Chi Mei Optoelectronics Co (奇美電子), the nation’s second-biggest liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panel maker, said yesterday it had suspended plans to start mass production of large-size TV screens at a new advanced fab, citing a gloomy market outlook.
The Tainan-based panel maker said in October it planned to start shipping 50-inch or larger TV panels from an 8.5-generation (8.5G) plant in the second half of this year.
“The company has started moving in equipment for the 8.5G fab. However, as the market outlook is unclear, the company will set a new schedule for mass production depending on market demand,” Chi Mei said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Chi Mei had said earlier that it expected falling prices to boost demand for LCD TVs with screens bigger than 40 inches.
Chi Mei’s filing confirmed a report by the Chinese-language Commercial Times that it had postponed the production ramp up of the 8.5G factory.
Chi Mei could see losses widen to NT$20.34 billion (US$605 million) in the fourth quarter of last year, while its bigger rival, AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電), could swing into losses of NT$24.8 billion in the same period as panel prices plunge on contracting demand, Citigroup said in a report.
Shares of Chi Mei and AUO fell 0.49 percent and 2.12 percent to NT$10.1 and NT$23.05 respectively.
COMPETITION: AMD, Intel and Qualcomm are unveiling new laptop and desktop parts in Las Vegas, arguing their technologies provide the best performance for AI workloads Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD), the second-biggest maker of computer processors, said its chips are to be used by Dell Technologies Inc for the first time in PCs sold to businesses. The chipmaker unveiled new processors it says would make AMD-based PCs the best at running artificial intelligence (AI) software. Dell has decided to use the chips in some of its computers aimed at business customers, AMD executives said at CES in Las Vegas on Monday. Dell’s embrace of AMD for corporate PCs — it already uses the chipmaker for consumer devices — is another blow for Intel Corp as the company
MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said it is teaming up with Nvidia Corp to develop a new chip for artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputers that uses architecture licensed from Arm Holdings PLC. The new product is targeting AI researchers, data scientists and students rather than the mass PC market, the company said. The announcement comes as MediaTek makes efforts to add AI capabilities to its Dimensity chips for smartphones and tablets, Genio family for the Internet of Things devices, Pentonic series of smart TVs, Kompanio line of Arm-based Chromebooks, along with the Dimensity auto platform for vehicles. MeidaTek, the world’s largest chip designer for smartphones
TECH PULL: Electronics heavyweights also attracted strong buying ahead of the CES, analysts said. Meanwhile, Asian markets were mixed amid Trump’s incoming presidency Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) shares yesterday closed at a new high in the wake of a rally among tech stocks on Wall Street on Friday, moving the TAIEX sharply higher by more than 600 points. TSMC, the most heavily weighted stock in the TAIEX, rose 4.65 percent to close at a new high of NT$1,125, boosting its market value to NT$29.17 trillion (US$888 billion) and contributing about 400 points to the TAIEX’s rise. The TAIEX ended up 639.41 points, or 2.79 percent, at 23,547.71. Turnover totaled NT$406.478 billion, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. The surge in TSMC follows a positive performance
FUTURE TECH: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang would give the keynote speech at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which is also expected to highlight autonomous vehicles Gadgets, robots and vehicles imbued with artificial intelligence (AI) would once again vie for attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week, as vendors behind the scenes would seek ways to deal with tariffs threatened by US president-elect Donald Trump. The annual Consumer Electronics Show opens formally in Las Vegas tomorrow, but preceding days are packed with product announcements. AI would be a major theme of the show, along with autonomous vehicles ranging from tractors and boats to lawn mowers and golf club trollies. “Everybody is going to be talking about AI,” Creative Strategies Inc analyst Carolina Milanesi said. “From fridges to ovens
RSS