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TSMC lifts profits despite chip price declineDavid MannersTSMC had a $125m profit in the first quarter which was a 71 per cent increase on the profits of Q4 2002, but was on revenues of $1.12bn which were 4 per cent lower than Q4’s owing to a 7 per cent decline in prices.The higher profits were attributed to cut-backs in spending ...

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Eurodis Electron warns of “exceptionally difficult” marketRichard WilsonEurodis Electron has said that trading conditions in the electronics components market are still “exceptionally difficult” in its latest quarterly business update.Interest in the component distributor increased last week when it confirmed that it was in talks with a possible mystery buyer. The discussions, it said “may or may not lead to an ...

Ericsson cuts 7,000 staff in bid for profitabilityMelanie ReynoldsEricsson has announced it is to cut a further 7,000 jobs in its efforts to return to profit this year.“We remain determined to return to profit during 2003, excluding additional charges for the further restructuring announced today,” said Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO of Ericsson. “Although first quarter sales are likely to be the ...

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Agere Systems reduces loss to $125m in Q2Melanie ReynoldsAgere Systems has reported a loss of $125m during the second quarter of its financial year, a reduction of $21m from the previous quarter, and an improvement of $94m from the same period a year ago.The loss included $68m in net restructuring and other charges, and a gain of $41m from the ...

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Government must put cash behind recyclingSteve BushThe Government will miss an opportunity for UK business if it fails to put cash into the development of recycling technologies, according to industry sources.“More concerted Government action is needed to address the WEEE [electronic waste] directive, end-of-life vehicle directive and battery directive,” said Ged Barlow, MD of recycling technology company C-Tech Innovation. “Existing ...

Fibre-based amplifiers get university boostSteve BushDevelopment of holey fibre devices has progressed at the University of Southampton with the application for a patent covering Raman amplifiers and modulators. If Southampton’s research can be commercialised, the result will be a significant cut in the bulk and power consumption of fibre-based amplifiers. Raman devices rely on non-linear effects within optical fibres. These ...