Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) remained the top invention patent applicant in Taiwan in the first quarter of this year, outpacing all local and foreign applicants, the Intellectual Property Office said on Thursday.
TSMC filed 752 invention patents, up 4 percent from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive year the chipmaker claimed the first place in the first quarter.
Patents are categorized into three groups in Taiwan: invention, design and utility model. Invention patents are considered the most important in terms of new technology ideas.
Photo: Reuters
Smartphone IC designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) took second place among local applicants with 146 invention patent applications, up 121 percent from a year earlier, the highest rate of growth among local firms.
DRAM chip supplier Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) was third with 115 invention patent applications, up 17 percent from a year earlier, followed by flat-panel makers Innolux Corp (群創) and AUO Corp (友達), which filed 101 and 94 applications, up 3 percent and 7 percent respectively.
The office said it was the first time Innolux has filed more than 100 invention patent applications in a single quarter.
Rounding out the top 10 local applicants were communication network IC designer Realtek Semiconductor Corp (瑞昱半導體), with 77 applications, down 28 percent; contract notebook computer maker Inventec Corp (英業達) with 55 applications, up 17 percent; Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) with 45 applications, up 50 percent, memorychip supplier Macronix International Co (旺宏電子) with 42 applications, down 9 percent; and the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute with 42 applications, up 5 percent.
Among foreign applicants, Applied Materials Inc reclaimed the top spot after nine years by filing 182 invention patent applications, down 12 percent from a year earlier. It was followed by Japanese electrical product maker Nitto Denko Corp with 176 applications, up 18 percent; US-based smartphone IC designer Qualcomm Inc with 169 applications, down 30 percent; South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co with 166 applications, up 44 percent; and Japanese semiconductor supplier Tokyo Electron Ltd with 128 applications, down 10 percent.
In the first quarter, 12,486 invention patent applications were filed, little changed from a year earlier, the office said.
The number of invention, utility model and design patent applications totaled 17,226 in the first quarter, down 2 percent from a year earlier, it 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
TECH WAR CONTINUES: The suspension of TSMC AI chips and GPUs would be a heavy blow to China’s chip designers and would affect its competitive edge Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, is reportedly to halt supply of artificial intelligence (AI) chips and graphics processing units (GPUs) made on 7-nanometer or more advanced process technologies from next week in order to comply with US Department of Commerce rules. TSMC has sent e-mails to its Chinese AI customers, informing them about the suspension starting on Monday, Chinese online news outlet Ijiwei.com (愛集微) reported yesterday. The US Department of Commerce has not formally unveiled further semiconductor measures against China yet. “TSMC does not comment on market rumors. TSMC is a law-abiding company and we are
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
RSS