The InvesTaiwan Service Center yesterday approved an application by Sigurd Microelectronics Corp (矽格) to invest NT$4 billion (US$144.5 million) to expand smart production lines at its plants in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong (竹東) and Hukou (湖口) townships, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
The investment by Sigurd, which provides semiconductor back-end manufacturing services, comes as more semiconductor companies are expanding production capacity to meet increasing demand.
‘DRIVING FORCE’
Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei Times
“The COVID-19-pandemic-induced stay-at-home economy and the development of new technology applications are a key driving force behind the business growth of global chip packaging and testing service providers,” the ministry said in a statement.
Sigurd is to install more smart production lines to test chips or modules used in 5G applications, artificial intelligence devices, network products and automotive electronics, the ministry said.
The company’s subsidiary, Sigurd UTC Corp (矽格聯測), in October gained the center’s permission to invest NT$2.9 billion to add clean rooms and expand smart production lines at its plants in the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
Thanks to sales contributions from its subsidiary, Sigurd Microelectronics reported consolidated revenue of NT$15.16 billion for the first 11 months of this year, up 35.16 percent from a year earlier.
Sigurd was one of eight local companies that yesterday obtained the center’s permission to join the government’s three major programs under the Invest in Taiwan initiative, the ministry said.
The companies, which include Wus Printed Circuit Co (楠梓電子), Forming Bicycles Parts Co (鋒明興業) and SCI Pharmtech Inc (旭富製藥), are to invest a combined NT$9.7 billion, the ministry said.
As of yesterday, the center had approved 1,134 applications from Taiwanese businesses to invest a total of NT$1.62 trillion through the three incentive programs launched in early 2019, the ministry said.
The investments pledged so far are expected to generate 128,635 jobs, it said.
Another 51 firms are awaiting approval to invest, it added.
In Italy’s storied gold-making hubs, jewelers are reworking their designs to trim gold content as they race to blunt the effect of record prices and appeal to shoppers watching their budgets. Gold prices hit a record high on Thursday, surging near US$5,600 an ounce, more than double a year ago as geopolitical concerns and jitters over trade pushed investors toward the safe-haven asset. The rally is putting undue pressure on small artisans as they face mounting demands from customers, including international brands, to produce cheaper items, from signature pieces to wedding rings, according to interviews with four independent jewelers in Italy’s main
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has talked up the benefits of a weaker yen in a campaign speech, adopting a tone at odds with her finance ministry, which has refused to rule out any options to counter excessive foreign exchange volatility. Takaichi later softened her stance, saying she did not have a preference for the yen’s direction. “People say the weak yen is bad right now, but for export industries, it’s a major opportunity,” Takaichi said on Saturday at a rally for Liberal Democratic Party candidate Daishiro Yamagiwa in Kanagawa Prefecture ahead of a snap election on Sunday. “Whether it’s selling food or
CONCERNS: Tech companies investing in AI businesses that purchase their products have raised questions among investors that they are artificially propping up demand Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday said that the company would be participating in OpenAI’s latest funding round, describing it as potentially “the largest investment we’ve ever made.” “We will invest a great deal of money,” Huang told reporters while visiting Taipei. “I believe in OpenAI. The work that they do is incredible. They’re one of the most consequential companies of our time.” Huang did not say exactly how much Nvidia might contribute, but described the investment as “huge.” “Let Sam announce how much he’s going to raise — it’s for him to decide,” Huang said, referring to OpenAI
The global server market is expected to grow 12.8 percent annually this year, with artificial intelligence (AI) servers projected to account for 16.5 percent, driven by continued investment in AI infrastructure by major cloud service providers (CSPs), market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. Global AI server shipments this year are expected to increase 28 percent year-on-year to more than 2.7 million units, driven by sustained demand from CSPs and government sovereign cloud projects, TrendForce analyst Frank Kung (龔明德) told the Taipei Times. Demand for GPU-based AI servers, including Nvidia Corp’s GB and Vera Rubin rack systems, is expected to remain high,
RSS