The metaverse is inspiring a lot of imagination and potential business opportunities. According to McKinsey data, as cited by Singaporean tech expert Chau Nguyen, global metaverse opportunities amounted to US$200-300 billion in 2022, with 80% coming from the consumer market and 20% from the enterprise sector. It is estimated that by 2030, the metaverse market size will reach US$4 trillion, with enterprise users accounting for 30%.
There are many internationally well-known family businesses in India. The 2023 edition of Asia Economic Dialog had a session devoted to the discussion of family businesses' corporate social responsibility in emerging economies. The session featured India's Tata and TVS Motor, family businesses from Switzerland and Finland, and a professor from DePaul University in the US.
Taiwan's supply chains for the semiconductor and ICT industries have grown into global powerhouses after almost five decades of hard work. The importance of contract manufacturing had been underestimated, but now it is a global focus: this is "inside-out." Singapore has nine semiconductor fabs, and its industrial strength cannot be ignored. But Singapore's semiconductor industry relies much on investments from multinational firms, lacking the experience and gradual growth from the inside. Discussions about Singapore's semiconductor industry have mostly focused on the supplies of electricity, water, and personnel. It is difficult for them to construct their own industrial discourse, and they lack comprehensive research and data of their own on the industry. Therefore, what they need is an "outside-in" push. "Inside-out" and "outside-in" – that makes the huge difference between Taiwan's and Singapore's industries.
In order to attract attention, economics would always say we are living on the "edge of unknown." As for the things that we should pay attention to, they include inflation, the threat of war, post-pandemic situations, so on and so forth. They all sound pretty much the same. But when we really listen carefully, we can still find some differences that could inspire us.
Because of Taiwan's unique international status, Taiwanese don't usually get the chance to take part in diplomatic events. Following the opening ceremony at Asia Economic Dialog, India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar joined the finance ministers from Bhutan and the Maldives in a session to talk about South Asia's economy. The session's moderator was Qautam Bambawle, who has served as India's ambassador to China and Bhutan and high commissioner to Pakistan. Brazil's ambassador to India was also there. I was somewhat an outsider, but got the chance to observe firsthand the interactions between these ministers of South Asian countries.
The keynote speaker at the 2022 edition of the Asia Economic Dialog forum was the richest man in India, Qautam Adani. This year, it was India's IT guru, Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys and the father-in-law of British prime minister Rishi Sunak.
There are four types of players in EV race: Chinese automakers, traditional car brands, emerging auto companies and big techs. Let's explore the business strategies, market trends, industry and technology development.
Taiwan's electronics industry serves as a major manufacturing partner of global brands, and its order and shipment status is the leading indicator of the global electronics industry and even the changes of the global economy. Of all the electronics industry sectors, notebooks, smartphones and servers are the most important indicators, apart from semiconductors. Taiwan's ICT value chain will also play a significant role in the electronic vehicles (EV) sector in the future. DIGITIMES, as usual, will track the orders and shipments of these industry sectors quarterly, and compile them into easy-to-understand data.
Taiwan-based semiconductor firms had a total revenue of US$175 billion in 2022. With the semiconductor industry accounting for 65% of the added value compared to the total GDP, the contribution of the semiconductor industry to Taiwan's overall GDP is 13%.
All firms with considerable business scales in Taiwan's electronics industry are publicly traded. When they release their tentative annual financial indicators, we can already grasp the growth momentum of the industry, as well as the interactions between different industry sectors and the medium- and long-term outlook. DIGITIMES has again collected data on the ICT product manufacturing, semiconductors, optoelectronics, IC distribution and components sectors, providing readers with a comprehensive picture of the electronics industry and an outlook of the industry trends in 2023.
Samsung Electronics has reported record high revenues of KRW302.2 trillion (US$245.7 billion) for 2022, a growth of 8% compared to 2021. But a lot of troubles are brewing behind these impressive figures.
For half a century, Taiwan and South Korea have been competitors in many different industry sectors, from shoemaking, garment, refrigerators and TVs, to PCs, handsets and semiconductors. In the 1990s, Taiwan took the lead in the computer industry, and many Taiwanese would proudly declare that the Koreans had been defeated.
TSMC CEO CC Wei was taking questions at an event when Nicky Lu, vice chairman of Monte Jade Science and Technology Association, recalled that a few years ago, TSMC founder Morris Chang led a delegation of key executives of the company to a global semiconductor conference in South Korea. Chang quipped that Samsung may be a giant, but as along as you can find the chink in its armor, you can still hurt it.
On a cold and wet weekend morning last week, TSMC CEO CC Wei delivered a speech at an event organized by the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association on the topic of "New Challenges in the Semiconductor Industry."
TSMC is the guardian angel of Taiwan. It is not only setting a high bar for global industries, but also instilling confidence in the Taiwanese people and placing the country under the international spotlight. But TSMC's announcement of a plan to increase its investments in the US to US$40 billion has triggered mixed and polarized responses. For the government, this policy cannot please both sides, but it is also an opportunity to demonstrate the government's policy direction and ability to keep things under control. Be prepared, make bold decisions, and don't look back.
Taiwan is the number-one producer of servers, and the servers produced by Taiwanese companies are used in data centers worldwide, with a 92%global market share. And despite the economic downturn, the server market can still expect mild growth.