An unexpected surge in demand left car manufacturers in some major markets scrambling to make up for a shortage of automotive chips, which are produced mostly in Taiwan. Now governments are exploring how to reduce dependence on the island’s chipmakers. Taiwan’s key foreign policy catchphrase “Taiwan can help” has become a lot more relevant lately,…
Taiwan’s car market experienced substantial sales growth in 2020, recording the highest number of units sold in 15 years. Yet global headwinds and Taiwan’s relative lack of an EV market could slow the momentum in 2021. By Austin Babb and Jason Wu 2020 was a traumatic year for the global automobile industry. Factory shutdowns and…
Last month, Central Bank of the Republic of China (CBC) Governor Yang Chin-long spoke to lawmakers regarding the U.S. possibly labeling Taiwan a currency manipulator, one of the criteria for which is a trade surplus with the U.S. of more than US$20 billion. Yang noted that the U.S. market has become increasingly reliant on Taiwan…
The convergence of several new technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), the industrial internet of things (IIoT), autonomous vehicles, and hyperscale computing have brought about a wave of unprecedented innovation. At the same time, these technologies have also pushed electronic design toward a higher level of integration and facilitated the development of diverse vertical…
Taiwan has often found itself underestimated or overlooked by the rest of the world – sometimes mistaken for Thailand or considered largely through the prism of China’s view of the island. Lately, however, Taiwan has been coming in for unaccustomed international attention. Over the past 14 months, its government’s early action and skillful handling of…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu COVID Success Lures Foreigners Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan continues to be an attractive location for foreign talent. Ministry of Labor statistics show an 18% increase in foreign white-collar workers in Taiwan since last year. In addition, there was an astounding 300% rise in 2020 in the number…
Reliance on China has never been riskier for Taiwan’s semiconductor sector. Industry giants like TSMC are now investing to increase production capacity in the U.S. as means of threading the needle on the American tech dispute with China. China has long exerted a gravitational pull on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. The China market’s size, proximity, and…
While 2020 was an extremely challenging year for individuals and companies throughout the world, one industry managed to experience substantial growth of an estimated 8.4% globally. That industry was semiconductors, producers of the tiny chips that power virtually all of the world’s electronic devices, handsets, tablets, and computers. And nowhere was the production of these…
A bi-weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Semiconductor and automotive chips updates The global supply shortage of automotive chips has forced German automakers Volkswagen and Audi to halt production, prompting the German Economics Minister to look to Taiwan for help. Taiwan’s Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua…
A bi-weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Pegatron enters Tesla supply chain Apple supplier Pegatron has recently expanded its cooperation with U.S. car producer Tesla. According to news sources, Pegatron has recently entered Tesla’s charging station supply chain and is expected to move into mass…
