DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Japan arranging subsidies for Samsung chip facility -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Maki Shiraki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan is arranging subsidies that could be worth around 15 billion yen ($110 million) to South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS) for a chip facility it is considering setting up near Tokyo, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips, would construct the facility including its first chip packaging test line in Japan near its existing research and development centre in Yokohama, Reuters reported in late March. The facility could cost around 40 billion yen to set up, of which about a third would be subsidised by the Japanese government, said the source, who declined to be named because the information is not public. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday plans to meet with executives from leading chip firms including Samsung to strengthen multilateral cooperation. Japan said last month it would give 260 billion yen in subsidies to domestic chipmaker Rapidus, which is building a factory on the northern island of Hokkaido, in addition to 70 billion yen of government funding secured earlier.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway Opens New Position in Capital One, Exits BNY Mellon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Akane Otani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Neb., was held earlier this month. Photo: Madeline Cass for The Wall Street JournalWarren Buffett ’s company spent the first quarter opening a new position in Capital One Financial and adding to its already large holdings of Bank of America and Apple . A regulatory filing released Monday showed Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its stakes in Chevron , General Motors , Amazon.com and Activision Blizzard , among other companies. It dumped the remainder of its stakes in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing , Bank of New York Mellon , U.S. Bancorp and RH , the home-furnishings company formerly known as Restoration Hardware.

But the materials are expensive and still face supply bottlenecks compared with the cheaper standard silicon used in most chips. The company has previously raised funding from semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker Applied Materials (AMAT.O). iDEAL has partnered with Bloomington, Minnesota-based chip manufacturer Polar Semiconductor to make its first chips and is planning to roll them out later this year. Granahan said silicon carbide chips can still beat iDEAL's for certain applications including the extremely high voltage chips needed for applications such as electric semi trucks. But he said iDEAL's chips could be competitive for about 90% of the overall market for power chips.

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street's 'fear gauge' is rising as US debt talks drag on
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Markets will get volatile, maybe the stock market will go down, the Treasury markets will have their own problems,” he said. But this fear of market volatility isn’t going away. A similar fight around the debt ceiling in 2011 spurred a serious bout of market volatility. Wall Street’s key measure of volatility, the VIX, reached two year highs and soared more than 35% in just one day. Wall Street typically uses the VIX, known as the market’s “fear gauge,” as a way to measure how investors feel about financial and economic uncertainties.

☆ TSMC stake sold by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Warren Buffett’s conglomerate has sold its remaining shares in the world’s largest chipmaker, TSMC, after the “Oracle of Omaha” sounded alarms about its homebase of Taiwan. In a Monday filing, Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) disclosed that it was no longer holding a stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) as of the end of the first quarter. In February, Berkshire revealed it had sold 86% of its shares in TSMC, which were purchased for $4.1 billion just months before. As Berkshire Hathaway revealed its withdrawal Monday, other prominent investors made bets on the stock. According to a regulatory filing, Macquarie has increased its stake in TSMC, while Tiger Global has also bought in.

☆ Buffett sheds stake in TSMC, while Macquarie, Fidelity buy shares -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Macquarie added roughly 78 million new American Depositary Shares (ADRs) of TSMC to an existing position, and ended March with $7.3 billion in the company. Fidelity bought 14.1 million new shares, increasing its bet on the company to nearly $4 billion. Coatue Management, founded by Philippe Laffont, built a new position in the chipmaker as it bought 5.9 million shares, worth $548.9 million. U.S.-listed shares of TSMC have gained nearly 14.5% this year. Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TSMC added by Macquarie, Fidelity and Coatue after Buffett cut stake -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Their moves come roughly three months after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) unveiled it cut its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd last year. Macquarie added roughly 78 million new American Depositary Shares (ADRs) of TSMC to an existing position, and ended March with $7.3 billion in the company. Fidelity bought 14.1 million new shares, increasing its bet on the company to nearly $4 billion. Coatue, founded by Philippe Laffont, built a new position in the chipmaker as it bought 5.9 million shares, worth $548.9 million. Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Blue-collar workers could save the US from recession as the tech industry withers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After a pandemic-era tech jobs boom — and now bust — more and more Americans are returning to blue-collar work for better pay and more security. As AI stands poised to potentially remake white-collar work, blue-collar work may emerge even more resilient. The Biden administration has been devoted to turning that around, pouring billions into projects devoted to bringing manufacturing jobs back stateside. And another key to the puzzle is treating blue-collar work with respect, like any other work — including high-paying tech jobs. Are you thinking of taking the plunge into blue-collar work, or have you already?

☆ China's biggest chipmaker posts first quarterly revenue fall in 3 years as semiconductor woes persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

However, China's biggest chipmaker still faces a challenge catching up with rivals such as TSMC. China's biggest semiconductor manufacturing firm SMIC on Friday posted its first decline in quarterly revenue in more than three years as a glut in chips and lack of demand continues to hit the industry. SMIC or Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co., posted revenue of $1.46 billion in the first quarter of the year, down 20.6% year-on-year. Despite the headwinds, SMIC posted record revenue for the whole of 2022. Over 50% of SMIC's revenue comes from making chips that go into smartphones and other consumer electronics.

