Huawei Technologies Co (華為) is close to finishing the construction of a semiconductor research and development (R&D) center in Shanghai, in a move that is likely to advance China’s technological ambitions even as the US tries to halt its rise.
The park, which would be Huawei’s largest research center globally, is to house about 30,000 personnel, statements on the Shanghai government’s Web site says.
The site in Qingpu District covers 1.6 million square meters and has its own road network, a small railway system and elevated bridges which are already in place, the release said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The new facility would pursue breakthroughs in semiconductors for devices, wireless networks and the Internet of Things, said a state media report in January, citing a Shanghai government briefing.
The total investment cost is 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion), a statement posted on the Qingpu government’s Web site says.
Huawei has been a target of US sanctions and export controls for years, as Washington and Beijing vie for supremacy in the semiconductor sector.
Last year, the company successfully navigated US restrictions to launch a new 5G phone, which was powered by an advanced made-in-China 7-nanometer chip.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has since initiated further curbs to rein in Huawei’s chip progress, including asking its allies to add new restrictions on China’s semiconductor sector.
It also revoked licenses that allowed Huawei to buy some chips from Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp in an effort to plug any loopholes in existing conditions.
Industry participants are likely to scrutinize Huawei’s next flagship smartphone, the Mate 70, which is expected later this year, for any signs that Beijing has made further strides in semiconductor development.
Its predecessor, the Mate 60, garnered strong demand from local consumers and helped Huawei gain some market share at the expense of competitors, including Apple Inc.
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
Popular vape brands such as Geek Bar might get more expensive in the US — if you can find them at all. Shipments of vapes from China to the US ground to a near halt last month from a year ago, official data showed, hit by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarettes in the world’s biggest market for smoking alternatives. That includes Geek Bar, a brand of flavored vapes that is not authorized to sell in the US, but which had been widely available due to porous import controls. One retailer, who asked not to be named, because
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
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,