RETAILERS
FamilyMart plan approved
Taiwan FamilyMart Co (全家便利商店), the nation’s second-biggest convenience store chain, plans to invest NT$16.8 billion (US$592.7 million) to expand its logistics facilities amid a rise in online shopping, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday as it approved the company’s application to join the government’s “Invest in Taiwan” initiative. FamilyMart said it plans to expand its logistics capacity in Taichung, Hualien County and Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The new facilities are to start operations next year and in 2024. The company operates eight logistics centers in Taiwan. Part of the investment would be to install solar panels on the rooftops of the centers with assistance from AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), FamilyMart said. The investment would create about 2,000 jobs, the ministry said.
PANEL MAKERS
AUO to invest in Taichung
The Taichung City Government yesterday welcomed an announcement by LCD panel maker AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) that it is to invest more than NT$100 billion to build an advanced G8.5 production line in the city. The new facility is to be built in the Houli District (后里) section of the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區). AUO last month told investors that it planned to use the new facilities to make high-end flat panels for notebook computers and monitors, with an aim to expand its market share. The company also plans to ramp up micro-LED display production at the new facilities, it said, adding that operations are to begin in 2025.
SEMICONDUCTORS
TSMC revenue rises
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday said revenue last month expanded 37.9 percent to NT$146.93 billion from NT$106.53 billion a year earlier. On a monthly basis, revenue dipped 14.7 percent from NT$172.18 billion. In the first two months of this year, revenue surged 36.8 percent to NT$319.11 billion, from NT$233.28 billion in the same period last year, the company said. Separately, Gudeng Precision Industrial Co Ltd (家登), the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet pods to TSMC, reported annual revenue growth of 53 percent to NT$277 million last month, benefiting from capacity expansion among customers. However, last month’s figure declined 17.56 percent from NT$336 million in January due to fewer working days, it said. In the first two months, revenue soared 52.68 percent year-on-year to NT$402 million, Gudeng said, adding that it has clear order visibility through the third quarter.
BICYCLES
Giant, Merida results mixed
The nation’s two major bicycle makers, Giant Manufacturing Co (巨大機械) and Merida Industry Co (美利達), yesterday reported mixed revenue results for last month. Giant, Taiwan’s largest bicycle manufacturer, posted revenue of NT$6.69 billion, an annual increase of 18.93 percent, the company said in a statement. Giant attributed the growth to strong sales in the US, Europe and China, as well as higher shipments from its contract business. Merida’s revenue fell 14.9 percent annually to NT$2.297 billion, Merida said in a separate statement. The firm blamed the decline on a high comparison base. In the first two months of this year, Giant’s revenue grew 9.61 percent year-on-year to NT$13.36 billion, while Merida’s revenue dropped 0.18 percent to NT$4.82 billion and shipments declined 12.78 percent to 159,674 units. Giant did not offer a shipments figure.
SEEKING CLARITY: Washington should not adopt measures that create uncertainties for ‘existing semiconductor investments,’ TSMC said referring to its US$165 billion in the US Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s
The government has launched a three-pronged strategy to attract local and international talent, aiming to position Taiwan as a new global hub following Nvidia Corp’s announcement that it has chosen Taipei as the site of its Taiwan headquarters. Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Monday last week announced during his keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei that the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s planned Taiwan headquarters, would be located in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei. Huang’s decision to establish a base in Taiwan is “primarily due to Taiwan’s talent pool and its strength in the semiconductor
An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia Corp takes center stage for Wall Street this week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over US federal deficits driving up Treasury yields. US equities pulled back last week after a torrid rally, as investors turned their attention to tax and spending legislation poised to swell the US government’s US$36 trillion in debt. Long-dated US Treasury yields rose amid the fiscal worries, with the 30-year yield topping 5 percent and hitting its highest level since late 2023. Stocks were dealt another blow on Friday when US President Donald
UNCERTAINTY: Investors remain worried that trade negotiations with Washington could go poorly, given Trump’s inconsistency on tariffs in his second term, experts said The consumer confidence index this month fell for a ninth consecutive month to its lowest level in 13 months, as global trade uncertainties and tariff risks cloud Taiwan’s economic outlook, a survey released yesterday by National Central University found. The biggest decline came from the timing for stock investments, which plunged 11.82 points to 26.82, underscoring bleak investor confidence, it said. “Although the TAIEX reclaimed the 21,000-point mark after the US and China agreed to bury the hatchet for 90 days, investors remain worried that the situation would turn sour later,” said Dachrahn Wu (吳大任), director of the university’s Research Center for
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