☆ Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war. Russian strikes and microchipsA Ukrainian military official with electronics from a destroyed Russian T-90M tank in Kyiv in March. Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWestern-made microchips and processors power many of Russia's weapon systems, even its most advanced missiles and aircraft. ASML is the only firm that produces extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machines, which are needed to make advanced microchips. A US-Chinese clash over Taiwan, or some other disruption, like a Chinese blockade, that halts exports of advanced semiconductors would affect numerous other industries.

☆ Taiwan's wind industry braves cross-strait risks in clean energy boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sarah Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

With large swathes of Taiwan's territorial waters restricted due to defense, shipping and other uses, offshore wind developers will soon run out of space. It's a question of whether you want to pay the price," insurance broker Clive Lin told offshore wind developers in a packed lecture hall in Taipei. Political risk insurance is typically not covered in mainstream insurance policies, so developers have to buy it additionally. The risk of a military confrontation and its impact on Taiwan's wind farms are hard to quantify, analysts say. "In a kinetic conflict invasion, Taiwan's going to have so many other problems, offshore wind is going to be way down on the list," Cancian said.

☆ Japan's Hamamatsu Photonics says Denmark denies approval for NKT Photonics acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Hamamatsu Photonics KK (6965.T) said on Monday that Danish authorities had rejected a European subsidiary's application to acquire Copenhagen-based fibre laser manufacturer NKT Photonics A/S from NKT A/S (NKT.CO). Hamamatsu Photonics had announced plans for the takeover last June for about 205 million euros ($226 million) to expand application of its laser diode business based on compound semiconductor manufacturing technology. NKT Photonics' lasers could be used for inspection of cutting-edge semiconductor devices, among other applications, it had said. "We are currently considering further actions in relation to the decision," Hamamatsu Photonics said in a statement on Monday. The Danish Business Authority said the denial was in accordance with the Danish Investment Screening Act.

May 8 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. The regional economic data calendar on Monday is light, with the final reading of Japanese purchasing managers index and Taiwanese trade for April the main releases. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, for one, is very optimistic: "It's possible that this time is really different. Technology giant JD.com (9618.HK) and China's largest chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (0981.HK) both release first-quarter earnings on Thursday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

OMAHA, Nebraska, May 6 (Reuters) - Warren Buffet on Saturday said he is more comfortable with Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) deploying capital in Japan than Taiwan, reflecting the growing tensions between the United States and China. The billionaire investor contrasted Berkshire's recently increased investments in five Japanese trading houses with its recent U-turn on a multi-billion dollar investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, or TSMC (2330.TW). "It's a marvelous company," Buffett said at Berkshire’s annual meeting, referring to Taiwan Semiconductor. But "I would feel better about capital that we've got deployed in Japan than in Taiwan.... That's the reality." Tensions between the U.S. and China have simmered in recent months, with some investors worried that China might invade Taiwan.

☆ Warren Buffett on TSMC: There's nobody in their league in the chip business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWarren Buffett on TSMC: There's nobody in their league in the chip businessBerkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger preside over the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. Buffett discusses the firm selling Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company shares.

☆ Top US spy says Chinese invasion halting Taiwan chip production would be 'enormous' global economic blow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

She noted that the advanced semiconductor chips produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) are used in 90 percent of "almost every category of electronic device around the world." If a Chinese invasion stopped TSMC from producing those chips, "it will have an enormous global financial impact that I think runs somewhere between $600 billion to $1 trillion on an annual basis for the first few years," she said. "It will also have an impact on our (U.S.) GDP if there was such an invasion of Taiwan and that (TSMC's production) was blocked," Haines continued. "It would also have an impact, if they stopped making chips, on China's economy." Reporting by Jonathan Landay; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

OAKLAND, California, May 4 (Reuters) - Impact Nano, a Massachusetts-based startup that makes specialty chemicals for the semiconductor industry and others, said on Thursday it raised $32 million in funding from investors including Intel Capital and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. And they are made in regions of political instability," said Matthew Stephens, CEO and co-founder of Impact Nano. Stephens said Impact Nano is inventing new ways to produce chemicals that chip makers use. Stephens also said Impact Nano is looking to apply for some of the CHIPS Act funding that will support the suppliers for semiconductor manufacturing. Goldman Sachs Asset Management is part of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Intel Capital is the investment arm of U.S. chip giant Intel Corp (INTC.O).

