■ Computers
Lenovo plans new jobs
Chinese computer maker Lenovo Inc (聯想) plans to add 400 jobs and build offices in suburban Raleigh for its international division, the company announced on Thursday. Lenovo, which became the world's third-largest personal computer maker by purchasing IBM Corp's PC division earlier this year, employs 1,820 workers on IBM's campus in the area. Incentive deals with state and local governments could net Lenovo US$11 million or more if the company meets its job creation goals. The 400 jobs, which will include management, research and sales positions, will pay an average of US$70,000 a year, he said. The first 80 positions should be filled next year before the move is complete, according to Lenovo.
■ Telecoms
UK giant buys into India
Vodafone will invest US$1.5 billion for a 10 percent stake in Bharti Televentures, the flagship company of India's largest private telephone group, the British telecommunications giant said yesterday. After the share purchase, "Bharti Enterprises will maintain a controlling stake of 45.9 percent," a company statement said. Vodafone will buy a 4.4 percent stake from Bharti Enterprises and another 5.6 percent from investment firm Warburg Pincus. "We are entering a relationship with a major company which shares our vision and values and understands as we do the enormous potential of mobile telephony in society," Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin told a press conference. Bharti Televentures had 14 million mobile phone customers as of September last year and owns the largest network of mobile services across India.
■ Electronics
Free chip repairs offered
Electronics companies are offering free repairs for more than 80 models of digital cameras and camcorders that may contain a faulty imaging chip. The defect, affecting mostly older model products, occurs under hot and humid conditions and leads to either distorted or blank images on the viewfinder or liquid-crystal display, the companies say. The defective chip, made by Sony Corp between October 2002 and March last year, was used in an unknown number of cameras, camcorders and handheld computers. Camera makers and industry analysts say the problem has surfaced in a limited number of cases. Models affected include those made by Sony, Canon Inc, Nikon Corp, Olympus Corp, Ricoh Co, Fuji Photo Film Co, and Konica Minolta Holdings Inc.
■ Electronics
Toshiba's profits soar
Toshiba Corp, the world's second-largest maker of flash-memory chips used in cell phones and music players, said second-quarter profits rose 46 percent because of growing demand for the semiconductors. Net income gained to ¥23.6 billion (US$204 million) in the three months ending Sept. 30, from ¥16.2 billion a year earlier, the company said today in a statement to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Sales rose to ¥1.601 trillion from ¥1.534 trillion. "Toshiba expects a ¥100 billion operating profit from its chip business in the current fiscal year," Sadazumi Ryu, a vice president, said at a news conference. The company in April had forecast a ¥75 billion profit from chips. For the first half, Toshiba's memory business maintained a 10 percent operating profit margin.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
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