Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) founder and chairman Barry Lam (林百里) has been named the richest person in Taiwan, thanks to the company’s role in the global supply chain of artificial intelligence (AI), US magazine Forbes said.
Shares of Quanta soared 37.15 percent this year to NT$293.50 on Wednesday, before the local bourse closed for the rest of the week for the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.
Lam, 74, who steers a company that provides data centers, cloud systems and other electronics, has a net worth of US$12.6 billion and ranks 190th in the world. Quanta Computer is also a supplier to Tesla Inc and Apple Inc.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Globally, Bernard Arnault, who oversees the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, retained the title of the world’s richest person, followed by Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla Inc chief executive Elon Musk.
“The fortunes of the world’s billionaires continue to swell in 2024 as global stock markets shrug off war, political unrest and lingering inflation,” Forbes said.
They are richer than ever, worth US$14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by US$2 trillion from last year and US$1.1 trillion above the previous record set in 2021, it said.
Nvidia Corp cofounder Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) rose to become the 20th richest person as the net worth of world’s dominant supplier of AI hardware and software expanded nearly threefold last year.
Meta Platforms Inc chief executive Mark Zuckerberg ranked as the fourth-most wealthy person following a spike in the company’s net worth last year, Forbes said.
There are now more billionaires than ever, 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record also set in 2021, it said.
After Lam, footwear tycoon Zhang Cong-yuan (張聰淵), founder of shoe manufacturer Huali Industrial Group (華利實業集團), took the second spot in Taiwan and was ranked 295th in the world with a net worth of US$8.6 billion.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) had a net worth of US$7.5B billion, placing third in Taiwan and 354th globally, it said.
Two-thirds of the list’s members are worth more than a year earlier and only one-fourth are poorer, Forbes said.
Much of the gains come from the top 20, who added a combined US$700 billion in wealth since last year, it said.
The US now boasts a record-high of 813 billionaires worth a combined US$5.7 trillion, Forbes said, adding that China (including Hong Kong) remained second with 473 billionaires worth US$1.7 trillion, despite weak consumer spending and a real-estate bust that helped wipe out some US$300 billion in wealth.
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