In response to its mid-term expansion strategy, Unimicron Technology has upped its capex goal for this year by NT$6.9 billion (US$218.8 million) to NT$24.2 billion, a nearly 40% increase, according to the IC substrate and PCB manufacturer.
Leading ODM Quanta Computer is well ahead of its own projected progress for manufacturing notebooks at its Thailand facilities, say sources in the supply chain: monthly production has already reached 150,000 units, surpassing the original shipment target of 300,000 units for the first quarter of 2024, as requested by Quanta's US-based customers. With Inventec also prepping for notebook production in Thailand, the country is now poised to become another new notebook manufacturing powerhouse in addition to Vietnam.
Taiwanese OSAT leader Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has recently announced its plan to bolster overseas production by acquiring Infineon's backend assembly and testing facilities in the Philippines and South Korea for over NT$2.1 billion (US$66.37 million). The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2024 at the earliest.
Hon Hai Technology (Foxconn) is rapidly growing its electric vehicle (EV) business, one of the three industries where the contract manufacturing company strives to position itself.
The government of Vietnam decided to ramp up support for the semiconductor industry and announced plans to roll out a series of tax incentives and set up investment funds by mid-2024 to bolster the industry.
According to Young Liu, chairman of Hon Hai Technology (Foxconn), the Taiwan-based contract electronics vendor collaboration with Apple will be more extensive.
Thailand will offer new incentives to promote the local production of battery cells and the adoption of new-energy buses and trucks as it seeks to cement its position as a hub for EV manufacturing.
Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong recently visited Malaysia to check the group's local battery production. He emphasized that it is critical to keep investing in the battery business, implying that Samsung SDI plans to increase investments while the EV market has slowed.
Asia Pacific (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, and Singapore) accounts for 84% of global chip exports and is home to 10 of the 16 semiconductor exporters and the top six suppliers, which includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The leading pure-play foundry will celebrate the inauguration of its first fab in Kumamoto, Japan, on February 24, 2024.
PCB manufacturers worldwide are grappling with a common question: can the resurgence in terminal buying kickstart a revival in the industry? Complicating matters are demands from international clients for expansions such as "China plus one" and "Taiwan plus one," making it harder for PCB makers to gauge market dynamics quickly.
Murata, a Japanese electronic components manufacturer, announced the construction of a new Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) factory in Japan. The completion is scheduled for March 2026. This expansion aims to meet the mid-to-long-term demand and is part of Murata's global strategy to increase its electronic component production capacity. The expansion locations include Japan, Southeast Asia, and China.
Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) announced a partnership with Nvidia to deploy AI in its data centers across Southeast Asia, offering customers access to Nvidia AI GPU remote servers.
