Solar cell maker Sino-American Silicon Products Inc (SAS, 中美矽晶) has obtained approval to join the government’s reshoring initiative by investing NT$2.17 billion (US$68.6 million) to expand manufacturing capacity for large solar cells in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南) and Yilan County, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
SAS also plans to allocate part of the capital to build a smart manufacturing system at the factories to improve efficiency and work flow, the ministry said in a statement.
To enhance its technological capability, SAS told investors in August that it aimed to launch high-efficiency N-type TOPCON products early next year.
Photo courtesy of Sino-American Silicon Products Inc
N-type TOPCON technology offers advantages such as a low degradation rate, low temperature coefficient and high conversion efficiency of up to 25 percent, SAS said.
Large M10 N-Type TOPCON cells are to be the company’s new iconic product, it said.
SAS is one of five new companies to receive the government’s approval to invest at home, the ministry said.
Presently, 1,427 Taiwanese companies have pledged to invest a combined NT$2.16 trillion as part of the government’s Invest in Taiwan initiative.
Those investments are to create about 148,000 new jobs, the ministry said, adding that 11 companies are still waiting for a review to join the initiative.
Gen Asia Biotech Co (詮亞), a fruit powder supplier, was granted permission to invest NT$320 million to build its headquarters and a new production line in Nantou County, according to the ministry’s statement.
The company plans to add 30 local employees, the statement said.
Gen Asia plans to install automated equipment to improve manufacturing efficiency, the statement said.
The company also plans to install solar panels on the factory’s rooftop to cut carbon emissions, it said.
Fabric manufacturer Yum Sang Industrial Ltd (揚盛實業), which counts 3M, Nike Inc and Adidas AG among its major customers, plans to spend NT$250 million to build a new factory in Tainan as its existing factory is running short of manufacturing capacity.
Prepared foods supplier Sancci Manufacture Food Co (饗城) plans to spend NT$610 million to build new cold-storage warehouses in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林), where its factory is. The investment project would create 12 new jobs, the statement said.
Rice products supplier Better For You Co (貝特福優) plans to build a smart production line in Yilan County to expand capacity for an unspecified amount of capital, the statement said.
purpose: Tesla’s CEO sought to meet senior Chinese officials to discuss the rollout of its ‘full self-driving’ software in China and approval to transfer data they had collected Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing yesterday on an unannounced visit, where he is expected to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of "full self-driving" (FSD) software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Chinese state media reported that he met Premier Li Qiang (李強) in Beijing, during which Li told Musk that Tesla's development in China could be regarded as a successful example of US-China economic and trade cooperation. Musk confirmed his meeting with the premier yesterday with a post on social media platform X. "Honored to meet with Premier Li
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV on Friday announced an investment of NT$13.5 billion (US$414.62 million) over the next five years in Taiwan. The first multinational brewing company to operate in Taiwan, Heineken made the statement at a ceremony held at its brewery in Pingtung County. It also outlined its efforts to make the brewery “net zero” by 2030. Heineken has been in the Taiwanese market for 20 years, Heineken Taiwan managing director Jeff Wu (吳建甫) said. With strong support from local consumers, the Dutch brewery decided to transition from sales to manufacturing in the country, Wu said. Heineken assumed majority ownership and management rights
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The chipmaker last month raised its capital spending by 28 percent for this year to NT$32 billion from a previous estimate of NT$25 billion Contract chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電子) yesterday launched a new 12-inch fab, tapping into advanced chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology to support rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) devices. Powerchip is to offer interposers, one of three parts in CoWoS packaging technology, with shipments scheduled for the second half of this year, Powerchip chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) told reporters on the sidelines of a fab inauguration ceremony in the Tongluo Science Park (銅鑼科學園區) in Miaoli County yesterday. “We are working with customers to supply CoWoS-related business, utilizing part of this new fab’s capacity,” Huang said, adding that Powerchip intended to bridge
Microsoft Corp yesterday said that it would create Thailand’s first data center region to boost cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, promising AI training to more than 100,000 people to develop tech. Bangkok is a key economic player in Southeast Asia, but it has lagged behind Indonesia and Singapore when it comes to the tech industry. Thailand has an “incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future,” Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangkok. Data center regions are physical locations that store computing infrastructure, allowing secure and reliable access to cloud platforms. The global embrace of AI