Japanese state hands Rapidus US$1.6 billionBloombergThe Japanese government would invest ￥250 billion (US$1.6 billion) in state-backed Rapidus Corp as part of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s pledge to boost domestic chipmaking. Under the new arrangement, the government would initially hold only about 10 percent of Rapidus’ voting shares and own the majority of its stake in non-voting stock, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry official Tomoshige Nambu said yesterday. The Rapidus Corp booth is pictured at the Semicon Japan exhibition in Tokyo on Dec. 17 last year. Photo: BloombergHowever, the state retains the right to convert them into voting shares to seize majority control if the company faces financial distress. On top of state support, Rapidus has also secured ￥167.6 billion from about 30 private companies to help its goal of launching mass production by March 2028.

Shipments of both platforms are expected to drive growth and raise the share of artificial intelligence (AI) revenue this year, Wiwynn chairwoman Emily Hong (洪麗甯) told an online earnings conference. Revenue from AI servers this year is expected to remain dominated by ASIC orders, while on the GPU side, the company is shifting its focus to Nvidia Corp’s next-generation servers, Hong said. Shipments of general-purpose servers this year are expected to exceed last year’s level, with year-on-year growth projected in each quarter, he said. Last year, AI servers and general-purpose servers each accounted for about half of the company’s revenue, Lin said. This year, AI servers are expected to account for more than half of the company’s total revenue, Lin said.

New ASML machines are ready for manufacturersReuters, SAN JOSE, CaliforniaASML Holding’s next-generation chipmaking machine is ready for manufacturers to start bringing it into use for production at high volumes, a senior executive said — a big step for the chip industry. The Dutch company produces the world’s only commercial extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools, which are a critical piece of equipment for chipmakers. The new tool would help chipmakers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and Intel produce more powerful and efficient chips by eliminating several costly and complex steps from the chip-manufacturing process, ASML data showed. The new tools cost about US$400 million, twice the cost of the original EUV machines. In combination, the three data points indicate the tools are ready for manufacturers.

Smartphone market set to shrink 12.9 percent: IDC‘SEISMIC SHIFT’: The researcher forecast there would be about 1.1 billion mobile shipments this year, down from 1.26 billion the prior year and erasing years of gainsBloombergThe global smartphone market is expected to contract 12.9 percent this year due to the unprecedented memorychip shortage, marking “a crisis like no other,” researcher International Data Corp (IDC) said. IDC forecast about 1.1 billion mobile shipments this year, down from 1.26 billion the prior year and erasing years of gradual gains. “The tariffs and [COVID-19] pandemic crisis seem a joke compared to this,” IDC senior research director Nabila Popal said. “The smartphone market will witness a seismic shift by the time this crisis is over — in size, average selling prices and competitive landscape. Last year, there were about 170 million smartphones shipped that cost below US$100, a segment that IDC said is now uneconomical to maintain.

Netflix drops out of bidding for WarnerBloombergNetflix Inc has dropped out of the fight to buy Warner Bros Discovery Inc, clearing the way for rival bidder Paramount Skydance Corp to clinch its US$111 billion deal for the historic Hollywood studio. The Paramount and Netflix logos are pictured in an arranged photograph taken on Dec. 8 last year. Late on Thursday, Warner Bros deemed Paramount’s latest US$31-a-share bid the superior offer. “Once our board votes to adopt the Paramount merger agreement, it will create tremendous value for our shareholders,” Warner Bros chief executive officer David Zaslav said in a statement. The US Senate Judiciary Committee had scheduled a hearing for March 4 to once again examine the Warner Bros sale following a hearing earlier this month.

‘So many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plasticsLike many of us who are mindful of our plastic consumption, Beth Gardiner would take her own bags to the supermarket and be annoyed whenever she forgot to do so. Out without her refillable bottle, she would avoid buying bottled water. “Here I am, in my own little life, worrying about that and trying to use less plastic,” she says. Then she read an article in this newspaper, just over eight years ago, and discovered that fossil fuel companies had plowed more than US$180 billion into plastic plants in the US since 2010. “It was a kick in the teeth,” GardinerBy Emine Saner

Stuttgart and Nottingham Forest advanceAPFenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, right, scores during their UEFA Europa League game against Fenerbahce at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on Thursday. Celtic’s Tony Ralston, left, and Bilal El Khannouss of VfB Stuttgart vie for the ball during their Europa League match at MHP Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, on Thursday. Nottingham Forest players were forced to dodge fireworks thrown onto the field by visiting Fenerbahce fans at the start of their second leg. Stuttgart, who are fourth in the Bundesliga, easily won the first leg 4-1 in Glasgow, but found the second leg much harder.

