Export Orders Hit Record $95.2 Billion, Wistron Opens Texas Factory, 00891 Stock Swap – Weekly Recap

On Tuesday (21st), Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs Statistical Bureau announced that June's export orders reached $95.26 billion, surpassing expectations and setting a new all-time monthly high. This represents a 59.4% year-on-year increase and marks 17 consecutive months of positive growth. Cumulative export orders for the first half of the year have exceeded $500 billion, also a record for the same period. The Ministry noted that sustained demand for AI, high-performance computing, and cloud services has driven strong orders for related tech products, serving as the core driver behind the robust growth in export orders.

Wistron (3231-TW) officially opened its D1 AI Smart Factory in Dallas, Texas, on U.S. Central Time 21st (Taiwan time 22nd), where the first NVIDIA (NVDA-US) GB300 compute board in the U.S. was produced.

The new D1 factory in Texas, invested nearly $700 million, covers approximately 324,000 square meters. The facility utilizes NVIDIA's accelerated computing technology and integrates open frontier models such as Nemotron Cosmos, along with Omniverse and Metropolis, leveraging digital twin technology to optimize factory design, production processes, and operational efficiency.

As the AI wave continues to boost global semiconductor demand, Taiwan's largest semiconductor ETF, CTBC Key Semiconductor (00891-TW), has completed its latest component stock adjustment, effective July 27. This reshuffle focuses on long-term AI development trends, adding China Silicon (5483-TW), TSEC (3532-TW), WPG (3702-TW), and ChipMOS (6147-TW) to strengthen exposure to key segments including silicon wafer materials, semiconductor distribution, and packaging & testing, thereby creating a more comprehensive investment portfolio covering the AI semiconductor supply chain.

Gallium arsenide power amplifier manufacturer Win Semiconductor (3105-TW) held its earnings conference on Friday (24th), announcing that its Q2 net profit after tax reached NT$977 million, an 83% increase quarter-on-quarter, turning profitable compared to a loss in the same period last year. Q2 EPS was NT$2.3. For the first half of the year, net profit after tax totaled NT$1.51 billion, also turning profitable year-on-year, with cumulative EPS reaching NT$3.56. Win Semiconductor stated that Q2 performance met expectations, primarily driven by improved product mix and increased shipment volumes.

China Silicon (5483-TW) and United Renewable Energy (3576-TW) jointly announced on Tuesday (21st) that they will invest $40 million (approximately NT$1.29 billion) in the U.S. to establish a U.S.-based solar module manufacturing company. China Silicon will hold 51% and United Renewable Energy 49%, led by professional manager Ye Zhengxian. The plan is to build a solar module factory with an annual capacity of 1GW, with mass production and shipments expected to begin within one year after the site is confirmed and lease agreements are signed.

Three major oil producers—Taisun (1218-TW), Fushou (1219-TW), and Formosa Oil (1225-TW)—held a material information briefing on Friday (24th) regarding soybean oil found to contain excessive benzo[a]pyrene levels. Regarding losses from product recalls, fines, and compensation, Taisun estimated its own losses at NT$150–200 million, while Fushou estimated losses between NT$100–150 million.

NVIDIA (NVDA-US) CEO Jensen Huang, when asked on Wednesday (22nd) about past perceptions of doing business with Taiwan as 'cheap and plentiful,' responded: 'Today, Taiwan is highly cost-efficient, but certainly not low-cost. The technology is extremely advanced and excellent. People in Taiwan should be very proud.'