Wafer Works Corp (合晶科技), the world’s No. 6 silicon wafer supplier, is to invest NT$2.4 billion (US$81.41 million) to expand its 12-inch wafer capacity at an existing plant in the Longtan (龍潭) section of Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) to meet rising demand for chips used in vehicles, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
Wafer Works in May 2019 received ministry approval for a NT$1.16 billion capacity expansion plan at its Longtan site, allowing the wafer maker to join the government’s Invest in Taiwan initiative, the ministry said in a statement.
The automotive sector accounted for 50 percent of Wafer Works’ total revenue of NT$10 billion last year, up from 37 percent in 2020, the company said.
Photo: Hung Yu-fang, Taipei Times
Wafer Works plans to build a new smart wafer production line and add new cleanrooms to boost capacity, aiming to address surges in demand for 12-inch wafers, the statement said.
The project is expected to create 48 new jobs, it said.
As part of the new project, the company is to install solar power generation systems, and water and waste recycling facilities to reduce carbon emissions, the ministry said.
The company also operates 12-inch factories in Zhengzhou in China’s Henan Province and in Shanghai, supplying wafers to Chinese customers, the company said.
COVID-19 lockdowns in China have made it difficult for its Shanghai site to ship products, though production remains normal, it said.
Wafer Works’ revenue last month jumped 26.53 percent from a year earlier to NT$1.04 billion, primarily due to increased prices, the company said.
The company generated revenue of NT$3.05 billion last quarter, up 33 percent from NT$2.29 billion in the first quarter last year, a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed.
The ministry said its latest data showed that the Invest in Taiwan initiative has drawn investment commitments from 1,190 companies totaling NT$1.68 trillion, with 133,554 local jobs expected to be created.
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