Quanta cuts quotes to gain next-generation Acer netbook orders Systems | Nov 18, 01:00 | | With Quanta Computer lowering its quotes at the end of October in order to gain next-generation Aspire One netbook orders from Acer, market sources indicated that Acer changed its mind and decided to renew Quanta as the supplier for its Aspire One line. Read more | |  |
| TSMC urges equipment and material suppliers to push for 18-inch wafer migration Bits + chips | Nov 18, 11:53 | | The transition to 18-inch wafer production may be interrupted by the current economic woes, but it is a necessary step the semiconductor industry has to take in order to increase production scale and efficiency significantly for better competitiveness, according to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As for its own 18-inch wafer production plan, TSMC has stated it is seeking more cooperation with equipment and material suppliers on development of 18-inch wafer fabs. Read more | | |
| Spansion sues Samsung over flash patents Bits + chips | Nov 18, 11:21 | | Spansion has announced that it is filing two separate patent infringement complaints against Samsung Electronics with the International Trade Commission (ITC) and in the US District Court in Delaware. The complaint in the US District Court in Delaware also seeks an injunction and treble damages for patent violations relating to Samsung flash memory, that Spansion estimates has accounted for more than US$30 billion in Samsung's global revenues since 2003. Read more | | |
| | | | | TSMC reportedly invests in Accton subsidiary, eyeing SiP-module market Systems | Nov 18, 15:27 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly invested in Taiwan-based Aiconn, a subsidiary of network-equipment maker Accton Technology,... Read more | | Acer ranks number one vendor in global 3Q08 consumer notebook market, says paper Systems - Newswatch | Nov 18, 15:02 Acer was ranked number one among global consumer notebook vendors in the third quarter this year with shipments of 5.04 million units, surpassing Hewlett-Packard's... Read more | ARM announces Adobe Flash 10 support Systems | Nov 18, 12:06 Adobe Systems and ARM have announced a technology collaboration to optimize and enable Adobe Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR for ARM powered devices, ranging... Read more | | Lite-On IT dismisses layoff rumors Systems | Nov 18, 10:35 Rumors have spread that Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), will downsize its personnel by 5-10% and reduce salaries... Read more | New AMD CPU numbering scheme similar to Intel Core i7 Mobos | Nov 18, 14:46 AMD has recently changed its CPU numbering scheme plans from five digits number to only three digits, similar to that of Intel's Core i7 CPUs, according... Read more | | Intel launches Core i7 processor Mobos | Nov 18, 09:57 Intel introduced its most advanced desktop processor, the Intel Core i7 processor. The Core i7 processor is the first member of a new family of Nehalem... Read more | Transtouch to ship Touch Lens panels in December Displays | Nov 18, 16:20 Taiwan-based touch panel maker Transtouch Technology will start shipping its frame-less Touch Lens products, developed in cooperation with CMC Magnetics,... Read more | | LCD panel prices expected to continue falling in 2H November Displays | Nov 18, 01:25 Despite LCD panel prices closing in on material costs, or even lower, for some applications, panel price still expected to drop further in the second... Read more | LCD panel makers CMO and CPT comment on reports they are delaying payments to suppliers Displays | Nov 18, 01:20 In response to a Chinese language Economic Daily News (EDN) report that stated LCD panel makers Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and Chunghwa Picture... Read more | | Driver IC supplier Orise secures 2009 orders from handset vendors Bits + chips | Nov 18, 16:31 Taiwan-based LCD driver IC design house Orise Technology has reportedly landed new orders from US- and Japan-based handset vendors for 2009. As reported... Read more | Smartphones continue to spur FPCB maker sales in 4Q08 Bits + chips | Nov 18, 14:53 Flexible PCB (FPCB) specialist Career Technology is expected to enjoy revenues growth of 20-25% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2008, buoyed by... Read more | | Walsin sees high-capacitance MLCC as key sales driver in 2009 Bits + chips | Nov 18, 12:16 Passive-component maker Walsin Technology expects its high-capacitance multi-layer ceramic-chip capacitor (MLCC) product line will be a key growth driver... Read more | China semiconductor industry sees weak growth in 3Q08 Bits + chips | Nov 18, 10:44 A recent survey by the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) pointed out that China's semiconductor industry only saw 1.1% growth in the third... Read more | | TSMC ramps volume production of 40nm process Bits + chips | Nov 18, 01:15 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced volume production of the foundry segment's only 40nm semiconductor manufacturing process... Read more | UMG solar-grade silicon has potential, but stable quality and supply not there stable yet, say Taiwan makers Bits + chips | Nov 18, 01:10 Solar-grade polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) produced by using an upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG) process has been shown to have the potential of... Read more | | IC packaging and testing houses Sigurd and KYEC expects 10% drop in sales in 4Q Bits + chips | Nov 18, 01:05 With the global semiconductor market falling on difficult times, IC packaging and testing houses Sigurd Microelectronics and King Yuan Electronics Company... Read more |
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| Notebook makers keep low component inventories at 3-4 weeks Systems | Nov 17, 10:38 | | Notebook makers are cautiously monitoring their component inventories, keeping the levels at as low as three to four weeks, according to industry sources. The makers' cautious monitoring of their inventories is creating heavy price pressure on suppliers of such components as panels, DRAM and NAND flash. Read more | | |
