Taiwan Today

The board of directors of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. approved during a board meeting Aug. 11 that TSMC would devote US$50 million (about NT$1.65 billion) to the solar energy industry. The scale of the money can be read not only as an indication that TSMC is serious in its intentions, but also as TSMC’s vote of confidence in the future of the solar energy industry. The move will make TSMC the second major Taiwanese electronics company, after AU Optronics Corp., to cross over into the solar energy sector. Rick Tsai, former chief executive officer of TSMC, will be in charge of assessing and evaluating potential investment opportunities, said Morris Chang, chairman of TSMC. He noted that Tsai has more experience in the solar panel industry. TSMC will gain entry into the industry by mergers and acquisitions, or by whatever means available, Chang added. A spokesman for the company said that TSMC currently has no specific plans in mind, but that whenever it spots an opportunity it will make a move and make public its actions as required by law. According to Chang, TSMC will place its corporate focus on long-term development, just as Cisco Systems Inc. and Intel Corp. do. The new company will not be established to take up contract manufacturing or merely as some form of financial investment, he said. TSMC has shown signs of returning to profitability with an increasing number of chip orders during recent months. The board also passed a US$1.12 billion budget, which would help the company expand its 45-and 32-nanometer process technology equipment in its 12-inch wafer fabrication plants. (TYH-HZW)