The current approach to fixing climate change is not promising. Not only are many efforts going into the net-zero project, but the outcome is always the bathtub metaphor.
China-based smartphone brands saw their combined shipments slip 5.2% sequentially and 4.6% on year to come to around 150 million units in the second quarter of 2022, according to figures from DIGITIMES Research's Smartphone Tracker.
In 1990, I accompanied a technology delegation to Beijing and served as the speaker of the first public seminar. From 1990 to 2000, most of the investments made by Taiwanese companies in China were only for contract processing, and it was only when the companies invested in the Yangtze River Delta that a critical change in the industry relationship occurred.
Taiwanese companies have been adding more and more independent directors to their boards and increasing the overall level of board independence during recent years. Is this contributing to the overall effectiveness of board oversight and performance of Taiwanese companies? Or are these independent directors reticent to challenge management over fear of losing their board position?
In the post-industrial era, globalization and efficient management have given everyone a deep understanding of the 80/20 rule. Each of us understands that 80% of the added value may come from the contribution of 20% of the elite.
Apple is expected to diversify its MacBook production in China to avoid placing all the eggs in one basket, according to DIGITIMES Research senior analyst Jim Hsiao for the Notebook Tracker.
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released Q2 2022 worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled US$152.5 billion, up 13.3% on year and increased 0.5% from the first quarter of 2022. However, global sales for the month of June 2022 were $50.8 billion, a decrease of 1.9% compared to the previous month, and posted the first year-on-year decline.
With Intel and Samsung Electronics making frequent moves to target their common competitor TSMC, the media may be able to observe the changes in the industry from a different perspective, in addition to doing routine reporting.
Following the escalation of US tech export restriction on semiconductor equipment to cover processing tools for 14 nm and below, which has been confirmed by two American equipment manufacturers recently, news from Reuters on August 2 said the US is also considering shipment ban of equipment on memory manufacturers in China, the first time to target nonspecifically military application chips for export regulation.
China advances its leading position in the global New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market as the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war impact Europe. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), China contributed 59% of worldwide NEV sales in 1H22, significantly higher than Europe and North America.
With the US Congress passing the Chips and Science Act of 2022 on July 28, awaiting the US president Joe Biden to sign it into law, the global chips industry is far from having a sigh of relief. On the contrary, the real challenges have just begun. The Chips Act provides US$52.7 billion in subsidies for chip manufacturers, in addition to a US$200 billion funding for scientific research. While the legislation marks a significant milestone, its exact benefits and drawbacks remain unclear.
TSMC has mastered the structural advantage, but can it just sit back? DIGITIMES recently collaborated with National Taiwan University's (NTU) leadership program to conduct a series of analyses and reports on ESG issues in the technology and automotive industries, and I was impressed by the research done by NTU students on how TSMC compares to other world-class companies.
There is a very obvious diverge in the Q2 financial results of semiconductor companies – those with automobile and industrial grade chips taking the majority of their operations continue to enjoy double-digit growth, while those deeply involved with PC and consumer electronics suffer the bullwhip effect of the inventory corrections.