| AUO executives to take 10-15% pay cuts Displays | Nov 17, 15:28 | | LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) has decided to cut salaries by 10-15% for its ranking executives due to the uncertainty of the global economy outlook, according to market sources. Read more | | |
| TSMC has no layoff plans despite difficult times Bits + chips | Nov 17, 15:05 | | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has no layoff plans despite the global economic woes, according to company CEO Rick Tsai. He made the remarks on the sideline of the company's 2008 Supply Chain Management (SCM) Forum on November 14. Read more | | |
| | | | | Taiwan IC distributor Koryo sees positive order visibility Systems | Nov 17, 16:42 IC distributor Koryo Electronics recorded after-tax profits of NT$10.44 million (US$315,000) in October, the highest for 2008. Orders placed by its major... Read more | | Asustek cuts notebook component orders Systems | Nov 17, 15:32 Asustek Computer has suddenly cut orders by around 20-30% with its upstream component suppliers, according to sources at component makers. Read more | Intel mulls extended life-cycle for socket 775-based processors Mobos | Nov 17, 12:10 Intel is considering extending the life-cycle of its socket 775-based processors to 2011 and is expected to let these CPUs cover the entry-level segment,... Read more | | TPO to set up glass thinning plant in China Displays | Nov 17, 16:52 Taiwan-based small- to medium-size panel maker TPO Displays have announced plan to set up a new subsidiary in Nanjing, China for glass thinning operations,... Read more | Taiwan CCL makers face falling demand and price cuts Bits + chips | Nov 17, 16:58 Taiwan-based CCL makers including Elite Material, ITEQ, Taiwan Union Technology and Uniplus Electronics are facing decreasing demand from PCB makers... Read more | | US house pricing key to economic recovery, says TSMC chairman Bits + chips | Nov 17, 11:42 Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), remarked at a conference held by the Chinese National Association of Industry... Read more |
| | Motherboard and graphics card makers cutting back Mobos | Nov 14, 16:34 | | Several motherboard and graphics card makers saw serious overstock problems in the second half this year and started to cut prices several months ago in order to clear their inventory due to falling demand. Read more | | |
| Taiwan LED industry to grow by 7% next year Displays | Nov 14, 01:00 | | Taiwan's LED industry is estimated to see growth of 7% in 2009, compared to global LED industry growth of 5%, according estimates by the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of the Taiwan government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Read more | | |
| Kingston to build new plant in Taiwan in 2009 Bits + chips | Nov 14, 01:05 | | Memory module maker Kingston Technology plans to expand production capacity in Taiwan next year to support growing shipments, the company has revealed. Read more | | |
| | | | | Asustek believes style will help defend against falling notebook ASPs in 2009 Systems | Nov 14, 12:52 Despite the bleak current economic outlook, Asustek does not plan on focusing on a pricing strategy next year to increase shipments but instead will... Read more | | Asustek pushes back notebook outsourcing plans to 2Q09 Systems | Nov 14, 01:10 Asustek Computer's plans to outsource 30% of notebook production have been pushed back to second-quarter 2009, according to company president, Jerry... Read more | Nvidia to cut graphics card prices to counter AMD market share gains Mobos | Nov 14, 15:46 With AMD making gains in the discrete graphics card market – rising to around 40% in third-quarter 2008 according to a recent report from Jon Peddie... Read more | | CMO remains upbeat about future of LCD panel market Displays | Nov 14, 14:24 In contrast with the pessimism permeating the market, Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) is optimistic about the LCD panel market, expecting that it will... Read more | LCD panel market to recover in 2H09, says DisplaySearch Displays | Nov 14, 11:58 According to DisplaySearch, the LCD panel market will start to recover in the second half of 2009, as history of the panel industry indicates that oversupply... Read more | | AUO to enter e-book display market Displays | Nov 14, 01:15 Taiwan-based first-tier LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) has decided to enter the e-book display market in 2009, according to market sources. Read more | Taiwan solar industry has upper hand in the meantime, but China has better long-term potential Bits + chips | Nov 14, 17:00 The solar power industry in Taiwan may be doing better than that in China in terms of technology, management and product quality for the time being,... Read more | | Passive component maker Walsin Technology to lay off 400 workers before year-end Bits + chips | Nov 14, 16:08 Passive component maker Walsin Technology plans to lay off 400 employees before the end of this year amid mounting operating losses and a gloomy business... Read more | Notebook PCB makers HannStar Board and GCE push back expansion projects for 2009 Bits + chips | Nov 14, 15:24 Having downward adjusted their fourth-quarter guidance recently, the two major Taiwan notebook PCB makers – HannStar Board and Gold Circuit Electronics... Read more | | Kingmax affiliate to expand CMOS image sensor packaging capacity Bits + chips | Nov 14, 14:56 Backend service provider Kingpak Technology, a member of the Kingmax Group, has set a goal to expand its monthly capacity for CMOS image sensor (CIS)... Read more | Kingston claims almost half of China DRAM module market Bits + chips | Nov 14, 12:33 Kingston Technology has expanded its presence in the DRAM module and NAND flash applications market in China. The memory-module maker has seen its market... Read more | | Applied Materials expects overall equipment spending to drop in 2009, but upbeat about PV market Bits + chips | Nov 14, 10:23 Applied Materials has Read more |
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Notes and corrections | | A November 14 article incorrectly stated that Walsin Technology incurred losses in the third quarter this year. The company saw losses in the first quarter, but was profitable in the second and third quarters. |
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