■ semiconductors
Chip breakthrough reported
Intel Corp and university researchers announced a breakthrough on Monday that could lead to a laser-producing chip that could vastly improve computing power at a low cost. Intel said the researchers for the company and the University of California at Santa Barbara developed a process that could allow the production of hybrid silicon-laser chips to use laser beams instead of wires to transfer data. The use of photonics, or optical data transfer, could vastly increase the speed of computers while keeping costs down, the researchers said. The use of lasers could allow communication between chips within a system, bypassing many of the bottlenecks on existing computer chips.
■ Entertainment
Sharp goes with Blu-ray
Sharp Corp said it will start selling recorders that use Blu-ray high-definition disks early next year. The Blu-ray format, developed by Sony, can store between five and 10 times as much data as a conventional DVD, and is competing with Toshiba Corp's HD DVD to become the standard for recording and playing high-definition movies and other content. Mikio Katayama, executive director in charge of Sharp's LCD panel and TV business said the company would start selling Blu-ray recorders. Samsung Electronics, Apple Computer and Dell also support the Blu-ray format, while the HD DVD standard is backed by NEC, Intel aand Microsoft.
■ Steel
Mittal has hopes for China
Lakshmi Mittal, president of steel giant Arcelor-Mittal, hopes that China may allow foreign ownership of its steel interests by 2008, according to an interview with the Financial Times published yesterday. "I'd hope some day the Chinese government would allow this [foreign ownership] to happen, perhaps in the next two years," he said. Arcelor-Mittal, by far the world's biggest steelmaker after a recent takeover of the European group Arcelor by Mittal Steel, has cited Asia and the Middle East as key areas of expansion. Arcelor-Mittal has three joint ventures with operators in China, which accounts for almost one-third of global steel production and consumption.
■ Internet
Microsoft inks China deal
Microsoft Corp will provide China Telecom Corp, China's biggest Internet service provider, with a Web search to try raise the carrier's share of the Chinese Web market. Microsoft will provide its Live Search service to 25 million China Telecom customers, the two firms said a briefing in Beijing yesterday. Microsoft is working with China Telecom to raise its share of the nation's Internet market, whose users may double in five years, according to researcher IResearch Inc. The world's biggest software maker has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on its search engine to lure customers away from Google Inc.
■ Automobiles
Tokyo seeks more luxury
Toyota Motor Corp, which failed to meet its domestic sales target for the Lexus brand last year, will introduce its Lexus LS sedan in Japan to raise its share of the luxury segment in the world's second-largest auto market. Toyota expects to sell 1,300 units of LS sedans a month, it said in a statement yesterday. Toyota expects total global sales for the Lexus brand to reach 470,000 this year and surpass 500,000 vehicles next year.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
FLOOD RECOVERY: “Post-Typhoon Danas reconstruction special act” is expected to be approved on Thursday, the premier said, adding the flood control in affected areas would be prioritized About 200cm of rainfall fell in parts of southern Taiwan from Monday last week to 9am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District (桃源) saw total rainfall of 2,205mm, while Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) had 2,060.5mm and Tainan’s Nanhua District (南化) 1,833mm, according to CWA data. Meanwhile, Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County saw 1,688mm of accumulated rain and Yunlin County’s Caoling (草嶺) had 1,025mm. The Pingtung County Government said that 831 local residents have been pre-emptively evacuated from mountainous areas. A total of 576 are staying with relatives in low-lying areas, while the other 255 are in shelters. CWA forecaster
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