Chips, chips and more chips.... this time Asian chips. jeff
BRIEFING - ASIA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - DEC 16, 1998
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Dec 16, 1998 (Asia Pulse via COMTEX) -- An executive briefing on information technology for Dec 16, 1998, prepared by Asia Pulse ( www.asiapulse.com), the real-time, Asia-based wire with exclusive news, commercial intelligence and business opportunities.
KOREA'S SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP EXPORTS EXPECTED TO RISE 11%
SEOUL - Korea's semiconductor chip exports for next year are forecast to rise 11 percent from this year, according to the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Wednesday.
The semiconductor chip exports for this year are estimated to reach US$16.4 billion, a slight drop from the original projection, and the figure for next year would reach $18.2 billion, the association said in a report on the 1998 profile of the semiconductor industry and outlook for next year.
PHILIPPINE CHIPS/ELECTRONIC EXPORTS TO HIT US$45 BLN:REPORT
MANILA - Philippines' exports of semiconductors and other electronics products are expected to hit US$45 billion by 2004, says the industry's grouping.
In a position paper, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc (SEIPI) says the export target would mean an additional 400,000 jobs.
INDIAN COS WIN US$23.5 MLN OF BUSINESS AT ELECTRONICS FAIR
NEW DELHI - Indian firms generated business worth Rs 1 billion (US$23.5 million) at Electronica '98, the international trade fair for electronics components and assemblies held in Germany recently.
The Electronics and Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) - an apex body for promoting exports in the sector - said in a statement here that "Europe, the third largest destination for Indian electronics exports, is a thrust market for Indian firms."
SONY DEVELOPS FASTER X-RAY CT IMAGER WITH WIDER FIELD
TOKYO - Sony Corp. (TSE: 6758) said it has developed an improved type of X-ray CT imager which can capture high-resolution images of a wider field of view faster than conventional computed tomography systems.
The new CT system utilizes an X-ray source that fans out in an ellipse, enabling a wider region to be X-rayed at one time than is possible with helical CT systems. For example, just 12 seconds are needed to image a 40x40x40 cm area with 1mm resolution, which is an order of magnitude faster than conventional systems.
FUJI PHOTO FILM PROMOTES PHOTO PROCESSING VIA INTERNET
TOKYO - Fuji Photo Film Co. (TSE: 4901) is promoting its F-DI digital-imaging service through cooperation with Internet-service providers.
F-DI allows users to order photographic processing and additional prints over the Internet. Fuji Photo has already forged a tie with a Fujitsu Ltd.'s (6702) InfoWeb and plans to negotiate with other providers to allow access to F-DI service via their menus.
SCHLUMBERGER TO MARKET SEMICONDUCTOR TEMP CONTROL SYSTEM
TOKYO - Schlumberger K.K. will soon market a temperature-control system for use in quality assessments of semiconductors, the company announced.
The Kanagawa-based firm said the equipment is capable of directly controlling the temperature of integrated circuits within a range of 125 C to minus 35 C. The product will sell for some 18 million yen (US$15,311).
JAPAN CHIP MACHINE MAKERS' ORDERS DOWN 72.6% IN OCT
TOKYO - Japanese manufacturers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment received orders worth 36.78 billion yen (US$312.8 million) in October, down 72.6% year on year for the 11th consecutive month of decline, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan reported.
Orders for wafer production machines suffered the biggest fall at 93%. The figures include orders received from abroad.
MATSUSHITA TO MARKET PANACOM LC SERIES LCD PCS FROM DEC 25
TOKYO - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will begin marketing six Panacom LC series liquid crystal display-integrated desktop personal computers Dec. 25.
Equipped with a 14.1-inch thin-film transistor color LCD, the PCs take up only 25% of the space and consume 25% of the electricity used by regular desktops.
SONY, WESTERN DIGITAL TO DEVELOP NEW HARD-DISK DRIVE
TOKYO - Sony Corp. (TSE:6758) and US hard-drive maker Western Digital Corp. announced Tuesday that they will team up to develop a new hard-disk drive for digital audiovisual products.
Sony will design the interface, architecture and protocol for AV applications, while Western Digital focuses on development of the mechanical and electronic components and firmware of the hard drive.
KENWOOD, LSI DEVELOP SYSTEM CHIP FOR DIGITAL SATELLITES
TOKYO - Kenwood Corp. (TSE:6765) and LSI Logic Corp. on Tuesday announced joint development of a system chip for receivers for digital satellite broadcasts.
Digital satellite broadcasting is scheduled to start in Japan late 2000, and some 10 million households are expected to buy receivers or TVs with built-in receivers by 2004.
MICROSOFT TARGETS INDIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY
MUMBAI - The financial services industry in India was one of the largest vertical market opportunities for adopting information technology and Microsoft had outlined a comprehensive strategy to enable computerisation, according to Microsoft Corporations' director, Davide Vigano.
"We realised that challenges faced by the Indian financial services industry are unique and we are addressing this by providing applications and solutions developed by local partners," he said on Monday.
HYUNDAI ACCUSES LG SEMICON OF FOOTDRAGGING IN CONSOLIDATION
SEOUL - Hyundai Electronics Co. (KSE:00660) Tuesday accused LG Semicon Co. (29890) of dillydallying in consolidation efforts for the nation's semiconductor sector.
Hyundai president, Kim Yong-hwan, said in a press release that LG Semicon has been hemming and hawing in the evaluating process required for consolidation.
SOFTBANK, US FIRM TO ADVERTISE INSURANCE VIA NET
TOKYO - Softbank Corp. (TSE:9984), a wholesaler of personal computer software, said Tuesday it will set up a joint venture with InsWeb Corp., a California-based insurance Web site operator, to advertise insurance over the Internet.
At first they will offer information about nonlife insurance policies. Later they plan to handle life insurance and other products in line with progressive liberalization of life insurance operations under Big Bang financial-sector reforms.
Copyright © 1998 Asia Pulse Pte Ltd
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