Group 1: Industry Overview - Major semiconductor companies are set to hold earnings calls, including foundry companies like UMC and testing interface provider Chroma, as well as chip giant MediaTek, focusing on recent financial results, the impact of the TWD exchange rate, and future market outlook [1][2] - UMC's June consolidated revenue reached NT$44.7 billion, showing a month-on-month increase of 26% and a year-on-year increase of 9%, outperforming last year's figures [1] - Despite the increase in shipments, UMC's Q2 revenue decreased to NT$116.9 billion, a quarter-on-quarter decline of approximately 2.1%, primarily due to a 12% appreciation of the TWD against the USD [1] Group 2: Company-Specific Insights - MediaTek's Q2 consolidated revenue was NT$1503.6 billion, reflecting a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 1.9% but a year-on-year increase of 18.1%, marking the third-highest quarterly performance in history [2] - MediaTek's cumulative revenue for the first half of the year reached NT$3036.8 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 16.4% [2] - UMC will discuss its latest financial performance and operational outlook for Q3 and the full year during its earnings call, addressing concerns about wafer shipment momentum and capacity utilization [2] Group 3: Technological Developments - Chroma has introduced several advanced testing solutions, including a high-speed 112Gbps PAM4 probe card and PCIe 6 test boards, to meet the evolving needs of global chip design clients as the industry approaches the traditional peak season in Q3 [3]

Group 1 - The article outlines five significant fluctuations in the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD) exchange rate against the US Dollar, highlighting historical events that influenced these changes [1] - In 1985, the Plaza Accord led to a substantial appreciation of the NTD from 36 to 28 against the USD between 1985 and 1988 [1] - The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis caused the NTD to depreciate from 27.5 to 32.6 by the end of the year, marking a general trend of depreciation [1] Group 2 - In 2015, a significant decline in Taiwan's exports and economic growth resulted in the NTD depreciating from 31.6 to 33.8, a decrease of approximately 6.96% [1] - The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 led to a shift in Taiwan's economic environment, with the NTD appreciating from 30.10 to 28.67, an increase of 4.7% [1] - Concerns over a potential US recession and the exposure of Taiwan's life insurance industry to USD assets have recently triggered hedging operations, causing the NTD to briefly surpass the 30 mark against the USD [1]