Taiwan Memory Co (台灣記憶體公司) postponed announcing its choice of partner between Japan’s No. 1 maker of computer memory chips, Elpida Memory Inc, and domestic chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp’s (南亞科技) US partner Micron Technology Inc.
In a statement, the Industrial Development Bureau said “both companies have expressed tremendous interest and enthusiasm in working with TMC.”
TMC is still in talks with both companies, it said. A decision was originally to be made public today.
“The Ministry of Economic Affairs will make an announcement once the talks have reached a new stage and there is more information,” it said.
Separately, Duh Tyzz-jian (杜紫軍) took over yesterday as bureau director-general, replacing Chen Chao-yi (陳昭義).
Duh said his top priorities included “assisting distressed companies during difficult times, using bureau resources to help companies upgrade their technology and productivity, and fostering and investing in innovation within Taiwan.”
Duh pledged to support the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
Chen stepped down after seven years of service as the bureau’s longest-running director-general for health reasons, but will stay on as its adviser during the transition.
A boom: The airlines saw a rise in international flights and demand for cargo services, with the latter attributed to AI needs and vendors opting to have items delivered by air China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have reported their highest-ever net profit for the first half of the year amid a boom in international travel and growing demand for cargo services. The global airline industry’s momentum from last year extended into the first six months of this year. That momentum along with an increase in the number of flights supported passenger revenue growth, the two airlines said on Friday. CAL’s net profit in the first six months of this year hit a new high of NT$7.14 billion (US$220 million), resulting in earnings per share of NT$1.08, the airline
Chinese technology giants including Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Baidu Inc (百度) as well as start-ups are stockpiling high bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductors from Samsung Electronics Co in anticipation of US curbs on exports of the chips to China, three sources said. The companies have ramped up their buying of the artificial intelligence (AI) capable semiconductors since early this year, helping China account for about 30 percent of Samsung’s HBM chip revenue in the first half of this year, one of the sources said. US authorities are planning to unveil an export-control package this month that would impose new restrictions on shipments
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (國泰航空) yesterday said that it would buy at least 30 Airbus SE A330-900 aircraft in a deal valued at US$11 billion as it looks to build on a post-COVID-19 recovery and reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers next year. The firm made the announcement as it reported a drop in profit in the first half of the year, having moved into the black for the first time in four years last year thanks to a pickup in post-pandemic demand. Cathay did not disclose the total price of the planes, but said it had received “significant price concessions”
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: The company expects revenue from the sale of servers to increase fivefold this year from 2022, rather than in 2027 as it forecast previously PC vendor Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday posted its strongest profit in 10 quarters for the second quarter, thanks to robust sales of PCs and servers, as well as greater royalty income. Net profit soared 117 percent quarter-on-quarter and 356 percent year-on-year to NT$11.8 billion (US$361 million) during the quarter ending June 30, compared with NT$5.45 billion in the first quarter and NT$2.59 billion in the second quarter last year. Earnings per share jumped to NT$15.9 from NT$7.3 the previous quarter and NT$3.5 a year earlier. Nonoperating profit last quarter totaled NT$4 billion, including NT$1 billion of royalty income from licensing its 3G,