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Taiwan is known for being one of the rainiest locations on the planet, thanks to its subtropical climate in the north and central areas, and tropical climate in the south. During the summer and autumn, typhoons are frequent, as are monsoons. However, last year was a different story. For the first time in 56 years, Taiwan saw no typhoons in 2020, and so far this year, rainfall has been 40 percent less than normal. Most of the country's reservoirs are now below 20% capacity, with water levels in some dipping below 10%. Among them is the Baoshan second reservoir, a...

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has warned that the global semiconductor shortage could last beyond 2021. According to recent reports the chipmaker expects the shortages to ease in the coming quarter. However, in a conference call with investors, Chief Executive C.C. Wei, predicted that the problem will continue until 2022. Meanwhile, TSMC Chief Financial Officer Wendell Huang stated that the company plans to spend about US$30 billion in capacity expansions and upgrades in 2021, up from a previous estimate of US$28 million. TSMC will also spend $100 billion to increase capacity at its fabrication facilities, which are currently operating at "over...

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Japanese firm, Renesas Electronics, a major automotive semiconductor supplier, has warned that a fire at one of its factories could severely impact global semiconductor supplies and force a month-long halt in production. For car makers already tackling supply chain disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic and severe storms in Texas, the timing of the fire at the advanced chip plant could not be worse. “We are concerned that there will be a massive impact on chip supplies,” Hidetoshi Shibata, Renesas Chief Executive, said earlier this week. “We will pursue every means possible to minimise the impact.”  The fire started in...

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Samsung, one of the world's largest makers of chips and consumer electronics, has issued another blunt warning to the electronics market amid the global shortage of semiconductor chips. According to recent reports, Samsung warns of a “serious imbalance” in the semiconductor industry, as shortages continue to cause disruption. The tech giant also hinted that the next Galaxy Note smartphone could be delayed until 2022, in order to streamline production lines. “There’s a serious imbalance in supply and demand of chips in the IT sector globally,” Samsung’s co-Chief Executive Officer, Koh Dong-jin, said during an annual shareholder meeting in Seoul. “Despite...

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Chip manufacturers in Taiwan, including TSMC, are buying water by the truckload for some of their foundries, as the island widens restrictions on water supply amid a drought that could worsen the global chip crunch. Taiwan, one of the world's biggest producers of chips, had promised to help the US, Germany and Japan by bridging the shortage of auto chips, but some auto chip makers have already been forced to reduce production. A key hub in the global technology supply chain for giants such as Apple Inc, Taiwan has started to further reduce water supply for factories in central and...