May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday he would launch a new effort to address competition with China, planning a new package of legislation to boost the United States' ability to compete with the Asian powerhouse. The effort, dubbed the China Competition Bill 2.0, follows an effort last year when President Joe Biden signed legislation authorizing more than $170 billion over five years to boost U.S. scientific research to better compete with China and $52 billion in new subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing and research. Schumer is working with Senate committee leaders to draft the legislation over the coming months. He will hold a news conference at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) to formally announce the effort. Some of the ideas in the new legislation were part of a broader China bill that was scaled back last year and eventually became the law known as the "Chips and Science" act.

☆ TSMC, partners plan to invest up to $11 billion in German fabrication plant, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) is in talks with partners to invest as much as 10 billion euros ($11.04 billion) to build a chip fabrication plant in Germany, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The venture between TSMC, NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI.O), Robert Bosch GmbH and Infineon Technologies AG (IFXGn.DE) will have a budget of at least 7 billion euros, including state subsidies, but is likely to end up closer to 10 billion euros, according to the report. TSMC is still evaluating the possibility of building a fab in Europe, the company told in an emailed statement to Reuters, but declined to comment further. Infineon and Robert Bosch declined to comment, while NXP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for a comment. ($1 = 0.9061 euros)Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US Senate to draft new legislation to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday is announcing a new effort to draft bipartisan legislation to address concerns about China including taking steps to limit the flow of advanced technology to China, aides said. The legislation will also aim to deter China from initiating a conflict with Taiwan or other U.S. allies in the region codifying an outbound investment screen to block U.S. capital from going to Chinese companies. The effort is dubbed the China Competition Bill 2.0 and follows an effort last year when President Joe Biden signed legislation authorizing more than $170 billion over five years to boost U.S. scientific research to better compete with China and $52 billion in new subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing and research. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Money flowing into the People's Republic is getting uncomfortably hot. Yet recent reversals in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai suggest that is driven by fickle short-term funds – exactly what Beijing doesn’t want. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFollow @mak_robyn on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSChinese spirit maker ZJLD shares closed down 18% lower than their initial public offering price on their trading debut April 27. The KKR-backed company raised $676 million in what was the biggest offering in Hong Kong since October 2022. Separately, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada's third largest pension fund, closed down its China equity investment team based in Hong Kong, Reuters reported on April 25, citing sources.

☆ Tech group urges Biden administration to keep child care requirement for chips funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Standing against conservative critiques of the Biden administration's conditions on computer chip-manufacturing funding, the tech industry group Chamber of Progress urged the government to maintain its requirements, which include providing child care for workers. MacKenzie said the group aimed to push back on GOP attacks on so-called wokeness in business. But the Commerce Department has maintained that the rules are necessary to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure a stable workforce. "We simply will not be successful in achieving the national security goals of the CHIPS initiative unless we invest in our workforce, period. WATCH: Commerce Department sees more than 200 companies interested in CHIPS Act funds

☆ China's top chipmaker will 'struggle' to make cutting-edge chips competitively
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China's largest chipmaker SMIC won't be able to produce cutting-edge chips competitively if it continues to be cut off from advanced equipment, analysts told CNBC. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesChina's largest chipmaker SMIC won't be able to produce cutting-edge chips competitively if it continues to be cut off from advanced equipment, analysts told CNBC. Following the 2020 sanctions, the U.S. last year introduced sweeping export restrictions aimed at cutting China off from advanced chip tech and equipment. The Netherlands as well as Japan have reportedly followed the U.S. in imposing rules aimed at restricting China from accessing advanced chip tech. "Can SMIC produce in a commercially viable way scaled by the hundreds of thousands or tens of millions in some cases?

☆ Japan's Honda Motor in strategic collaboration deal with TSMC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Honda is seen during the 88th International Motor Show at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File PhotoTOKYO, April 26 (Reuters) - Japan's Honda Motor Co (7267.T) on Wednesday unveiled it struck a strategic collaboration agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW) as part of steps the company was taking to secure a stable supply of semiconductors. Honda will build direct relationships with chip producers for the long-term stable supply of chips, chief executive Toshihiro Mibe said at a news conference where he laid out the automaker's business strategy. "Honda will work closely together with Tier 1 suppliers and semiconductor makers and move forward with drastic steps," Mibe said, adding it had reached a basic agreement on strategic collaboration with TSMC. Honda also said it planned to introduce four new electric vehicle (EV) models in Japan by 2026.

☆ Atomera, STMicro sign deal to use new chipmaking material
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Atomera said the deal allows STMicro to install Atomera's technology in its factories, and manufacture and distribute chips made with it. Atomera has developed a new material that can slot into existing semiconductor manufacturing processes to improve transistors, the tiny electrical switches at the heart of all chips. Atomera claims its material in some cases can improve transistors as much as jumping to a new-generation technology, but with lower costs. Atomera Chief Executive Scott Bibaud told Reuters that STMicro, with the new deal, is now Atomera's closest customer to moving to mass production. Bibaud said there is no firm timeline for when chips with Atomera technology will be in production, but it could be within 12 to 18 months.

Search resuls for: "Semiconductor Manufacturing"

25 mentions found