Taiwan top semiconductor spender in Q1: SEMISOLID SPENDING: The emergence of new applications such as artificial intelligence has paved the way for long-term growth of the integrated circuit industry, SEMI said Taiwan was the top spender on semiconductor equipment in the first quarter of this year, global semiconductor trade association SEMI said on Wednesday. Taiwan spent US$6.93 billion on semiconductor equipment during the period, up 42 percent from a year earlier, but down 13 percent from the previous quarter, SEMI data showed. The association represents companies in the electronic manufacturing and design supply chain. China was the second-biggest spender with US$5.86 billion, down 23 percent from a year earlier and 8 percent from last quarter, the data showed. South Korea came in third with US$5.62 billion, up 9 percent from last year, but down
