Shipments of notebook computers from the nation are expected to further expand in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, bolstered mainly by the upcoming Christmas period and a slew of lower-priced models, industry analysts said yesterday at a press briefing.
Fourth-quarter shipments for portable computers will reach 15 million to 18 million units, with an output value of US$9.08 billion, according to the latest report from the Market Intelligence Center (MIC,
It represents an increase of 13.7 percent in shipments over the third quarter and a rise of 42.2 percent from the same period of last year, MIC added.
"The Christmas buying season and aggressiveness from vendors promoting lower-end models will remain the two strongest drivers in the fourth quarter," said Cynthia Chyn (秦素霞), the center's deputy general director.
Taiwan, already the world's largest notebook computer manufacturer, will see its market share grow even larger this year, up to 82.41 percent from last year's 72.30 percent, Chyn said.
The gradual replacement of desktops by notebooks, coupled with big names such as Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard Co pushing cheaper models, are set to benefit Taiwanese vendors, as these companies outsource their production to companies here, she said.
"Currently, there are only a small percentage of Japanese vendors producing notebooks in-house, and South Korean players are slowly withdrawing from the original design manufacturing space, leaving the main chunk of work to Taiwanese vendors," Chyn said.
According to estimates from the Taipei-based market researcher, worldwide notebook shipments will rise by 28.9 percent this year from last year, totaling 59.5 million units. Next year's growth will slow slightly to 19.8 percent.
The replacement trend and low-priced models will continue to be the main factors behind growth next year, but the impact will be minimized since these trends have been taking center stage this year, notebook analyst Albert Chen (陳立恆) said.
However, the shortage of Intel chipsets and an outbreak of avian flu could impact people's willingness to spend, and might prove to be unforeseen hindrances to healthy growth, he said.
Acer Inc, Taiwan's third largest notebook maker by market value, is seen as the rising star among Asian brandname notebook makers, as its shipments are projected to rise by a strong 40 percent next year, he said.
The company's aggressiveness in the low-priced notebook lineup, its understanding of European markets and successful channel deployment will ensure success on the world stage next year, Chen said.
Meanwhile, desktop shipments from Taiwanese companies will hit 10.38 million units in the fourth quarter, expanding by 9.9 percent compared with the same period of last year, MIC's statistics showed.
The growth is attributed to strong demand in emerging markets including central and southern America, and higher spending in the enterprise segment, Chen added.
Semiconductor shares in China surged yesterday after Reuters reported the US had ordered chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to halt shipments of advanced chips to Chinese customers, which investors believe could accelerate Beijing’s self-reliance efforts. TSMC yesterday started to suspend shipments of certain sophisticated chips to some Chinese clients after receiving a letter from the US Department of Commerce imposing export restrictions on those products, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source. The US imposed export restrictions on TSMC’s 7-nanometer or more advanced designs, Reuters reported. Investors figured that would encourage authorities to support China’s industry and bought shares
FLEXIBLE: Taiwan can develop its own ground station equipment, and has highly competitive manufacturers and suppliers with diversified production, the MOEA said The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday disputed reports that suppliers to US-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) had been asked to move production out of Taiwan. Reuters had reported on Tuesday last week that Elon Musk-owned SpaceX had asked their manufacturers to produce outside of Taiwan given geopolitical risks and that at least one Taiwanese supplier had been pushed to relocate production to Vietnam. SpaceX’s requests place a renewed focus on the contentious relationship Musk has had with Taiwan, especially after he said last year that Taiwan is an “integral part” of China, sparking sharp criticism from Taiwanese authorities. The ministry said
US President Joe Biden’s administration is racing to complete CHIPS and Science Act agreements with companies such as Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co, aiming to shore up one of its signature initiatives before US president-elect Donald Trump enters the White House. The US Department of Commerce has allocated more than 90 percent of the US$39 billion in grants under the act, a landmark law enacted in 2022 designed to rebuild the domestic chip industry. However, the agency has only announced one binding agreement so far. The next two months would prove critical for more than 20 companies still in the process
CHANGING JAPAN: Nvidia-powered AI services over cellular networks ‘will result in an artificial intelligence grid that runs across Japan,’ Nvidia’s Jensen Huang said Softbank Group Corp would be the first to build a supercomputer with chips using Nvidia Corp’s new Blackwell design, a demonstration of the Japanese company’s ambitions to catch up on artificial intelligence (AI). The group’s telecom unit, Softbank Corp, plans to build Japan’s most powerful AI supercomputer to support local services, it said. That computer would be based on Nvidia’s DGX B200 product, which combines computer processors with so-called AI accelerator chips. A follow-up effort will feature Grace Blackwell, a more advanced version, the company said. The announcement indicates that Softbank Group, which until early 2019 owned 4.9 percent of Nvidia, has secured a
RSS