Asus disclosed a bad debt of NT$5.35 billion (US$160 million) in the fourth quarter of 2024, which affected its expected annual profitability, according to a financial briefing on November 11.
Amid the increasing momentum of AI-powered PCs and Nvidia's aggressive push for its latest graphics cards, Simon Tsai, Vice Chairman and President of Clevo, remains optimistic about the company's prospects in 2025. He believes these factors will drive the notebook market growth. On the other hand, China's substantial investment in economic stimulus, including generous subsidies for consumer IT purchases, is also expected to boost overall spending in the field.
NAND flash controller chip supplier Phison forecasts that the first quarter will be the low point for annual revenue. As manufacturers successfully adjust prices and DeepSeek drives AI devices toward edge computing development, market supply and demand may gradually tighten in the second half of the year, leading to steady revenue growth.
Taiwanese ODM Compal Electronics has reported a February 2024 revenue of NT$67.541 billion (US$2.0 billion), up 22.1% sequentially and 17.4% year-on-year, driven mainly by shipment momentum for non-PC product lines, including smart devices and servers.
HTC has reported continued losses in the fourth quarter of 2024 as its mobile phone and AR/VR hardware businesses struggle to gain momentum. The company remains challenged by high investment costs in the extended reality (XR) industry, which is still in its developmental stage.
Clevo has reported impressive operational performance for the fourth quarter of 2024, with consolidated revenue reaching NT$7.341 billion (approx. US$222.9 million), marking a new high in twelve quarters and achieving both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth targets. The total consolidated revenue for the year was NT$26.6 billion, reflecting a 9% year-over-year increase, its second-highest record in history.
US President Donald Trump's impact on the supply chain has been deep and far-reaching, with his tariff policies from 2017 having a lasting effect to this day.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, global notebook shipments (excluding detachable models) performed better than expected, decreasing by 1% compared to the previous quarter. In anticipation of tariffs on notebooks imported into the US by the Trump administration, brands and channel retailers increased their inventories in the fourth quarter to prepare. However, the high inventory from the fourth quarter will strongly undermine brand vendors' shipments in the first quarter of 2025, according to DIGITIMES' latest quarterly notebook shipments report.
Alibaba Cloud debuted at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and hosted a global summit during the event. Wei-guang Liu, SVP of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group, highlighted the rising trend of multi-cloud architecture due to the global expansion of public clouds. This trend is timely as AI and large language models are flourishing.
Lenovo has unveiled a plan to manufacture all its PC models in India exclusively for the Indian market over the next three years. The company is also preparing to manufacture GPU-based servers for artificial intelligence in Pondicherry.
Getac Technology Chairman James Huang highlighted Europe's sharp rise in military spending, particularly in Germany, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The company is engaged in multiple European defense projects and sees growing momentum in drone fleet development. Getac has been working on Ground Control Station (GCS) systems for a year, collaborating with clients across Europe and the US.
LG Group chairman Kwang-mo Koo traveled to India to assess the company's R&D, production, and distribution as LG commemorates 30 years in the market. This visit aligns with LG's strategy to expand in India while managing risks associated with US-China tensions.
AI-capable PC shipments hit 15.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024, accounting for 23% of all PC shipments during the quarter, according to the most recent data from Canalys, which is now a part of Omdia.
The "A+H" dual-listing model—where companies trade shares on both Mainland China's A-share market and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX)—is gaining momentum. More Chinese firms are embracing this approach to diversify funding sources and attract global investors. According to Wind Information, as of March 3, 2025, over 40 companies have filed for initial public offerings (IPOs) on HKEX, including Goertek Microelectronics Inc. (GMI), a subsidiary of Goertek Inc.
The Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) 2025 is, for the first time, centering on robots as a primary theme, with keynote addresses from executives of prominent enterprises, including THK CEO Akihiro Teramachi.
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a key event for global mobile phone vendors, especially Chinese brands, to unveil new technologies and products. In the competitive AI landscape, major brands are introducing both innovative product forms and advanced AI and imaging applications.
The Trump administration is escalating trade tensions, slapping a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico while increasing China's tariffs by 10%. The move is accelerating supply chain migration, with PC brands shifting production to Southeast Asia and server makers in Mexico pivoting to Texas.
The tariff sword wielded by US President Donald Trump has officially fallen. Although downstream assembly plants and brand manufacturers have generally prepared to diversify their production locations, the increase in related costs has prompted companies to consider adjusting product prices or passing these costs onto component suppliers.
Taiwan-based Elan Microelectronics, a major provider of touch controller chip solutions, has disclosed that significant order momentum for product lines offering high gross profits boosted both revenue and gross profit margins in 2024. The company is cautiously optimistic about the market in 2025.
At MWC 2025, Samsung Electronics introduced its newest AI advancements, spotlighting the Galaxy S25 series with cutting-edge AI features and the inaugural XR headset Project Moohan. The notably thin Galaxy S25 Edge and AI applications for the smart home and health were also highlighted.
Qualcomm is preparing for a more dominant entry into the PC market after seeing a rather successful entry in the mobile segment with its Snapdragon X Elite SKUs. According to German media outlet WinFuture, the Snapdragon X2 chipset will feature an impressive 18 Oryon V3 cores, a 50% increase over its predecessor, making it a formidable contender in the premium laptop and desktop segments.
Qualcomm's next-generation Snapdragon X2 processor, codenamed "Project Glymur," is reportedly in development for Windows PCs. The chip is expected to feature up to 18 third-generation Oryon cores—a 50% increase over the previous generation's 12-core design.
