ICT-industrie nieuws
Digitimes
« Chicony Power nets NT$0.56 per share in 1Q18
Power supply maker Chicony Power Technology has reported net EPS of NT$0.56 (US$0.019) for first-quater 2018.
« Wafer test specialist CHPT 1Q18 revenues surge 36% on quarter
Taiwan-based IC test equipment supplier Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT) has reported consolidated revenues of NT$740 million (US$24.90 million) for the first quarter of 2018, surging 36% sequentially but declining 6% on year.
« Notebook vendors boosting SSD adoption for new models
Downward movement of prices for solid state drives (SSDs) and growing requirement for higher storage capacities have prompted notebook vendors such as HP and Dell to boost the adoption ratio of SSDs in their products, and 256GB is expected to become the mainstream for notebook SSDs in 2019, according to industry sources.
« Coretronic Robotics to begin producing surveillance drones in July
Coretronic Intelligent Robotics, a robot-manufacturing arm of BLU maker Coretronic, is expected to begin volume production of smart drone products designed for surveillance purposes in July, according to company sources.
« IC test, analysis players to gain from thriving IoT sector
Thanks to the booming development of IoT (Internet of Things) devices and applications, Taiwan-based specialists in semiconductor materials analysis, IC test and verification services, including Integrated Service Technology (iST), Sporton International and Materials Analysis Technology (MA-tek), are optimistic that their service orders from IoT chipmakers and packagers will pick up quarter by quarter throughout 2018, according to industry sources.
« China smartphone makers pulling in IC orders
Taiwan-based suppliers of smartphone solutions, LCD driver ICs, analog and power management (PWM) chips, are expected to post double-digit sequential revenue growth in the second quarter of 2018 thanks to a significant pick-up in orders from China's smartphone vendors, according to industry sources.
« AI to be new direction for storage industry: Q&A with Pure Storage VP Robert Lee
Pure Storage has worked with Nvidia and Arista Networks to jointly create AI Ready Infrastructure (AIRI) that is able to assist its clients with demand for AI applications.The company's FlashBlade series servers will be the initial product line to feature the infrastructure.
« Taiwan remains largest consumer of semiconductor materials
With its large foundry and advanced packaging base, Taiwan was the largest consumer of semiconductor materials for the eighth consecutive year in 2017, according to a recent SEMI report.
« Qisda promoting smart factory solutions
EMS provider Qisda has adopted smart factory solutions at its factory in Taoyaun, Taiwan, and has been promoting such solutions to other manufacturers, according to company chairman and CEO Peter Chen.
« Phison shipments for SSD to nearly double in 2018
NAND flash device controller supplier Phison Electronics is expected to see its shipments for SSDs grow nearly 100% in 2018 topping 40 million units, according to company sources. Robust shipments for SSDs will also enable Phison to maintain its gross margin at a high level, the sources indicated.
« Epistar setting up 6-inch epitaxial wafer capacity
Epistar has dislosed it is setting up production capacity for 6-inch epitaxial wafers mainly for making VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) and GaN LED chips for power devices, with completion scheduled for June 2018 and operation to kick off in the third quarter.
« MLS enters automotive lighting market via Taiwan subsidiary
The largest China-based LED packaging service provider MLS has entered the LED automotive lighting market segment through its Taiwan subsidiary, MLS Taiwan.
« UMC net profits surge in 1Q18
Pure-play foundry United Microelectronics (UMC) has reported net profits of NT$3.4 billion (US$114.3 million) for the first quarter of 2018, up 92% sequentially and 48.7% on year.
« TSMC continues to dominate global foundry market, says IC Insights
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) continued to lead the global IC foundry market in 2017, with sales of US$32.2 billion, according to IC Insights. TSMC's 2017 sales were over 5x that of second-ranked Globalfoundries and more than 10x the sales of the fifth-ranked foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC).
« North American semi equipment industry billings continue growth
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$2.42 billion in billings worldwide in March 2018 (three-month average basis), according to SEMI. The billings figure is 0.4% higher than the revised February 2018 level of US$2.41 billion, and 16.7% above the March 2017 billings level of US$2.08 billion.
« TeraPower expecting car-use chip probing orders from Japan IDMs
TeraPower Technology, a re-invested chip probing affiliate of Taiwan's memory backend service specialist Powertech Technology (PTI), is actively tapping into the automotive electronics segment and may land orders from Japan IDMs keen on developing car electronics chips, according to supply chain sources.
« Corning loss narrows in 1Q18
Corning has reported net loss of US$589 million for first-quarter of 2018, an improvement from the net loss of US$1.412 billion for the previous quarter.
« Micron gearing up for 10nm-class DRAM production in Taiwan
Micron Technology is gearing up to expand production of 10nm-class DRAM chips at its Taiwan-based fabs between 2018 and 2019.
