ECONOMY
GDP to increase 4%: council
Taiwan’s GDP is expected to grow 4 percent this year, the National Development Council said in a statement yesterday. The council predicted solid growth amid booming outbound shipments, a continuing global economic recovery, more resilient supply chains and the emergence of new technologies. It said that Taiwan’s exports could reach US$472.1 billion this year, up 6.14 percent from last year, and that private consumption would grow 5.36 percent this year. An investment program, which was launched in 2019 and late last year was extended to 2024, would help attract NT$900 billion (US$32.33 billion) in overseas Taiwanese capital back to the country and generate 40,000 job opportunities, the council said. However, several challenges still lie ahead for Taiwan this year, such as inflationary pressure, carbon reduction and the COVID-19 pandemic, the council said.
MANUFACTURING
Sinbon posts record revenue
Connector and cable assembly manufacturer Sinbon Electronics Co (信邦電子) yesterday reported record revenue of NT$2.35 billion for last month, an increase of 11.44 percent from a year earlier and up 8.32 percent from the previous month. The company attributed the results to increasing demand for its products used in the automotive industry, medical and care devices, and industrial applications. The firm’s consolidated revenue totaled NT$2.35 billion last month, surpassing its record of NT$2.25 billion in November last year, Sinbon said in a news release. Cable assemblies contributed to 72.33 percent of the company’s total sales last month, while connectors and other components and accessories made up 27.67 percent, the company said.
CHIP DESIGNERS
Faraday revenue tops NT$1bn
Faraday Technology Corp (智原), a fabless chip design service and silicon patent provider, yesterday said that its revenue for last month exceeded NT$1 billion for the first time in the company’s history, hitting a record high for the third month in a row. Consolidated revenue was NT$1.05 billion, up 12.55 percent month-on-month and 117.09 percent year-on-year, the company said in a statement. Faraday’s revenue mainly comes from its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) solutions, non-recurring engineering services and silicon intellectual property business. Last month’s growth momentum benefited mainly from new ASIC solution projects, which should carry into this quarter despite the first quarter of the year being the low season, analysts said.
TESTING SERVICES
Sporton revenue hits record
Sporton International Inc (耕興), which provides professional product testing and certification services, yesterday reported that its revenue continued to climb last month and was the highest in the company’s history. Consolidated revenue increased 1.9 percent month-on-month and rose 25.77 percent year-on-year to a record NT$420.1 million. The increase was due to robust product testing for different wearable devices, smart consumer electronics, telematics and remote healthcare systems that use 5G and Wi-Fi 6E technologies, analysts said. Sporton’s revenue for last year grew 22.94 percent year-on-year to NT$4.32 billion after revenue in the fourth quarter rose 18.11 percent to NT$1.11 billion, as markets continue to migrate to 5G technology, they said. The company would continue to post record revenues this year, buoyed by strong growth momentum, analysts said.
Taiwan’s exports soared 56 percent year-on-year to an all-time high of US$64.05 billion last month, propelled by surging global demand for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and cloud service infrastructure, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) called the figure an unexpected upside surprise, citing a wave of technology orders from overseas customers alongside the usual year-end shopping season for technology products. Growth is likely to remain strong this month, she said, projecting a 40 percent to 45 percent expansion on an annual basis. The outperformance could prompt the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and
Two Chinese chipmakers are attracting strong retail investor demand, buoyed by industry peer Moore Threads Technology Co’s (摩爾線程) stellar debut. The retail portion of MetaX Integrated Circuits (Shanghai) Co’s (上海沐曦) upcoming initial public offering (IPO) was 2,986 times oversubscribed on Friday, according to a filing. Meanwhile, Beijing Onmicro Electronics Co (北京昂瑞微), which makes radio frequency chips, was 2,899 times oversubscribed on Friday, its filing showed. The bids coincided with Moore Threads’ trading debut, which surged 425 percent on Friday after raising 8 billion yuan (US$1.13 billion) on bets that the company could emerge as a viable local competitor to Nvidia
BARRIERS: Gudeng’s chairman said it was unlikely that the US could replicate Taiwan’s science parks in Arizona, given its strict immigration policies and cultural differences Gudeng Precision Industrial Co (家登), which supplies wafer pods to the world’s major semiconductor firms, yesterday said it is in no rush to set up production in the US due to high costs. The company supplies its customers through a warehouse in Arizona jointly operated by TSS Holdings Ltd (德鑫控股), a joint holding of Gudeng and 17 Taiwanese firms in the semiconductor supply chain, including specialty plastic compounds producer Nytex Composites Co (耐特) and automated material handling system supplier Symtek Automation Asia Co (迅得). While the company has long been exploring the feasibility of setting up production in the US to address
OPTION: Uber said it could provide higher pay for batch trips, if incentives for batching is not removed entirely, as the latter would force it to pass on the costs to consumers Uber Technologies Inc yesterday warned that proposed restrictions on batching orders and minimum wages could prompt a NT$20 delivery fee increase in Taiwan, as lower efficiency would drive up costs. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made the remarks yesterday during his visit to Taiwan. He is on a multileg trip to the region, which includes stops in South Korea and Japan. His visit coincided the release last month of the Ministry of Labor’s draft bill on the delivery sector, which aims to safeguard delivery workers’ rights and improve their welfare. The ministry set the minimum pay for local food delivery drivers at