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.
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