“Green” chips, or low-power semiconductors, have become bestsellers among both crypto miners and electric vehicle makers looking to increase their profitability and driving range. According to industry sources Monday, major chipmakers including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics are producing advanced, low-power chips at full throttle, as miners of cryptocurrencies desperately search for chips that consume less electricity. “Conventional chips c

Hanwha Q Cells said Monday that its low-carbon solar panels began generating electricity at TotalEnergies’ 55-megawatt solar farm in Gien, France. According to the solar business unit of Hanwha Group, its 126,000 solar panels will produce up to 64 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year -- enough for 71,000 people -- at Total’s solar farm that spans 107 football fields. “Over the course of 30 years, the solar farm will curb carbon emissions worth 550,000 metric tons,”

Kakao’s AI unit claims that its supergiant AI models are better for carrying out daily tasks than its rival

LG Electronics said Monday it is looking to release its newest LG UltraGear laptop for 2022 -- a high-performance model designed for gamers -- within December in Korea. The laptop features a 17.3-inch monitor with a 1080p display resolution, using an in-place switching panel of 300-hertz refresh rate, as well as DTS: X Ultra system for multidimensional sound, in order to deliver a more immersive gaming experience, according to the company. It is powered by Intel‘s 11th-generation Tiger

South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries Group said Monday that it will showcase its latest and next-generation mobility technologies at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making its debut at the major tech trade show. The tech fair, better known as CES, is set to run for four days from Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and its affiliates will offer a glimpse into the future of shipping mobility, with focus on autonomous navigation. They will also

Local investment house IMM Investment has acquired a 41 percent stake in GS Power, a subsidiary owned by GS Energy, an energy arm of GS Group, for 1.1 trillion won ($926 million), officials said Friday. GS Energy will maintain a 51 percent majority, after selling 3,136 shares totaling 1.1 trillion won. Last year, GS Energy bought back the 50 percent stake it sold to a local consortium of banks in 2012. A GS Energy official said the sell-off is part of broader efforts to fund ESG projects, whic

Meat replacement projected to take up 60% of global protein market by 2040

Customer demand for wine and Korean beef has shown rapid increase this year, as an alternative to dining outside, said the local discount chain E-mart on Sunday. The discount retailer tracked the changes in the type of products sold from 2019 to November this year. According to the store’s data, wine leaped from 10th place in 2019 to sixth in 2021, with sales jumping by 32 percent from 2019.  More Korean consumers have started venturing into higher-priced wines compared to the sta

Samsung Electronics has reportedly launched a new China team under the direct supervision of vice chairman and Chief Executive Officer Han Jong-hee, signaling a change in its strategy to reenter Asia’s largest market that is already dominated by homegrown manufacturers. According to media reports, Samsung Electronics has kicked off a new operation, loosely translated as the China Business Innovation Team. The unit is dedicated to businesses ranging from mobile handsets to semico

With limited metal sources being hurdle for expansion, Korean manufacturers rush to recycle used batteries

Hankook Tire & Technology Co., the world's sixth-largest tiremaker by sales, said it resumed operations at its two plants in South Korea on Sunday, 26 days after a strike began over this year's wage deal. The deal reached Friday includes a 6 percent increase in basic monthly pay, 5 million won ($4,200) in performance-based pay and a bonus of 2 million won per worker. The agreement ended the strike that began Nov. 24. It marked the first strike since the foundation of the company's labor un

Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday that environment-friendly vehicles topped 10 percent of its global car sales for the first time this year amid growing demand for electric cars. The country's top automotive conglomerate said its two carmakers, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., sold a total of 656,479 eco-friendly vehicles globally in the January-November period, 10.7 percent of their entire sales of 6.12 million units. The growth marks a sharp increase from 2015, when the annual sales of such ca

Korean Air said Thursday that it has developed drones for airplane inspection. At an airship hangar located in Gangseo-gu, eastern Seoul, Korean Air demonstrated a group of drones inspecting a Boeing 737 aircraft in front of officials from the Ministry of Land and Transportation. The drone used in the demonstration weighs only 5.5 kilograms and is relatively small in size, with the width and length both coming in at 1 meter. Four drones move in groups when they inspect an airplane, sharing

British helicopter operator Bristow Group Inc. has pre-ordered about 20-50 electric air mobility aircraft being jointly developed by South Korea's Hanwha Systems Co. and US Overair, according to industry sources Friday. Overair, the California-based air taxi startup, signed a memorandum of understanding with Bristow on Thursday (local time), to collaborate on the development and commercialization plans for "Butterfly," an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or

Marking a shift in generation after Chairman Chung Euisun took office, Hyundai Motor Group announced its regular reshuffle Friday, the largest yet with more than 200 promotions to senior positions. Many executives from the older generation, such as Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Yoon Yeo-chul stepped down, with younger figures newly appointed to senior positions. That includes Choo Kyo-woong, the 47-years old former head of electrical and electronic systems development, who has been promoted as