Business and Finance

Taiwan’s ITRI to build trailblazing domestic 5G ecosystem

The Industrial Technology Research Institute has embarked on the joint project along with 18 local companies

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/24
By:  Taiwan News

The ITRI HQ (ITRI Facebook photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) has enlisted the help of 18 local companies to create Taiwan’s own 5G ecosystem.

ITRI is set to unveil the first of its non-standalone cell sites at ICT Tech Day next Wednesday (July 31). The cell site is part of a larger project involving 18 companies, and the construction of a 5G ecosystem in Taiwan.

With support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), ITRI has begun building small cell sites that will become part of a larger 5G ecosystem. With commercial operation tests set to be completed at the end of the year, Taiwan will be on a par with leading international 5G innovators, reports China Times.

ITRI’s General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories Chiueh Tzi-Cker (闕志克) believes this is an opportunity for Taiwan businesses to enter the 5G market, as tech trends have opened up and standardized cell site software. Chiueh says the industry has been transformed by Radio Access Network (RAN) virtualization and cloud computing.    [FULL  STORY]

Four state-run firms to hire 1,219 employees

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/24
By: Liao Yu-yang and intern Tiffany Chiu

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Four state-owned enterprises under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will recruit more than 1,000 workers later this year, with starting salaries likely to reach up to NT$39,000 (US$1,254) per month, the MOEA announced Wednesday.

According to the ministry, Taiwan Power Co., CPC Corp. Taiwan, Taiwan Sugar Corp. and Taiwan Water Corp. will hire 1,219 new employees, holding a joint recruitment examination.

The recruitment aims to bring in new blood and enable senior employees to pass on key technology and experiences to junior staff, the MOEA said.    [FULL  STORY]

UMC profit up 45% on high demand

CAUTION: Customers are managing inventories more carefully amid a weakened global economic environment, which might contribute to lower visibility, the company said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 25, 2019
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Co (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said its net profit last quarter rose 45 percent quarterly, due mainly to improving chip demand for mid-to-low-end smartphones.

The Hsinchu-based chipmaker expects the growth momentum to carry into this quarter, driven by inventory replenishment demand from “some selected customers in the communications segment.”

That would help wafer shipments grow 2 to 4 percent quarterly and help raise wafer prices by 1 percent in US dollar terms, UMC said.

However, gross margin would be little changed from 15.7 percent last quarter, as the factory utilization rate would remain at the higher end of 80 percent, the chipmaker said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan delegation joins ‘Startup Thailand’ conference in Bangkok

National Development Cou6ncil sponsoring 15 Taiwanese startups to join event

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/23
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In Bangkok, Thailand, the “Startup Thailand” conference to promote technological innovation across Southeast Asia is taking place July 23-27, with over 500 startups representing 25 countries set to participate.

With the aim of supporting technological innovation and startups in Taiwan, as well as those in target New Southbound Policy countries, Taiwan is also taking part in the event with a delegation of 30 people. The National Development Council is sponsoring a select group of 15 Taiwanese startup enterprises through its Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan (ASVIDA).

The conference will give up-and-coming Taiwanese tech companies an opportunity to network with potential partners, investors, or future clients. The startups from reportedly cover emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of things along with smart agriculture, transportation, and drone development, reports LTN.    [FULL  STORY]

Revenues in retail, food sectors hit record highs in June: MOEA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/23
By Liao Yu-yang and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) Revenues in both the retail and the food and beverage sectors hit record highs in June, with domestic demand showing stable growth during the month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Tuesday.

Retail sales rose 4.5 percent year-on-year to NT$311.3 billion (US$10.01 billion) in June, while revenues in the food and beverage industry registered 5.1 percent growth to NT$68.6 billion, according to a report released by the ministry.

Both figures were the highest-ever for June, the MOEA said.

