TIGHT-LIPPED: UMC said it had no merger plans at the moment, after Nikkei Asia reported that the firm and GlobalFoundries were considering restarting merger talks
United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), the world’s No. 4 contract chipmaker, yesterday launched a new US$5 billion 12-inch chip factory in Singapore as part of its latest effort to diversify its manufacturing footprint amid growing geopolitical risks.The new factory, adjacent to UMC’s existing Sing
Taiwan’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month rose 0.2 percentage points to 54.2, in a second consecutive month of expansion, thanks to front-loading demand intended to avoid potential US tariff hikes, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday.Whi
Intel Corp is to spin off assets that are not central to its mission and create new products including custom semiconductors to try to better align itself with customers,chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) said on Monday.The US chipmaker needs to replace the engineering talent it has lost, impr
Materials Analysis Technology Inc (MA-tek, 閎康) yesterday said revenue from Japan would double this year from last year, thanks to growing demand from Japanese state-backed chip venture Rapidus Corp.MA-tek’s remarks came as Rapidus makes progress on its first chip manufacturing factory in Chitose, Ho
The 950 Taiwanese and 88 overseas companies with primary listings on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) reported combined pretax profit of NT$4.89 trillion (US$147.3 billion) for last year, up 38.33 percent from NT$3.54 trillion a year earlier, the exchange said yesterday.The TWSE-listed firms generat
US manufacturing contracted last month after growing for two straight months, while a measure of inflation at the factory gate jumped to the highest level in nearly three years amid rising anxiety over tariffs on imported goods.Anecdotes from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) survey yesterda
Taiwan remains on the latest US report on foreign trade barriers, released on Monday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), just days before US President Donald Trump is set to announce reciprocal tariffs.The section of the report on Taiwan, which remained largely similar to last year’
OpenAI on Monday said it raised US$40 billion in a new funding round that valued the ChatGPT maker at US$300 billion, the biggest capital-raising session ever for a start-up.ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot launched in November 2022.The infusion of cash comes in a partnership with
A visitor walks in a field of “Tulipani Italiani” tulips at the Agriturismo Cascina DUC farm in Grugliasco, near Turin, Italy, yesterday. The Tulipani Italiani you-pick garden was launched by the Netherlands’ Nitsuhe Wolanios and her companion Edwin Koeman. For a fee, visitors can walk through the g
SUPPORT: Shigeru Ishiba’s government has pledged about 5.4 trillion yen in an attempt to claw back some of Japan’s former leadership in chip technology
Japan is preparing as much as ￥802.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) in additional aid for chip start-up Rapidus Corp, a move that reflects Tokyo’s growing resolve to secure semiconductors during a time of heightened US-China tensions.That brings the total amount of public money earmarked for the country’s
UNCERTAINTY: Heavyweight tech stocks bore the brunt of the sell-off, with TSMC down 4.41 percent, MediaTek down 5.12 percent and Hon Hai dropping 5.19 percent
The TAIEX yesterday plunged 4.2 percent, or 906.99 points, to an eight-month low of 20,695.9 — its fourth-steepest single-day drop — as investors offloaded risky assets ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected announcement of reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday.The benchmark index lost 10.2 percent
The US remained the largest debtor nation to Taiwanese banks for the 38th consecutive quarter as of the end of December last year, the central bank said on Friday.Taiwanese banks’ exposure to the US totaled US$176.997 billion, a 2.74 percent decline from the previous quarter, central bank data showe
Huawei Technologies Co (華為) posted its first quarterly net loss in years after the company spent aggressively on research in areas from electric vehicles (EVs) to chips while the business as a whole slowed.The Shenzhen-based networking and electronics leader reported a 9.5 percent annual rise in rev
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde yesterday said that Europe should move toward economic independence as US President Donald Trump prepares to unleash a new wave of tariffs.Trump has vowed to impose reciprocal tariffs on a wide range of trade partners tomorrow, which he has coi
Industrial computer maker Ennoconn Corp (樺漢科技) yesterday said it is optimistic about the growing opportunities in the edge computing business and expects significant growth this year in the company’s three major units — design and manufacturing, systems integration and brand business.With a book-to-
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday gave a go-ahead for the proposed merger between Taishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) and Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (新光金控).The two financial conglomerates first announced the merger plan in August last year, which was approved by their respecti
China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) has finalized an agreement with Airbus SE to buy 10 A350-1000 passenger aircraft, which the carrier plans to fly as its next flagship model on high-demand, long-haul routes.CAL chairman Kao Shing-hwang (高星潢) and Airbus executive vice president for commercial aircraft s
Since early 2025, POP MART has demonstrated robust business performance, with overseas revenue accounting for 38.9% of its 2024 total revenue—US market being the most important growth drive. This trend reflects not only market recognition of its globalization strategy but also its unique IP opera
‘SWASTICAR’: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close association with Donald Trump has prompted opponents to brand him a ‘Nazi’ and resulted in a dramatic drop in sales
Demonstrators descended on Tesla Inc dealerships across the US, and in Europe and Canada on Saturday to protest company chief Elon Musk, who has amassed extraordinary power as a top adviser to US President Donald Trump.Waving signs with messages such as “Musk is stealing our money” and “Reclaim our
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