The head of Japan-based Sharp vowed on Friday to restore profitability at the "reborn" electronics giant, just days after it announced sweeping pay cuts to repair a bleeding balance sheet.

Large panel shipments continued to grow in August, in part driven by strong demand for large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, Taipei-based display research consultancy WitsView said Friday.

With Taiwan's panel industry into the peak season, AUO, a Taiwanese panel maker, saw revenues in August increase 10.7% month on month (to NT$35.103 billion (US$1.17 billion), with Chimei Innolux, another major panel manufacturer on the island, reaching NT$44.404 billion (US$1.48 billion) in revenues, up 11.6% on month to a new high this year, and HannStar Display revenues up 12.92% MoM to NT$3.529 billion (US$117.63 million).

US authorities are seeking a U$1 billion fine for AU Optronics, a Taiwanese company convicted earlier this year of conspiring to fix prices, in what would be the largest ever penalty levied against a company for antitrust offences.

Sharp said talks to make Hon Hai Precision Industry its biggest shareholder are stalled, with no progress made in the past week as the Taiwanese company seeks a management role in return for its capital.

STMicroelectronics is planning production stoppages at its wafer fabs in Crolles, France, and Catania, Italy, amid reports that CEO Carlo Bozotti will soon announce a reorganization of the company that may include a change of business model.

The new members added include Jackson Hu, chairman and CEO for NeoEnergy Microelectronics, Qiang Liu, chairman and CEO for Ingenic Semiconductor, and Vincent Tai, co-founder, chairman and CEO for RDA Microelectronics.

The US central bank has moved to kick-start economic recovery by restarting its policy of pumping money into the economy via quantitative easing.

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) has announced the appointment of Leo Li, chairman, CEO and president of Spreadtrum Communications, to its board of directors. In his new position, Li will represent Asia-Pacific as the first board director based in China.

TrendForce believes that, for the A6 and A7 chips, Apple will just as likely turn to Globalfoundries and Intel, which currently provides the Core i processors for Apple's notebooks. The ultimate choice will likely narrow down to whose products fits or performs up to Apple's product standards.

Sharp may lose more money than it forecast this year, analysts predict, increasing pressure on the struggling Japanese electronics maker to raise funds and complete a stake sale to Foxconn Technology Group.

In a corner of the booth of Japan's Sharp are several prototype displays based on a new type of LCD (liquid crystal display) called IGZO.

The European Commission's anti-dumping investigation of China's solar panel products harms the development of alternative energy, said the head of the China-based solar company involved in the case.

First Solar Inc. CEO Jim Hughes is stepping up efforts to manage power plants that generate electricity from the sun, helping utilities use the technology in a way his rivals in China can't.

China has expressed its deep regret at the European Commission's decision to start its investigations, a statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has said.

Niels Van Duinen, global marketing director at Philips Lighting led off the Street & Area Lighting Conference on September 10 with a forward look at LED lighting and how smart-city projects will ultimately connect lighting on Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

The Chinese government on Tuesday sent a delegation to Europe to negotiate with the European Union about the trade friction over solar panel imports.

The QFN package design kit enhances package modeling and simulation accuracy with Agilent's ADS electronic design automation (EDA) software for radio frequency (RF), microwave and high-speed digital applications for RF semiconductors.

Washington had repeatedly urged Taipei to ease restrictions on US beef, indicating that the stalled trade talks between the two sides hinge on the issue.

Prior to joining Globalfoundries, Chen held key senior management positions in Marvell where he was responsible for sales, support and customer service for the company's business in China.

Kionix has announced the release of the KXCNL, a configurable accelerometer with dual state machines to allow designers to dynamically program the device for numerous applications.

Philips Electronics has said it will shed another 2,200 jobs as it looks to cut additional costs from the business.

Media reports say that the government is considering opening Taiwan's doors to Mainland Chinese investors in the service industry, public infrastructure, and real estate.

Wider opening to investment from China will help boost Taiwan's economy by combining its technological strength with China's market strength, according to Vice Economics Minister Francis Liang.