Rising salaries and an increase in the number of foreign tourists, as well as the government's various tax reduction policies, have all contributed to increased consumer spending, said Wang Shu-chuan (王淑娟), deputy head of the MOEA's statistics department.    [FULL  STORY]

Industrial production falls 0.39%

TRADE DISPUTE:As a growing number of companies are relocating back to the nation, production of servers, routers and network switches increased accordingly

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 24, 2019
By: Natasha Li  /  Staff reporter

The nation’s industrial production last month decreased slightly by 0.39 percent as the output of the manufacturing sector contracted by 0.61 percent, counterbalancing the growth recorded in other sectors, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

A production slump across traditional industries was the main culprit that dragged down output from the manufacturing sector as the electronic components and the computer, electronic goods and optical components industries both witnessed outstanding growth, the ministry said.

The electronic components industry’s output increased by 2.81 percent year-on-year, ending six consecutive months of contraction, despite the continuous poor performance of DRAM and LCD panels, the ministry said.

The increase was mainly due to a 9 percent increase in the integrated circuit sector, Department of Statistics Director-General Wang Shu-chuan (王淑娟) told a news conference in Taipei.
[FULL  STORY]

Asus ROG Phone 2 with Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 120Hz Display Launched in China: Price, Features

MySmartPrice.com
Date: Jul 22, 2019
By:  Chandrakant Isi

Have you ever lost in PUBG’s last circle due to your phone’s thermal throttling? Whether you are a pro gamer or simply want an upper hand playing with friends, you now have an option to get yourself superior hardware thanks to the growing number of gaming mobiles. A new addition to this market is the Taiwanese brand Asus’ ROG Phone 2. Released under the Republic Of Gamers brand, the latest phone promises to deliver no-compromise gaming performance. As opposed to the most recent phones with a slim body, the ROG Phone 2 looks quite hefty. This beast of a phone weighs in 240 grams. The phone has a metal body designed to please the gamers. It does, however, look more refined than the previous iteration. On the right-hand side, there’s a recessed area for heat dissipation, which looks like an outline of a switchblade. It also doubles up like a kickstand. Asus has also embedded a fancy RGB lighting system in the ROG logo. Unlike its predecessor, the ROG Phone 2 lacks a capacitive fingerprint sensor at the back. It has been swapped out for an in-display sensor.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese investment in China drops amid trade war

Chinese investment in Taiwan also plunges: MOEA

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Investment between Taiwan and China has been plunging amid the U.S.-China trade war. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Amid concern over the trade war with the United States, Taiwanese companies invested 50 percent less in China during the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2018, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Monday (July 22).

The US$2 billion (NT$62 billion) figure amounted to a drop of 51.01 percent, the United Daily News reported, while the amount of cases approved fell by 10.76 percent to 282 in the first half of 2019.

In the other direction, the total number of approved cases of foreign investment in Taiwan climbed by 3.31 percent to 1,718, according to official data. Expressed in dollars, the total surged 16.99 percent to US$3.5 billion.

Two of the largest cases involved investments by Japan’s Hitachi in a local elevator manufacturer and by ANZ Bank of Australia to expand its local operations, the United Daily News reported.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s jobless rate for June up slightly due to graduation season

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/22
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) The jobless rate for June rose slightly because of an increase in first-time

CNA file photo

jobseekers as university students graduated, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Monday.

The unemployment rate for June rose 0.06 percentage points from a month earlier to 3.73 percent, according to DGBAS data.

The number of people out of work rose 8,000, or 1.79 percent, from a month earlier to 445,000, while the number of the employed was 11.48 million, up 0.04 percent from a month earlier.

The labor participation rate was 59.12 percent, the DGBAS said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan government to intervene in solar industry unemployment

Nearly, 6,000 solar energy workers reportedly dismissed over last two years

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/21
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The solar power system (Source: Pixabay)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said on Sunday (July 21) that it would set up a platform to help employees recently laid off by solar energy-related companies to find jobs.

The solar power industry has reportedly let go nearly 6,000 workers over the last two years due to a decline in business. Approximately 4,400 people lost their jobs in 2018, and the figure for this year has reached 1,500 so far, reported the Central News Agency.

MOEA said businesses in Taiwan’s solar energy industry have faced financial loss owing to low-cost Chinese competitors that receive reimbursement from their government. As a result, some companies have had to shut down factories.

The ministry said it would establish a platform to connect laid-off workers with companies that are recruiting. For example, MOEA has been in touch with Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. in hopes of assisting workers previously employed there to find positions at other companies.
[FULL  STORY]