Industrial computer maker CipherLab Co (欣技) said it expects revenue this year to grow 5 to 10 percent from last year, although second-quarter operations have been affected by a sharp appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar against the US dollar since early May.
The company has seen a large portion of its revenue offset by foreign-exchange losses in the second quarter due to the NT dollar’s appreciation, CipherLab finance and accounting division director D.C. Chang (張家榮) told reporters in Taipei on Wednesday, without disclosing the size of the losses.
CipherLab reported losses per share of NT$0.14 in the first quarter, while revenue decreased 5.74 percent annually to NT$270.65 million (US$9.39 million), company data showed.
Photo: Screen grab from CipherLab Co’s Web site
The company supplies handheld industrial computers, barcode scanners, and radio-frequency identification readers and related software, such as automatic identification and data capture systems, its Web site says.
Revenue in the second half of this year is projected to rise 20 percent from the first half after the company secured large orders in Taiwan and Japan, and in Southeast Asia, Chang said, adding that the growth momentum is expected to last until next year.
The company’s clients range from system integrators, express logistics operators and shipping companies to automakers, hospitals and convenience store chains, he said.
With the number of its Japanese projects increasing, the company expects the Japanese market to account for 10 percent of its revenue next year, up from 5 percent currently, Chang said, adding that the firm plans to establish a Japanese subsidiary next month to better serve customers there.
The US market accounts for about 20 percent of the company’s revenue, while western Europe contributes 5 percent and eastern Europe, including Russia, makes up 20 percent, he said.
The company expects US revenue to grow steadily in the second half and anticipates a stable performance in eastern Europe, while the market in western Europe still requires time to develop, the company said.
Chang said the company last month raised prices for products shipped to the US, as it assumes tariff rates would be 10 to 20 percent.
It might consider further adjustments if the rate exceeds 20 percent, he added.
Taiwan remains CipherLab’s main production base, he said, adding that the company has no plans to shift production to Southeast Asia to mitigate tariff effects, as relocation would increase costs and add operational complexity.
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops, but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city-state with high prices and little vacant land. The future agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbors, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is attracting Singaporean farmers with promises of cheaper land, labor and energy just over the border.
US actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office database. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. Several US states have adopted
RSS