Thailand is the largest automobile manufacturer in Southeast Asia, and Japanese brands have a market share of 80–90%. Because of this, the Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS), the largest automobile exhibition in Thailand, has always been dominated by Japanese brands. However, the 44th annual BIMS held between March 22 and April 2, 2023, had the Japanese automotive sector concerned that its advantages in Southeast Asia would slowly disappear with the development of EVs.
Malaysia should strive to attract investors to set up at least one medium-size wafer foundry fab to build a complete semiconductor manufacturing supply chain in the country, not just as an IC packaging base in Southeast Asia for international semiconductor players, according to Wong Siew-hai, president of Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA).
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol met with Elon Musk on April 26, asking the Tesla CEO to build a gigafactory in the country. Yoon said South Korea will provide support for location and taxes if the EV company makes the investment.
Linkcom Manufacturing, a Taiwan-based supplier of magnetic components and power supply modules, is evaluating the feasibility of establishing a new plant in Vietnam.
China-based Changan Automobile will accelerate overseas expansion with a new EV plant in Thailand. The carmaker plans to spend THB9.8 billion (US$285 million) building the facility, targeting an annual production capacity of 100,000 EVs in the first phase.
Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), an organization sponsored by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) that is dedicated to boosting socio-economic development, enhancing human resources, and promoting economic relations in a range of developing partner countries, invited a group of 22 international visitors composed of government officials from many countries and executives of businesses and chambers of commerce to visit AI Expo Taiwan 2023, running from April 19-21 in Taipei.
Cloudera, a US-based hybrid data cloud service provider, is expanding its presence in Taiwan, seeing Taiwan's cloud service market currently enjoying two major growth drivers, according to Anna Yen, CEO and founder of Athemaster, a Taiwan-based partner of Cloudera.
Indonesia is urging Volkswagen AG to invest in its electric vehicle industry as the country seeks to counterbalance Chinese companies' dominance over its nickel reserves.
The semiconductor industry has taken root in Taiwan in ways that people would not have dreamed of half a century ago. The 1970s marked a decade of turmoil for Taiwan when it had to quit the UN and then sever diplomatic ties with the US and Japan. Its industries relied on the cheap yet high quality labor of the export processing zones (EPZ). MediaTek chairman M. K. Tsai was employed at an export processing zone before joining RCA's program. The founder of LiteOn, the first Taiwanese firm that made diodes and the first electronics firm in Taiwan that went public, also had worked at an EPZ. They were leaders and witnesses of the development of Taiwan's industry at such difficult times.
Indonesia is expecting more international investment to inject into its EV segment. PowerCo, Volkswagen's battery subsidiary, has expressed interest in building a battery ecosystem in Indonesia with partners like Ford, Vale and Huayou Cobalt.
Apple is reportedly discussing with its manufacturing partners to move part of the production lines for MacBook and Apple Watch devices from China to Thailand, according to industry sources.
Quanta Computer's board of directors has approved a company plan to set up a new plant in Vietnam for up to US$50 million, the ODM issued a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) on April 17.
Quanta Computer plans to shift more of its notebook assembly lines from China to Thailand and is looking for corporate executives to relocate to Thailand, according to industry sources.
