LCD panelmaker AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) is planning to invest NT$91.08 billion (US$3.26 million) over the next few years to expand its capacity to domestically produce panels used in premium notebook computers, the Hsinchu-based company said on Tuesday.
The investment would be part of the company’s efforts to boost production resilience and safeguard market share, AUO said in a statement.
It aims to increase capacity at its 8.5-generation and 6-generation plants in Taichung, and produce more panels with advanced hyper viewing angle technology to satisfy prospective rising demand in the post-COVID-19 era, it said.
Photo: Chen Mei-ying, Taipei Times
AUO also plans to spend NT$10 billion a year on the development of cutting-edge technologies and the enhancement of manufacturing capabilities, it said.
The panel maker has about 20,000 employees nationwide and is planning to create 2,700 new jobs, according to its four-year investment plan.
AUO also plans to expand panel manufacturing capacity in China to make low-temperature-poly-silicon panels (LTPS) used in high-end notebook computers, it said.
The company last quarter commanded about 60 to 70 percent of the world’s LTPS panel market, it said.
AUO on Tuesday received approval from the Investment Commission to invest US$617 million in its Chinese subsidiary in Kunshan, which would allow it to fully take over the subsidiary, of which it currently owns 51 percent, it said.
The commission also approved another US$384 million investment in the subsidiary, which would be used to expand the unit’s output to 47,000 units per month, it said.
“Given that the planned investment in Taiwan clearly exceeds the investment in China, we decided to approve AUO’s investment there,” the commission said. “As the Chinese subsidiary would handle simple manufacturing, we estimate that the risk of technology leakage is minimal.”
The commission also approved a China-bound investment of US$115 million by KGI Bank (凱基銀行), a subsidiary of China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控), to develop its consumer financial business in the nation.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
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 Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
RSS