« SPIL 1Q18 profits fall to 9-quarter low
IC packaging specialist Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) has reported net profits of NT$240 million (US$8.1 million) for the first quarter of 2018, down 83.9% sequentially and 75.9% on year.
« US tough penalty hurts ZTE and many others
Seen as an extension to the ongoing bilateral trade spats, the US Department of Commerce has imposed a ban on ZTE for sanctions violations, prohibiting American firms from selling components to the China telecom equipment maker for seven years. The move has not only dealt a heavy blow to ZTE, but may also threaten the development of industry value chains.
« Techman Robot showcasing TM12 at Hannover Messe 2018
Techman (TM) Robot, Quanta Storage's own brand vendor of collaborative robots, is exhibiting the latest model, TM12, at Hannover Messe 2018 during April 23-27.
« Apple adoption of Qi spurring wireless charging development, says Digitimes Research
The competition among wireless charging standards did not come to an end when Apple decided to choose Qi of the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) for iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices in 2017. Instead, the move has pushed the member companies in the AFA (AirFuel Alliance) to exert efforts to develop magnetic resonance (MR) and other RF wireless charging solutions in order to win a new round of battle in the mid- and long-distance wireless charging segment, according to Digitimes Research.
« Realtek posts profit growth in 1Q18
Networking IC design specialist Realtek Semiconductor has reported net profits for the first quarter of 2018 increased 5.4% sequentially and 65.8% from a year earlier to NT$841 million (US$28.4 million).
« Taiwan graphic card makers to see shipments plunge 40% in April
Taiwan-based graphics card makers including Gigabyte Technology, Micro-Star International (MSI) and TUL are expected to see their shipments for April plunge over 40% on month, as many clients have suspended taking shipments in response to drastic slowdown in demand for cryptocurrency mining machines, according to industry sources.
« Winbond 1Q18 profits more than double
Winbond Electronics, a supplier of specialty DRAM and flash memory, has reported net profits surged 118% from a year earlier to NT$1.57 billion (US$53.1 million) in the first quarter of 2018. EPS for the quarter came to NT$0.40.
« Component orders for new iPhone to not pick up till mid-3Q18, say sources
Speculation about Apple cutting back its orders for iPhone devices and related components has been fueled by revelations by more Taiwan-based suppliers that their orders from the US client for its smartphones have been reduced or delayed, according to industry sources.
« PTI seeing clear order visibility through 3Q18
Backend house Powertech Technology (PTI) has seen its order visibility extend to the third quarter of 2018, but expressed concerns that tight supplies of certain components and materials will affect its supply.
« Young Optics not to deal out dividend for 2017
Optical component and module maker Young Optics has decided to not distribute any dividend for 2017.
« Ritek to produce business-use optical discs for Japan Disc
Blank optical disc maker Ritek will undertake outsourced production of business-use blank CD-R and DVD-R discs for Japan Disc for three years, according to Chinese-language newspaper <em>Economic Daily News</em>.
« Worldwide semiconductor revenues increase 21.6% in 2017, says Gartner
Driven by strong growth in the memory market, worldwide semiconductor revenues totaled US$420.4 billion in 2017, a 21.6% increase from 2016 revenues of US$345.9 billion, according to Gartner.
« AMEC to set up MOCVD base in Nanchang
China-based semiconductor equipment maker Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) has signed a deal with Nanchang city government, central China, to set up an MOCVD R&D and production base.
« Altek to introduce strategic partners via private placement
Digital camera ODM and digital imaging solution developer Altek will issue up to 60 million new shares to introduce strategic partners through private placement or private subscription for domestic or overseas convertible bonds, according to the company.
« Sercomm to bring in strategic partners via private placement
Networking device maker Sercomm plans to issue either 48 million new shares or NT$3 billion (US$101.25 million) worth of corporate bonds through private placement, according to a company announcement.
« Desktop renewals in commercial space drive stabilization in the EMEA PC market, says IDC
The Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) traditional PC market (desktops, notebooks, and workstations) recorded slight growth in the first quarter of 2018, with the market growing 0.6% and totaling 17.5 million units, according to IDC. The commercial space grew 6.2% due to enterprise renewals, while the consumer space declined 5.2% as market saturation in Western Europe led to heavy declines across the region. Notebooks posted a slight decline of 0.5% for EMEA as continued demand for mobility and security drove strong commercial growth, offsetting the weak consumer performance in Western Europe. Desktops were the real drivers this quarter, posting an overall growth in EMEA of 2.9% on year, as ongoing traction in the gaming market aided the overall consumer performance, while enterprise renewals contributed to the strong commercial outlook.
« China solar mono-Si wafer makers expand production in Yunnan
Major China-based solar mono-Si wafer makers have constructed additional production capacities in the western province of Yunnan, where abundant hydraulic power enhances competitiveness in product pricing and lowers carbon footprints.
