READY FOR COLD: EVA said that it was confident it could handle Pfizer’s ultra-cold vaccines with its cold-chain delivery service, although foreign airlines might be used

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 16, 2020
By: Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that they are ready and willing to transport COVID-19 vaccines, although they had not received assignments from the government.

The airlines’ remarks came after a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) said that the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) had asked EVA to install liquid nitrogen storage to facilitate carrying vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, which must be kept at about minus-75°C.

EVA said that it did not receive an assignment from the CECC, but it has told the Civil Aeronautics Administration that it would be happy to provide a door-to-door vaccine delivery service.

“We are confident that we can handle Pfizer’s ultra-cold vaccines with our cold-chain delivery service,” EVA said in a statement.    [FULL  STORY]

2020 taking its toll on another well-loved eatery serving Taiwanese fare.

mothership
Date: December 11, 2020
By: Belmont Lay

The Salted Plum, which serves hearty Taiwanese cuisine with a contemporary twist, is closing down both its outlets at Circular Road and in Suntec City.

The final day of operations will be on Dec. 13, 2020.

The impending closure after four years of operations was suddenly announced on Facebook on Dec. 10.

The post only hinted at how 2020 has taken its toll on the business.    [FULL  STORY]

GlobalWafers will be world's second-largest silicon wafer producer once merger deal completed in late 2021

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/12/10
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s GlobalWafers Co. (環球晶) has signed a merger agreement with Germany's Siltronic AG, allowing the world’s third-biggest silicon wafer manufacturer to move up to the No. 2 spot, reports said Thursday (Dec. 10).

If the acquisition is completed as expected during the second half of 2021, the enlarged company should have a global market share of 26.7 percent, ranking behind only Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical, CNA reported. The process would involve GlobalWafers buying up at least 65 percent of Siltronic’s shares, with 100 percent costing an estimated NT$130 billion (US$4.6 billion).
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 12/10/2020
By: Jackson Chang and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a supplier to Apple Inc, on Thursday reported sales of NT$124.865 billion (US$4.42 billion) for November, up 4.7 percent from the previous month, thanks to strong sales of Apple's iPhone 12.

The November figure marked the second highest monthly sales in TSMC's history, after its NT$127.585 billion in September, the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, TSMC said, its consolidated revenue for October and November was NT$244.168 billion.

The company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, is expected to reach or surpass its business goals for the fourth quarter, an analyst said, noting that TSMC has forecast fourth-quarter revenue of US$12.4 billion-US$12.7 billion.    [FULL  STORY]

RISKS: Vaccine rollout has bolstered growth prospects, but downside risks, such as increasing global debt and slow demand, could affect a post-pandemic recovery

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 11, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

S&P Global Ratings has raised Taiwan’s GDP growth forecast from 1 percent to 1.64 percent for this year, while trimming the pace from 3 percent to 2.9 percent for next year, amid the benefits of a stay-at-home economy and optimism that COVID-19 vaccines would reduce downside risks.

The rollout of vaccination programs against the COVID-19 outbreak would support a stable outlook for Taiwan’s economy this year and next year, despite global demand being ravaged by the pandemic, corporate credit analyst Raymond Hsu (許智清) at Taiwan Ratings Corp (中華信評), the local arm of S&P, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

“Growth risk is now neutral as multiple vaccine successes increase recovery upside,” Hsu said.

Taiwan has emerged from the pandemic unscathed, thanks to its effective handling of the outbreak, and an unexpected boom in demand for remote working and schooling devices, Hsu said.    [FULL  STORY]

BNN
Date: Dec 09, 2020
By: Debby Wu, Bloomberg News

A silicon wafer made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is arranged for a photograph at the company's headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Photographer: Maurice Tsai/Bloomberg , Photographer: Maurice Tsai/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — Taiwan’s GlobalWafers Co. agreed to acquire German silicon wafer manufacturer Siltronic AG for about 3.75 billion euros ($4.53 billion), yet another deal in a record year the global semiconductor industry.

GlobalWafers will pay 125 euros a share, a 10% premium to Siltronic’s closing price Nov. 27, the day before public disclosure of acquisition talks, the companies said Wednesday in a statement. The two companies had disclosed earlier they were in discussions, sending shares in both companies surging.

Siltronic said at the time its executive board considered the offer “attractive and appropriate,” and that its largest shareholder, Wacker Chemie AG, which has a 30.8% stake, is prepared to sell its stake. Siltronic also said the deal would prohibit job losses in Germany until the end of 2024.

The companies said they expect the deal to be completed in the second half of 2021.
[FULL  STORY]

TSMC selected for 2021 IEEE Corporate Innovation Award

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/12/09
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said on Wednesday (Dec. 9) that it has produced over one billion 7-nanometer chipsets for clients worldwide.

The company made the statement in a press release announcing that the firm had been awarded the 2021 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Corporate Innovation Award for its success in 7 nm semiconductor foundry technology. “TSMC’s achievements in both developing 7 nm technology, and enabling the innovations of IC designers everywhere, have placed it among a select group of organizations that have made lasting contributions to the field of engineering, and to the world,” said IEEE President and CEO Dr. Toshio Fukuda.

“TSMC’s technology leadership, paired with its foundry business model, meant that TSMC’s 7 nm technology marked the first time the world’s most advanced logic technology was available to the entire semiconductor industry as an open platform,” said TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark Liu (劉德音). “We are grateful to the IEEE for this prestigious honor; it gives us further inspiration to continue finding new ways to unleash our customers’ innovation.”

The Taiwanese company’s 7 nm process began mass production in April 2018 and has since manufactured more than one billion chipsets for hundreds of products from dozens of customers, the press release stated. The firm’s 7 nm chips have been used for artificial intelligence, data centers, advanced driver assistance systems, high-performance computing, 5G communications, and smartphones.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 12/09/2020
By: Jackson Chang and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's biggest contract chipmaker, has won the Corporate Innovation Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for its leadership in 7-nanometer (7nm) semiconductor foundry technology, the company announced in a statement released on Wednesday.

"TSMC's technology leadership, paired with its foundry business model, meant that TSMC's 7nm technology marked the first time that the world's most advanced logic technology was available to the entire semiconductor industry as an open platform," the company's chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) said in the statement.

Liu also expressed gratitude to the IEEE for bestowing the prestigious honor on TSMC.

"It gives us further inspiration to continue finding new ways to unleash our customers' innovation," Liu said.    [FULL  STORY]

STRONG COMEBACK: After delisting in 2012 due to debt, the chipmaker’s strategy to reduce operational risk and broaden its portfolio has created an upbeat outlook

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 10, 2020
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Shares of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電), the world’s seventh-largest foundry, yesterday surged 223 percent on their first day on the Emerging Stock Board, boosting the company’s market capitalization to NT$260.8 billion (US$9.15 billion).

Powerchip’s market value surpassed that of its closest rival, Vanguard International Semiconductor Co (世界先進) valued at NT$210.8 billion, based on its share price of NT$128.5 yesterday.

Powerchip shares skyrocketed to touch NT$84 soon after the market opened in the morning, from the subscription price of NT$26 per share. The stock opened at NT$55.7.

About 1.3 billion Powerchip shares changed hands, making it the most heavily traded stock on the board.     [FULL  STORY]