bandwidth memory chips amid the artificial intelligence boom. The plant in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼), which Micron acquired from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) for US$1.8 billion, is expected to make a sizeable capacity contribution to the company from fiscal 2028, the company said in a statement. It would be an extended production site of Micron’s large-scale manufacturing hub in Taichung, the company said. As the global semiconductor industry is racing to reach US$1 trillion
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
Memory chip stocks extended their losses yesterday after Alphabet Inc’s Google publicized research that could allow more efficient use of the storage needed for artificial intelligence (AI) development. SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, South Korean leaders in the market, fell more than 6 percent and about 5 percent respectively in Seoul. In the US, Micron Technology Inc, Western Digital Corp and Sandisk Corp slid more than 2 percent in pre-market trading, after they all closed lower on Wednesday. Memory companies have been on a tear in recent months as the rapid development of AI infrastructure triggered a spike in chip
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