Japan to use public funds for Elpida – NHK

April 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

TOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) – Japan has told Taiwan it is preparing to use public funds to boost the capital of chipmaker Elpida Memory (6665.T), which is teaming up with Taiwanese makers to fight slumping demand, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry told Taiwanese authorities on Tuesday that a plan is under way for the use of public funds to boost Elpida’s capital once Japan’s parliament passes in the current session a new public fund scheme for ailing companies, the NHK said.

On April 1, Taiwan Memory, which was recently set up by the Taiwanese government to rescue Taiwan’s chip sector from the severe market downturn, chose Elpida as a partner to develop new chips [ID:nTP104915].

Elpida, the world’s third-biggest maker of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, said on the following day that it was open to the idea of Taiwan Memory taking a stake of about 10 percent in Elpida [ID:nT340950]. (Reporting by Yumiko Nishitani)

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Japan to lift tariff on S.Korea’s Hynix-Kyodo

April 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) – Japan has decided to lift a special tariff on computer memory chips made by South Korea’s Hynix Semiconductor Inc (000660.KS), Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Monday.

Japan had been reviewing the countervailing duty on dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips made by Hynix, the world’s No. 2 memory chip maker which competes with Japan’s Elpida Memory Inc (6665.T). The tariff is currently set at 9.1 percent. (Reporting by Sachi Izumi)

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Japan to scrap tariff on S.Korea’s Hynix-Kyodo

April 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Replaces word “lift” in headline and first paragraph with “scrap”)

* Japan to announce decision on Hynix chip duty at 0400 GMT

* Duty now at 9.1 pct

* Hynix shares down 2.2 pct, Elpida up 11.5 pct

TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) – Japan has decided to remove a special tariff on computer memory chips made by South Korea’s Hynix Semiconductor Inc (000660.KS), Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Monday.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is scheduled to announce at 1:00 p.m. (0400 GMT) whether it will lower its 9.1 percent countervailing duty on dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips made by Hynix, the world’s No. 2 memory chip maker which competes with Japan’s Elpida Memory Inc (6665.T).

The memory sector is struggling to deal with mounting losses and debt after two years of steep price falls due to weak demand.

Japan lowered its tariff on chips from Hynix from 27.2 percent in September, after a World Trade Organisation ruling in 2007 that Tokyo cut its duties on Hynix’s dynamic random access memory chips.

It has put its remaining tariffs on Hynix under review.

Elpida competes with Hynix as well as No.1 memory chip maker Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) in DRAM.

The two South Korean firms also compete with Toshiba Corp (6502.T) in NAND flash memory chips.

Japan slapped duties on Hynix chips, saying the chip maker received state-led bailouts in 2001 and 2002 that hindered fair competition.

It has dropped the tariffs in place to counter the 2001 bailout, but has kept duties to account for bank loans the chip maker received in 2002.

Indebted Hynix’s shareholders and former creditors have agreed to let the chip maker raise up to $510 million in a rights offer. [ID:nSEO323625]

Shares of Hynix were trading down 2.2 percent at 0218 GMT, while Samsung was trading down 3.2 percent and Elpida was trading up 11.5 percent. (Reporting by Mayumi Negishi; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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Nikkei climbs 2.5 pct on U.S. hopes, exporters up

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Japan’s Nikkei average gained 2.5 percent on Thursday, led by exporters such as Kyocera Corp after U.S. data sparked optimism about the world’s biggest economy and a rally on Wall Street the previous day.

Elpida Memory Inc surged nearly 13 percent after the world’s No. 3 DRAM chip maker said on Thursday it is thinking about letting new partner Taiwan Memory Co buy about a 10 percent stake in it.

The world’s biggest automaker Toyota Motor Corp and other carmakers rallied a day after the U.S. auto industry’s March sales met or beat Wall Street’s dismal expectations, sending a bit of light into the sector.

U.S. stocks climbed broadly on Wednesday as factory and home sales data raised hopes the economic downturn is moderating.

“Investors are feeling some relief about the U.S. economy as signs that the worst may be over have started to appear in the housing and auto sectors, which have been struggling the most,” said Masayoshi Yano, senior market analyst at Meiwa Securities.

The benchmark Nikkei gained 204.73 points to 8,556.64. The broader Topix rose 2.6 percent to 814.80.

But market players said gains in Tokyo shares may be capped amid caution about the outcome of a gathering by leaders of the Group of 20 developed and developing nations taking place in London.

Elpida Memory soared 12.8 percent to 880 yen.

Automakers surged, boosting the overall market. Toyota Motor rose 5.2 percent to 3,440 yen, Honda Motor Co surged 6.5 percent to 2,630 yen and Nissan Motor Co jumped 9.1 percent to 420 yen.

Other exporters advanced strongly, with electronics giant Sony Corp rising 7.3 percent to 2,280 yen and Kyocera, an electronic device and office equipment maker, climbing 2.7 percent to 6,770 yen.

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Taiwan Memory to partner with Elpida, AS

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) The new Taiwan government company being established to help the island consolidate its struggling computer chip industry said Wednesday it will enlist Japan’s Elpida Memory Inc. as a technology partner.

Taiwan Memory Co. said it had also chosen Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc.

as a partner, but that “the decision is pending on the agreement of (its) currently existing technology partners.” If the Taiwanese consolidation succeeds, it could eventually challenge South Korean DRAM makers Hynix Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics Co.

, which are major Taiwanese competitors. The Taiwan government announced early last month that it would have Taiwan Memory up and running within six months, and expressed the hope that it could acquire core technologies from foreign enterprises.

John Hsuan, the boss of Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corp., the world’s second-largest contract chip maker by revenue, has been chosen to head it.

Taiwan’s six makers of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips have suffered from a glut of supply as the global economic slump saps demand for electronics and machinery run with semiconductors.

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