Hsu, who is to represent Taiwan at the WBC, tossed three scoreless innings for the Hawks, the defending champions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Taiwan’s Yu Chang, right, greets teammates ahead of their exhibition game against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at the Taipei Dome yesterday. Photo: CNAThursday’s exhibition at the Taipei Dome marked the right-hander’s first formal game appearance in five months. Speaking after the game, Hsu said he has progressed slowly in finding his rhythm during spring training. “Sometimes you don’t get that feel back until you’re in a real game,” Hsu said.

FIFA has ‘full confidence’ in Mexico as host of CupAP, MEXICO CITYFIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday said that he spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and that he has “full confidence” in Mexico as a host country for this year’s FIFA World Cup, despite violent incidents following the death of a drug lord that left at least 70 people dead. “I had an excellent conversation earlier today with Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum,” Infantino said. Photo: ReutersMexico is set to host 13 World Cup matches, four of them in the western city of Guadalajara, in Jalisco State, the central hub for the Jalisco cartel. “I spoke by phone with FIFA president Gianni Infantino; we continue working as usual to successfully host the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Sheinbaum wrote on X. New Caledonia are to play Jamaica and the winners face the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a spot in the World Cup.

SailGP mulls air bags, Kevlar straps after crashAP, SYDNEYSailGP organizers yesterday said that the ultra-fast catamaran series is considering fitting the fleet with air bags and Kevlar safety straps after two sailors were seriously injured in the previous series of races. The boats of the New Zealand and French SailGP teams are pictured following a crash during the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland on Feb.14. Photo: APCoutts said that SailGP is satisfied with the immediate emergency response, but would investigate whether better safety equipment could be implemented to minimize risk. A Kevlar strap [could] be on the outside of the cockpit, for example, stopping a penetration” by another boat. Twilight racing — the seventh time SailGP has been raced on Sydney Harbour — is to be held today and tomorrow, with the winning boat to be determined tomorrow.

Beiling Primary School in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) in September last year started the experimental program for elementary students learning subjects in Hoklo. In 2023, Taiwanese advocacy group TW South (台灣南社) asked Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) to set up a Taigi experimental school in the city, noting that Kaohsiung already has two experimental schools for teaching Hakka and indigenous languages, Beiling School principal Su Heng-chin (蘇恆欽) said. “Therefore we decided to transform this school as the first for a Taigi education program,” he said. As a Taigi experimental school, we encourage teachers and students to speak and discuss in Taigi,” Su said. To encourage and promote Taigi education, the Hoat-Ki Taigi Foundation has set up a “Taiwanese Language Scholarship” at Beiling.

MOE boosts food waste educationBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of Education (MOE) is stepping up efforts to integrate campus waste treatment with agrifood education and other concepts as the nation looks to ban the use of food scraps as pig feed next year as part of the government’s preventive measures against African swine fever. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of EducationBy observing the process, the students gain a deeper understanding of food waste recycling, she said. Taitung County’s Fongyuan Elementary School has also been raising black soldier flies to process school food scraps. The school said the process allows students to reflect on their food choices and how they impact sustainability, adding that the process also teaches them to cherish food and learn about recycling. Taichung’s Huiwen High School, through careful separation and preservation, and in collaboration with organizations, turns food leftovers into food for disadvantaged families and homeless people, Chiu said.

228 opened fight for democracy: KMT chairwomanTIME AND PLACE: The KMT chairwoman sniped at the judiciary and its ‘partiality’ during a memorial for the 1947 uprising and government-ordered massacreStaff writer, with CNAThe 228 Incident marked Taiwan’s first major democratic movement after World War II, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said yesterday, urging people to safeguard hard-earned democracy. Ahead of 228 Peace Memorial Day today, Cheng said that the Incident was not only a tragedy, but also the opening chapter in the struggle for democracy. Cheng, joined by senior KMT officials and civic group representatives, laid flowers at the 228 Peace Memorial Monument in Taipei’s 228 Peace Memorial Park, and called on citizens to protect democratic rule of law, freedom of speech and judicial independence. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun visits the 228 Peace Memorial Monument in Taipei yesterday. The 228 Incident refers to civilian uprisings in Taiwan and the violent crackdown by the KMT government that began on Feb. 28, 1947.

Stray cats reported to remember the hand that feedsDO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, itBy Jonathan Chin

Money mule sentenced after doctor loses NT$72m in fraud scamBy Tsai Cheng-sheng and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Hsinchu District Court recently sentenced a money mule to five years in prison after investment scammers defrauded a doctor of NT$72 million (US$2.3 million). The doctor handed cash over to money mules eight times from September 2024 to the end of that year, investigators found. Police caught a money mule surnamed Sun (孫) who was meeting the doctor for a drop-off in December 2024, it said. "Sun and the ring members ruined the doctor's finances ... [and he] had no way of getting his money back,” the court filing said. Family and friends should offer warmth and support, share their concerns and call the police anti-fraud hotline, they said.