ELECTRONICS
Delta eyes 17% growth
Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), a supplier of power management solutions, yesterday said that its electric vehicle (EV) charging pile business would grow at least 17 percent during the five years to 2030. Delta has installed 2 million EV charging piles around the world, the company said. Aside from North America and Japan, Delta also plans to install 22 EV fast chargers at six service centers in Taiwan in the second half of this year, it said. Delta showcased its latest high-power fast chargers, which have a maximum output of 350 kilowatts, at the 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan trade show in Taipei.
SEMICONDUCTORS
US purchases hit record
US purchases of machines from Taiwan to make computer chips rose to a record last month. Taiwan, a global hub for silicon fabrication advances, saw its chipmaking machine exports to the US rise 42.6 percent last month from a year earlier, reaching a new high of US$71.3 million, Ministry of Finance data showed. Exports to China plummeted 33.7 percent, marking the ninth straight month of decline, the data showed. Home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and several other major players in the chip sector, Taiwan plays a central role in the global supply chain. Concern about over-reliance on the nation prompted steps by US officials to bring more advanced chipmaking within the US’ borders. TSMC is setting up two fabrication plants in Arizona, assisted by subsidies and local government support.
COMPUTERS
Computex speakers named
Nvidia Inc founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) is to deliver a keynote speech at Computex Taipei on May 29, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said yesterday. The five other keynote speakers are Qualcomm Technologies Inc senior vice president Alex Katouzian, NXP Semiconductors executive vice president Rafael Sotomayor, Acer Inc (宏碁) chairman and CEO Jason Chen (陳俊聖) and Charles Liang (梁見後), founder and CEO of Super Micro Computer Inc, TAITRA said. The speeches would focus on subjects around high-performance computing, artificial intelligence applications, next-generation connectivity, hyperreality, innovations and start-ups, and sustainability, it said. The annual trade show is to start on May 30 and run through June 2 at the Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall I and Hall II.
MEMORY CHIPS
Phison revenue expands
NAND flash memory controller supplier Phison Electronics Corp (群聯電子) on Wednesday said revenue expanded 20 percent sequentially last month to NT$3.93 billion (US$128.87 million) from NT$3.27 billion in February. Revenue tumbled 41.08 percent to NT$10.08 billion in the first quarter compared with NT$17.11 billion in the same period last year. Phison founder and CEO Pua Khein-seng (潘健成) said that memorychip prices are approaching a floor as indicated by Samsung Electronics Co’s recent remarks that it would reduce production to a “meaningful level” to reduce inventory and slow down price declines. Output reduction by NAND flash memorychip makers would be helpful in bringing the supply-demand condition to a healthy level and to stimulate prices, Pua said in a company statement released on Wednesday.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
SEASONAL WEAKNESS: The combined revenue of the top 10 foundries fell 5.4%, but rush orders and China’s subsidies partially offset slowing demand Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) further solidified its dominance in the global wafer foundry business in the first quarter of this year, remaining far ahead of its closest rival, Samsung Electronics Co, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. TSMC posted US$25.52 billion in sales in the January-to-March period, down 5 percent from the previous quarter, but its market share rose from 67.1 percent the previous quarter to 67.6 percent, TrendForce said in a report. While smartphone-related wafer shipments declined in the first quarter due to seasonal factors, solid demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) devices and urgent TV-related orders
Prices of gasoline and diesel products at domestic fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.2 and NT$0.3 per liter respectively, after international crude oil prices increased last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week snapped a two-week losing streak as the geopolitical situation between Russia and Ukraine turned increasingly tense, CPC said in a statement. News that some oil production facilities in Alberta, Canada, were shut down due to wildfires and that US-Iran nuclear talks made no progress also helped push oil prices to a significant weekly gain, Formosa said
MINERAL DIPLOMACY: The Chinese commerce ministry said it approved applications for the export of rare earths in a move that could help ease US-China trade tensions Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) is today to meet a US delegation for talks in the UK, Beijing announced on Saturday amid a fragile truce in the trade dispute between the two powers. He is to visit the UK from yesterday to Friday at the invitation of the British government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. He and US representatives are to cochair the first meeting of the US-China economic and trade consultation mechanism, it said. US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that a new round of trade talks with China would start in London beginning today,
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