TECHNOLOGY
Nvidia CEO urges AI rules
The burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI) would create powerful tools that require legal regulation and social norms that have yet to be worked out, Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Tuesday told an event in Stockholm to announce an upgrade of Sweden’s fastest supercomputer using tools from Nvidia to, among other things, develop what is known as a large language model that would be fluent in Swedish. “Remember, if you take a step back and think about all of the things in life that are either convenient, enabling or wonderful for society, it also has probably some potential harm,” Huang said, adding that engineering standards bodies would need to establish rules for building safe AI systems, similar to how medical bodies set rules for the safe practice of medicine.
AVIATION
All Berlin flights canceled
Berlin Brandenburg Airport said it yesterday canceled all passenger flights because of a strike organized by the Verdi union, grounding the German capital’s only commercial airport days before a week-long winter vacation in the city. The dispute means that about 300 takeoffs and landings would not be possible, affecting about 35,000 passengers, the airport operator said. Verdi called the warning strike citing dissatisfaction with proposals made in three rounds of collective bargaining negotiations by the airport’s management. It demands a pay increase of 500 euros (US$544) a month for ground services employees over a 12-month period and higher bonuses for air security personnel.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Texas Instruments’ sales fall
Texas Instruments Inc, one of the world’s largest chipmakers, has posted its first sales decline since 2020 and gave a tepid forecast for the current quarter, hit by an industry slump. Revenue would be US$4.17 billion to US$4.53 billion this quarter, the company said on Tuesday, compared with an average of analysts’ estimates of US$4.41 billion. Profit per share would be US$1.64 to US$1.90, versus a prediction of US$1.86. The outlook suggests that Texas Instruments might not bounce back quickly from its sales slowdown. Wall Street expects revenue to decline throughout this year, as the company’s customers focus on reducing their stockpiles of used chips, rather than ordering new ones. The company is confident that long-term trends in electronics would increase the need for semiconductors. “As we expected, our results reflect weaker demand in all end markets with the exception of automotive,” CEO Rich Templeton said.
SRI LANKA
Interest rate kept at 15.5%
The central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged for a fourth straight meeting as Asia’s fastest inflation showed signs of cooling while the bankrupt economy seeks to turn the corner pending a crucial bailout. The bank held the standing lending facility rate at 15.5 percent, a move predicted by all five economists in a Bloomberg survey. “The maintenance of the prevailing tight monetary policy stance is imperative to ensure that monetary conditions remain sufficiently tight to rein in inflationary pressures,” the bank said in a statement on its Web site. “Tight monetary conditions, together with the tight fiscal policy, are expected to adjust inflation expectations downward.” The decision came a day after central bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said policymakers are starting to see disinflation and price gains should ease to single-digit percentage levels by the end of this year.
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
Taiwan will prioritize the development of silicon photonics by taking advantage of its strength in the semiconductor industry to build another shield to protect the local economy, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Liu said Taiwan already has the artificial intelligence (AI) industry as a shield, after the semiconductor industry, to safeguard the country, and is looking at new unique fields to build more economic shields. While Taiwan will further strengthen its existing shields, over the longer term, the country is determined to focus on such potential segments as
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced
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