Industrial News

Nvidia on Monday announced a major expansion of its collaboration with world-leading BYD and other Chinese electric car makers, including on the development of autonomous AI-boosted vehicles. The move deepens Nvidia’s connections with the Chinese EV industry even as it is separately prohibited by the United States from exporting its most powerful AI hardware to China. BYD, which beat Elon Musk’s Tesla in sales in the last quarter of 2023, is the latest Chinese auto firm to use Nvidia’s DRIVE Thor, an all-in-one vehicle control system that is bolstered by powerful generative AI features. “Today we’re announcing that BYD, the [...]

The company’s 2023 Pilot and Technician Outlook (PTO) projects that commercial carriers will need significant personnel through 2042 to support the global commercial fleet: 649,000 pilots 690,000 maintenance technicians 938,000 cabin crew members. Through 2042, the PTO projects: China, Eurasia and North America drive demand for more than half of new industry personnel, with requirements in China surpassing North America. The fastest-growing regions for personnel are Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia, with their regional demand expected to nearly double. After omitting demand for Russia in last year’s PTO due to uncertainty in the region, this year’s forecast includes Russia in the Eurasia region, and it comprises 3% of global demand for personnel. The PTO forecast [...]

The energy innovation vehicle of former coal baron Trevor St Baker has inked a deal with the Philippines government to more than double the output of battery manufacturing facilities it is building in the archipelago, to a potential output of 2GWh a year. The St Baker Energy Innovation Fund is currently developing two factories in New Clark City in the Philippines as part of $10 million project capable of producing the equivalent of 600MWh or about 15,000 lithium iron phosphate batteries a year. As part of three memoranda of understanding overseen by Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Trevor St [...]

ASE's takeover of Infineon's backend manufacturing facilities marks a strategic expansion for both companies, promising to reshape the semiconductor industry landscape. Learn more about this transformative shift. The semiconductor landscape is on the brink of a transformative shift, with Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) set to take over Infineon Technologies' backend manufacturing facilities in Cavite, Philippines, and Cheonan, South Korea. This move not only marks a significant expansion for ASE but also represents a strategic recalibration for Infineon, promising to stir the currents of the global semiconductor industry. Infineon's Strategic Realignment For Infineon, this deal is more than a divestiture; it's [...]

Ford improves aftersales service in PH with new parts center in Calamba, Laguna Ford Philippines is boosting parts availability and accessibility with a new and bigger parts distribution center to enhance the overall ownership experience for its customers. Located in Calamba, Laguna, Ford’s new parts facility covers over 13,000 square meters, twice the size of the previous facility. With a bigger storage capacity, the facility can now store up to 100,000 vehicle parts, boosting Ford Philippines’ capability to deliver more parts to dealerships nationwide. This also translates to an enhanced experience for Ford customers as parts will be available when [...]

Construction begins this year Early last year, we reported about BYD’s plans to build another EV production plant in the ASEAN region. It came as big news for the auto industry in the Philippines as the country was considered along with Vietnam and Indonesia. But now that 2024 has come along, it’s sad to say that the country has lost out to its ASEAN neighbor. BYD has announced they are building their second ASEAN EV production plant in Indonesia. This announcement came after the introduction of the Atto 3, Dolphin, and Seal in the Indonesian market. BYD is preparing to invest [...]

Laguna-based Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. on Thursday said it secured the nod of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to manufacture and assemble electric motorcycles and lithium-ion battery packs at its Laguna Technopark in Biñan. The said approval was given to its unit Cirtek Advanced Technology and Solutions Inc. (Catsi), which announced the launch of its first-ever electric motorcycle assembly and lithium battery assembly facility in the Philippines. The company said it will begin production this year. Cirtek said it received the Peza approval on Thursday. “With a steadfast commitment to providing affordable and reliable mobility solutions, Catsi is set [...]

Chinese Tesla rival Nio has developed an EV battery with a range of 1,000km — and its CEO tested it out by driving for 14 hours on a single charge between two Chinese cities. Nio CEO William Li, who has gained a reputation as China's Elon Musk, live-streamed his mammoth 1,044km journey from Shanghai to Xiamen on December 17 in a test of the Chinese EV company's groundbreaking battery technology. Li said in a post on the Chinese social media site Weibo that his Nio ET7 electric car was able to travel the whole 14-hour journey without recharging despite a regional cold snap and that [...]

TSMC's Kumamoto fab is set to be the fastest-built semiconductor fabrication facility in history, completing construction in February 2024. The accelerated construction of the Kumamoto fab is a testament to TSMC's expertise, the Japanese government's support, and Japan's favorable manufacturing environment. The Kumamoto fab will strengthen TSMC's production capacity and position Japan as a key player in the global semiconductor industry. By STRATEGIC SEMICONDUCTORS

After two frustrating years of Covid-induced economic slowdown, Vietnam bounced back in 2022 with a strong performance — its GDP grew more than 8%. In 2023, the government hoped that a stronger Chinese and global economy would allow a continuation of export-led growth, including growth in tourism and related services. Projections, or hopes, were for 6% to 7% GDP growth. But both the world and China proved to have less demand for Vietnam’s exports than hoped. Now even Vietnam’s prime minister is suggesting growth of “around 5%”, which is close to the 4.7% estimated for 2023 by the International Monetary Fund. Exports fell 5.7% in [...]